"Watada" news

An Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq in 2006, saying he believed the war was illegal, has officially left the service. Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek confirmed that Ehren Watada was discharged Friday.

The Army is allowing the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to go to Iraq to resign from the service. First Lt. Ehren Watada is to be discharged during the first week of October.

There are so many issues swirling that I'm going to cap the week with some quick short takes on a few of them.

Officials said they will not appeal a judge's decision that blocked the Army from retrying Ehren Watada, who claimed the war in Iraq was illegal and refused to deploy.

A federal judge has ruled that the Army can't retry a Fort Lewis-based Iraq war objector on several key charges because that would violate 1st Lt. Ehren Watada's constitutional protection against double jeopardy.

Ehren Watada doesn't deserve being hoisted up on the shoulders of Iraq war protestors and presented as the movement's hero any more than he deserves to still be referred to as Lieutenant.

Plenty of people e-mailed me to voice their support for Ehren Watada and take me to task in my earlier commentary that anti-war folks picked the wrong poster child for their cause.

A federal judge has blocked the Army from conducting a second court-martial of Ehren Watada. U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said on Thursday it's likely the second trial would violate the soldier's constitutional rights.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma has decided his court has jurisdiction to issue the stay and that Watada's double jeopardy claim is not frivolous. Now the judge has asked for more briefs by both sides on the issue.

A federal judge has taken under advisement a bid by an Iraq war objector at Fort Lewis to bar his upcoming court-martial. Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada's court martial is set for Tuesday.

His lawyers say the Army is violating his constitutional rights by trying him twice for the same crime. Watada's court-martial at Fort Lewis ended in a mistrial in February.

The trial was to begin next Monday, but government and defense attorneys requested a new date. Watada is charged with missing deployment in June 2006 and conduct unbecoming an officer for comments made about President Bush and the Iraq war.

Trying 1st Lt. Ehren Watada again for his refusal to deploy to Iraq won't violate his constitutional right not to be prosecuted twice for the same crime, an Army judge ruled Friday.

The Army court of appeals on Friday issued a partial stay in the second trial for a Fort Lewis soldier who refused to go to Iraq and spoke out against the Bush administration.

I'm scratching my head trying to figure out the point and purpose of the state Democratic Party walking to the edge of the political precipice to do nothing but take a pointless stand.