Judge Rules Watada Witnesses Irrelevant
The court martial of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada began today with a military judge sharply restricting the list of witnesses sought to defend this Fort Lewis officer who refused to deploy to Iraq.The conviction of Lt. Watada continues today. Hundreds protested yesterday, hundreds will do so again today.
Lt. Col. John Head said that these witnesses, which included a former member of the CIA and a former U.N. official, "are not relevant and would tend to confuse issues at the trial."
In the courtroom, a defiant defense counsel, Eric Seitz, said, "I think it is an atrocity that our witnesses are being handled in this manner."
Cross posted at Daily Kos.
Posted at 2/06/2007 08:08:00 AM PT
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2 Comment(s):
I'm pretty ambivalent about Lt. Watada's refusal to involve himself in the war. But I do respect him for standing by his convictions even as they become increasingly inconvenient.
I'm not sure about these witnesses either. The judge in this trial is trying to limit the facts to those that apply directly to the case, instead of bringing in a much larger case. Whether he is following his conscience or not, Lt. Watada is in breach of his agreement with the United States Army and as such, he may need to serve his prison time.
'Interesting that this young soldier's breach is considered such a big deal when there are several people currently in the highest echelons of government who also took oaths which included language to the effect that they would uphold the Constitution of the United States, and who have subsequently knowingly undermined the Constitution. What about their breaches?
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