Compassion is the refusal to suffer for imaginary reasons
Archive for July, 2005
Today is the 52nd birthday of my friend LH/SY. She is my hero.
After many years of working her buns off as a waitress/server and raising her sons as a single mother–she is about to graduate as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She works full-time as a waitress and attends college full-time. Additionally, she is assisting her youngest in college; he, too will soon graduate with his B.A. and will continue on for his M.A.
I sometimes wonder–what do you do in your spare time? As if there is ever much of that! In spite of that fact she is somehow always there to help where she is able.
She is a most phenomenal friend and I am blessed to have her in my life.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Thank you…xie –xie… 
To dream the impossible dream…
Well, he has done it — for the 7th time. Congratulations!!!… to Lance and his team.
…more later. WHOO HOO!!!
Update
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION
PUBLIC AI Index: AMR 51/123/2005
09 August 2005
UA 208/05 Prisoner of conscience
USA Kevin Benderman (m), aged 40, US army sergeant
On 28 July, a US court-martial sentenced Sergeant Kevin Benderman to 15 months’ imprisonment, after he refused to return for a second tour of duty with the US army in Iraq. Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for his conscientious objection to the war in Iraq.
Kevin Benderman has served as an army mechanic for 10 years. He served in Iraq from March to September 2003 but refused to deploy to Iraq a second time, citing his moral and religious objections to the war in Iraq, which developed in response to his experiences as a soldier in Iraq.
In his conscientious objector application filed on 28 December 2004, Kevin Benderman explains how his religious studies of both the Bible and the Qu’ran, coupled with his experiences, led him to develop objections to the war. He described the devastation he witnessed as his unit drove to their destination:
“Homes were bombed, people lived in mud huts and drank water from the mud puddles. I could not ignore the little girl standing by the side of the road with her mother. Her arm was burned to her shoulder, and she cried in pain. To be aware of the mass graves throughout the area that we were in, full of bodies of women and children and men, all who had died by the hand of war, maybe not our war, but war.�
Kevin Benderman’s application for conscientious objector status was turned down by the military authorities on 27 April 2005. Amnesty International considers his objection to the war in Iraq to be genuine and credible. The organization also considers that he did take reasonable steps to secure release from military obligations through filing this application.
Kevin Benderman was convicted on charges of missing his brigade’s movements under article 87 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). He will also receive a dishonourable discharge and reduction of rank. His lawyers are appealing against the verdict.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International considers a conscientious objector to be any person who, for reasons of conscience or profound conviction, refuses to perform service in the armed forces or any other direct or indirect participation in wars or armed conflicts. This can include refusal to participate in a war because one disagrees with its aims or the manner in which it was being waged, even if one does not oppose taking part in all wars.
Furthermore Amnesty International considers a person to be a prisoner of conscience when they are detained or imprisoned solely because they have been denied or refused their right to register an objection or to perform a genuinely civilian alternative service. They would also be prisoners of conscience if they are imprisoned for leaving the armed forces without authorization for reasons of conscience, if they have taken reasonable steps to secure release from military obligations.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language:
- explaining that Amnesty International considers Kevin Benderman to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for his conscientious objection to the war in Iraq;
- calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
APPEALS TO:
Secretary of the Army Dr. Francis J. Harvey
101 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-0101, USA
Fax + 1 703 697 8036
Salutation: Dear Secretary
Col John Kidd
Ft Stewart Garrison Commander
42 Wayne Place Ste 204
Ft. Stewart, GA 31314, USA
Email: kidd.john@stewart.army.mil
Fax: + 1 912 767 4951
Salutation: Dear Colonel
COPIES TO:
George W. Bush
The President
The White House
Office of the President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20500, USA
Fax: + 1 202 456 2461
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington DC 20301, USA
Fax: + 1 703 697 8339
Email via: http://www.defenselink.mil/faq/comment.html
and to diplomatic representatives of USA accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 20 September 2005.
29 July 2005
Court-Martial Verdict: Kevin Acquitted of Desertion, Guilty of Missing Deployment to Iraq, Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison, Taken Into Custody
Friday, July 22, 2005
Initial Hearing on Pre-Trial Motions:
Judge Throws Out Recently Added Larceny Charge Against Kevin
In the first pre-trial motion hearing on Friday, July 22, the judge threw out the prosecution’s larceny charges. We will post news stories on this development as soon as they appear.
