Lt. Watada is an officer in the Army who voluntered after 9/11 and has a record of "exemplary" service. As many of you may know he is now facing court martial for refusing to deploy to Iraq. A story in the NYTimes includes the following telling paragraph about the Lieutenants's decision and the state of the nation.
"Lieutenant Watada's about-face came as a shock to his parents, his fellow soldiers and his superiors. In retrospect, though, there may have been one ominous note in the praise heaped on him in his various military fitness reports: he was cited as having an "insatiable appetite for knowledge.""
Ominous indeed....(definition by Merriam Webster is: foreshadowing evil). So then, according to these reporters, evil arises not through the lies or atrocities that have come to light before and during the invasion of Iraq. Rather what threatens us is that a soldier, with integrity, discipline and intelligence would work to inform himself, reach an understanding, make a decision, and face the consequences.
"What a wonderful world."
Article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
More on the Lieutenant here:
http://www.thankyoult.org/
There is an interesting comment from one of his lawyer's at the thankyou site:
"Lt. Watada's lawyer, Eric Seitz, said: "We expected the missing movement charge, but we are somewhat astounded by the contempt and conduct unbecoming charges. These additional charges open up the substance of Lt. Watada's statements for review and raise important First Amendment issues. We are delighted that the Army has given us the opportunity to litigate these questions." "