It's not just Camilo Mejia, or Brandon Hughey, or Jeremy Hinzman, or Pablo Paredes, or . . .

Wednesday on KPFA's Flashpoints, Dennis Bernstein interviewed war resister Carl Webb and the California Socialist Party candidate for the US Senate Jeff Mackler. Carl Webb is a war resister that we've noted here before. Recently, in "Editorial: Forgetting Iraq when it can't afford to be forgotten," we noted:

War reister Carl Webb attended the same Veterans for Peace conference in Seattle last week that Cousing did. Webb appears to have gotten some good news -- the military, according to a recent letter, is going to release him from the service. Webb credits the publicity from magazines, programs and other indymedia for keeping his case alive and nudging the military towards the decision they reached. We'd agree with that 100%.

Webb was released from the Texas National Guard. A second letter advised that he could be pulled into another unit. As he and Mackler pointed out, he may not be out yet, not with the news that those who have left the military but still have days of service on their contracts are being called up for deployment in Iraq.

Carl Webb is not going to Iraq. He's made that clear from the early days of this war when he was among the first to stand up and say no.

Speaking with Bernstein, he argued that those in the service need to resist by every means possible. He explained how and why he ended up enlisted as well as why he continues to refuse to serve in illegal war with imperialistic aims.

As always, Webb stressed the importance of getting the word out about "how much GI resistance there is in the military because that's why I'm here, to tell my fellow soldiers that they don't have to obey orders, that they have to refuse by any means necessary."

Webb checked himself out of the illegal war. And he stated he had "no regrets at all" about that decision.

An early and continuing resister to Bully Boy's war of choice, Webb is someone you should know about, someone you should get the word out on. At the top of his website, he explains himself quite clearly:

My name is Carl Webb and I'm a soldier that has refused to obey orders to serve in Iraq or any place at all. I refused to report for training with the Texas National Guard at Fort Hood and left Austin, Texas back in August 2004. Right now I'm creating a website at carlwebb.net where people can find more information. carlwebb1965@yahoo.com is my email. Click on the link to the press release below.
Press Release: soldier opposes unofficial draft policy.

The Wednesday interview Dennis Bernstein conducted is available to listen to (for free) in the archives at KPFA and Flashpoints. It's not just Camilo Mejia, or Brandon Hughey, or Jeremy Hinzman, or Pablo Paredes, or Aidan Delgado, or Patrick Hart, or Ricky Clousing or Ehren Watada, or Kevin Benderman, or . . .

When you start to realize how many have publicly made a case for refusing to take part in the illegal war, you realize how strong this movement is. (And it includes those who refuse to participate but do not go public.) Find a name you don't know, or don't know as well, and make a point to read up on them. Then share that knowledge.

As Naomi Klein noted in May 2004:

Minor mutinous signs are emerging even within the ranks of the US military: Privates Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey have applied for refugee status in Canada as conscientious objectors and Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia is facing court martial after he refused to return to Iraq on the grounds that he no longer knew what the war was about [see Christian Parenti, "A Deserter Speaks," at www.thenation.com].
Rebelling against the US authority in Iraq is not treachery, nor is it giving "false comfort to terrorists," as George W. Bush recently cautioned Spain's new prime minister. It is an entirely rational and principled response to policies that have put everyone living and working under US command in grave and unacceptable danger. This is a view shared by fifty-two former British diplomats, who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair stating that although they endorsed his attempts to influence US Middle East policy, "there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure."