According to the Nuremburg Principles, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (and the United States) in 1950, soldiers and heads of state can be liable for "crimes against peace", war crimes, and crimes against humanity. A key phrase reads: "The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relive him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him." Sooooooo...this brings us to 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, 28, of Honolulu, who has refused to serve in the military in the Iraq war, which he believes is an ''illegal war'' founded on ''lies.'' He has acted upon the moral choice possible in front of him to not fight in the war. So what does the military judge in his trial (military judge Lt. Col. John Head) do? He basically says that the defense team "could not debate the legality of the Iraq war in court." I'm poisoned by my boss with an apple pie. I take him to court to say "hey, this guy poisoned me with this pie...see, it's poisoned...you can test it for arsenic." And the judge says "you can not bring up the subject of apple pie in this court hearing." That's basically what this judge is saying. Quoting the NY Times: "Army prosecutors have argued that Watada's behavior was dangerous to the mission and morale of soldiers in Iraq." Again, the stupid argument that an action against the government would "embolden" the terrorists or "discourage" the soldiers. WHAT ABOUT THE TRUTH?!?!?! I would rather I know that I'm working for a mob boss than be "demoralized". Hell, the truth allows people, soldiers and civilians, to make their own decisions. And if the war itself is proven to be illegal in the eyes of International Law, then current soldiers have the right to either stay in the war and risk becoming a part of an international crime, or choose to follow 1st Lt. Ehren Watada. I'm a true believer in completing what one promises to do, as long as the promise is made on clear, straightforward, legal boundaries. That is what soldiers are supposed to do: follow commands from his Commander-In-Chief and other superiors which falls under legal (U.S. and U.S.-agreed International) law. If a war IS illegal, then 1st Lt. Watada has a case. But not hearing the evidence put forth by his defense attorneys is a breach of having a fair trial. Grrrr! /end of line Read Original NYTimes article
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