Truth Be Told
SGT. KEVIN BENDERMAN
AMERICA'S NEW GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP
AMERICA'S VETERANS
THE NUREMBERG TRIBUNAL
BY SGT. KEVIN BENDERMAN
While I have been confined, I am still able to stay in touch with what is happening in our world. It has come to my attention that various groups around the country are planning on holding vigils upon the death of the 2000th soldier in Iraq. I have also come to understand that there is almost a countdown to this event, as though this is something to look forward to - the death of a young man or woman to add clout to their cause. As a soldier, I can honestly say, I would not want to hear that organizations were sending email's and planning the day of my death so that it may be used to further a political agenda, under the guise of stopping the war, and giving their organization a more prominent platform.
Imagine what the young soldiers would think, or how they would feel, if they were to hear of such nonsense. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one is lining up to receive that distinction, so that they can become the "poster child" for the next effort to end the war. I have to personally say that this idea does not seem well thought out, if it has been thought through at all with regard to the feelings of the soldiers hearing what is being planned.
I also understand that there are people speaking of tying themselves to the fence outside of the White House in protest until all of the soldiers are returned home. Grandstanding such as this is not the way to get our troops home. All such stunts do is to provide the proponents of this war fodder to prove that the anti-war crowd is just a bunch of half--baked ideologues with no sound solutions to the problem.
Instead of looking forward to the death of a service member, or to grandstanding publicity stunts, why aren't we using all of this energy to create a well organized approach to ending this war based on the facts surrounding the issues of the illegality of it? The Nuremberg Tribunal states that no country may take an aggressive military action against another unless it is an act of self-defense. The action taken against Iraq has now been shown clearly that it was not in self-defense, as stated by the findings of the 911 commission. Iraq in no way attacked this country, or was aligned with Afghanistan. This particular provision of the Nuremberg Tribunal was introduced at the insistence of our government, and was signed by our President and ratified by our Congress as being legally binding upon the United States FOREVER. It is this type of information that is going to have to be carefully interpreted, methodically developed and presented in order to bring this madness to a halt. Grandstanding, providing no viable alternatives to the situation we now have, and using the death of the 2000th American soldier to advertise a cause will not.
Hon. Cynthia McKinney
Contact - Richard Searcy
North DeKalb Mall Ste D-46
Decatur, GA 30033
404-633-0927