One Soldier’s Fight to Legalize Morality
by Monica Benderman
On July 28, 2005, in a small non-descript courtroom on Ft. Stewart, Georgia, a Court Martial is scheduled to begin. Again. One Army NCO who decided that he had no choice but to make a conscious choice NOT to return to war is being put on trial for caring about humanity.
This soldier fulfilled his commitment, he kept his promise to his enlisted contract, and when ordered to deploy to Iraq at the start of the invasion, he went, not because he wanted to “kill Iraqis� or “destroy terrorist cells,� but because he wanted the soldiers he served with to come home safely.
He returned knowing that war is wrong, the most dehumanizing creation of humanity that exists. He saw war destroy civilians, innocent men, women and children. He saw war destroy homes, relationships and a country. He saw this not only in the country that was invaded, but he saw this happening to the invading country as well – and he knew that the only way to save those soldiers was for people to no longer participate in war. Sgt. Kevin Benderman is a Conscientious Objector to war, and the Army is mad.
Sgt. Kevin Benderman, after serving one tour of duty in Iraq, filed for Conscientious Objector status, his Constitutional right. His commander refused to accept his application and one called him a coward. One chaplain was ashamed of his lack of moral fortitude, another, of higher rank, testified to the true sincerity of Sgt. Benderman’s beliefs, in writing. A military intelligence officer decided that he knew matters of the soul better than a man of God, and recommended to deny the CO claim. Five commissioned officers who had never met Sgt. Benderman agreed with the “intelligent officer� and the claim was denied, twice.
More than two weeks after my husband was placed in the Rear Detachment unit here at Ft. Stewart, charges of Missing Movement and Desertion were filed against him, even though he has never missed a single day of duty in almost ten years. At the first Courts Martial proceedings, the investigative hearing was over turned. According to the judge’s decision, the presiding officer had shown implied bias toward Sgt. Benderman, and a new hearing was ordered. As the session adjourned, the same command that brought the first charges were marching up the aisle in the courtroom to file a new charge, Larceny, against Sgt. Benderman.
The command that brought the charge, had erroneously ordered combat pay to be paid to Sgt. Benderman, along with 7 other soldiers in their unit. Rather than accept their responsibility for the error, these leaders chose to punish Sgt. Benderman for the mistake, and have yet to discipline any of the remaining soldiers for the officers’ gaffe.
The new investigating officer strongly recommended dismissing this larceny charge, but the convening authority, Ft. Stewart’s garrison commander, pressed on and filed the charges anyway, along with desertion and missing movement. The Courts Martial is scheduled to begin on July 28. The games began in January.
At the conclusion of the first hearing, I returned to the courtroom briefly for some things I had forgotten. The lights were dimmed, and no one was there. This small dark room, vintage WW II, had a reverent calm. Desks and chairs sat waiting, slightly turned, empty jurist panel, attorney’s podium – the stage had been set. I look back on it now, and the feeling is strangely surreal.
Last week we learned that the United States Supreme Court allows itself to keep the Ten Commandments hanging on the walls of its chambers, as a testimony to another form of law. The guardian of the Constitution of our country, presiding over the human rights of our people, maintains that the Ten Commandments, religious context aside, represent a form of law that is powerful enough to occupy a place in its chambers.
In a small, quiet courtroom, on the Ft. Stewart military installation, the stage is set. One soldier who, after firsthand experience with the destructive force of war, decided to take the Ten Commandments at their word – “Thou Shall Not Kill� – and use the rights given to him to declare his conscious objection to war, to no longer be in a position to voluntarily have to kill another human being, is now on trial for not wanting to kill.
The Army has removed itself so completely from its moral responsibility, that its representatives are willing to openly demand, in a court of law, that they be allowed to regain “positive control over this soldier� by finding him guilty of crimes he did not commit, and put him in jail – a prisoner of conscience, for daring to obey a moral law.
It is “hard work� to face the truth, and it is scary when people who are not afraid to face it begin to speak out. Someone once said that my husband’s case is a question of morality over legality. I pray that this country has not gone so far over the edge that the two are so distinctly different that we can tell them apart.
