My Veteran's for Peace friend, Gordon Sturrock put together this montage~ in his words:
"A farewell to the 162nd Infantry of the 2nd Battalion. Created from video
footage filmed at the Mobilization Ceremony on May 4, 2009 at the Lane
Country Fairgrounds in Eugene, woven into an audio and video "tapestry of
contrast" by fellow vets who are deeply concerned for all the souls who
will ultimately be touched by this deployment."
The Oregon National Guard is being deployed- again- to Iraq.
Gordon:
founder- Veterans Against Torture
http://www.VeteransAgainstTorture.com
member: Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Veterans For Peace
(His posted tag line quote)
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing" Albert Einstein
This is as good a segway as any to talk a little about the Campaign ...The federal government intends to send 3500 members of the Oregon National Guard to Iraq in Summer 2009. Many will not return or will return with physical or psychic trauma. Moreover, taking the guard and all their equipment out of Oregon causes serious hardship at home and leaves the state unprepared for disasters. The Oregon legislature has the power to prevent or delay the Federal Government from sending our guard abroad.
Current federalization of the Oregon National Guard is based on authorizations for the use of military force against Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2002) that are either too broad, too open ended, or are no longer valid. The Iraq authorization, for example, is based on Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction and a sponsor of international terrorism. Conditions which were not and are not true. The US and Oregon Constitutions do not support unending and unlimited federalization.
The Oregon Legislature has the power to declare that the Oregon National Guard may be deployed only if Congress passes a current and valid authorization for the use of military force.
As part of a call-up of 8000 Guard troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, 3500 Oregon National Guard troops are being sent to Iraq in the summer of 2009. Various other Guard members have been and are being sent to Afghanistan. Nearly all of Oregon's Blackhawk helicopters are slated to be shipped to Iraq in January, 2009. This will leave Oregon with limited ability to fight fires, conduct search and rescue, and be prepared for natural disasters.
Furthermore, the use of National Guard troops overseas is greatly limited by the U.S. and Oregon Constitutions, and the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have lasted over five and 7 years, respectively. Unless states begin to address the open-ended nature of the Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs), our Guard could be deployed indefinitely.
If nothing else, this campaign will act to educate the public and our elected officials about the United States making open-ended commitments in these conflicts.
Read more about the Campaign to keep Oregon's Ntl Guard in Oregon