A sixteen year old in New York, was charged with involuntary manslaughter yesterday for stabbing another teen in the chest twice, over a computer game. There is no question of why. He broke a law – a legal, MORAL law – “Thou Shall Not Kill.�
After seeing war firsthand, Sgt. Kevin Benderman chose to follow a legal, MORAL law – “Thou Shall Not Kill.� A form of law significant enough to be represented on the walls of our Supreme Court. The US Army cannot let him go. I have to ask – “WHY?�
For more information:
http://www.bendermandefense.org
I have a feeling that all this is choreographed to make us “terrified” all the time. There are pseudo-Muslims extremists reeking havoc/evil around. As long as we are frightened we will accept/tolerate the so-called Patriot act and buy into the gradual selling of America. Again, these so-called powers that be want us to believe that “they” are the only ones who can save us. Save us from many things, I guess, including saving us from “them”.
Factions within governments/corporate entities that are striving to control us. The word globalisation pops up often. Many see globalisation as just a – benign – primarily economic phenomenon, involving the increasing interaction, or integration, of national economic systems through the growth in international trade, investment and capital flows. Baloney!
Globalisation, in reality, is very different, a worldwide drive toward a globalised economic system dominated by supranational corporate trade and banking institutions that are not accountable to democratic processes or national governments. In this country, with our jobless rate @ more than 27% (the 5% means only 5% are ABLE to collect un-employment) and with out-sourcing stealing our jobs – putting us out of work – we lose our homes etc. What we must understand is that it is okay – ’cause the big-assed banks and corporations and politicians are MAKING a profit. That is much more important than people… NOT!
IE: Wal-Mart comes in with it’s “Super-Store” to benefit the area-ah yah-right, what it really does is run out/close local business’, prices of homes are inflated beyond what the area can tolerate. Products that old Sam Walton claimed were solely American are in fact from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, et al. I do not begrudge people from other countries making a living, especially since they are not making a decent living. Some make as little as $12.94 for 70 hours weekly. Okay, people in this country are out of work – people in other countries are making slave wages and live in deplorable conditions, but of course the mighty Wal-Mart makes a hellova profit – I guess makes it all right…NOT!
What are we thinking? – Some of us have fancy cars – pools – big houses – and as long as the bombs go off somewhere else and doesn’t disturb our idyllic country club life – then it’s not in our reality. We become apathetic – complacent and in denial that governments/ corporations would do such a thing. Sometimes I feel as though we are lemmings heading for the cliffs.
I am speaking from a place full of frustration-sadness and concern for this planet and my brothers and sisters all over the world. I work at it everyday to NOT hate. I work everyday to forgive. I do forgive – albeit – I shall not forget! I will have more to say when I calm down a bit. I will continue to pray ’cause it is a good thing – and it is right now the only thing I can do…
Wind from the N–NE at 17mph- 22mph. Just enough to cool off and allow a little writing.
Soon it’s gonna rain – I can feel it
Soon it’s gonna rain – I can tell
What are we gonna do?
Whoo-hoo and celebrate and enjoy…that’s what.
Soon as it actually rains that is.
I miss the rains in Hawai’i.
I miss the Kona winds in Hawai’i
When I saw the beautiful sunsets on the beach in Maui…
I missed the sunsets of Santa Fe…go figure.
Mahalo nui loa – Great Spirit… **
Kenny Chesney, husband to Renee Zellweger, recent winner of CMA’s Entertainer of the Year, with a righteous bum, I might add, said in an interview responding to the question — Does this change the way you feel about all the success you have attained – his response was…: Nah, my bum smells the same… 
Certainly puts things in perspective for me.
Well, excuse me — parents being upset about swearing going on in the Live 8 concert – where were those same parents when our so-called vice-president Cheney told a senator in congress to go F – - k himself. Get over yourself people.
If you could see the hell that Africa’s people are going through…you’d be swearing, too.
Sadly, we say farewell to our friend, Scotty who passed away at the age of 85.
Ah, yes me friend, we shall miss you.
James Montgomery Doohan 1920-2005
Father of 7 – youngest-Sarah age 5
Husband – Father – Friend – Beloved actor
Perhaps when it is time for us to go — we can say: Beam me up, Scotty
and who knows — it can work – poof- WE’RE HERE…
A list of my friends who put up with me — sometimes vice versa…
LH/SY – JDD – LS – JDJ – JL – LW… More later
Thanks for being in my life!!!
Whale Rider – Big Fat Greek Wedding – ET – Miracle on 34th Street – It’s a Wonderful Life – 1600 Pennsylvania – Postcards from the Edge – The Pelican Brief – Gone With the Wind – Harry Potter – Dive Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood – Under the Tuscan Sun – Fools Rush in – Camelot – 500 Nations – Amistad – Dave -Schlinder’s List – Animal House – Net…many more later
