May 12, 2006

•                                           West Point Graduates Organize against the War

                                                               by James C. Ryan

  We mince no words.  Time is of the essence.  Iraq is a human and political
  catastrophe, stark testament to the deceitful behavior of the Bush
  administration.  The dangers are clear and present, and too many human beings
  are dying for an ignoble cause.  The preemptive war launched against Iraq on
  March 20, 2003 stands illegal to its roots. Premised on lies, misstatements, and
  subterfuge, the destruction of that sovereign nation and its people has
  destroyed the reputation of America, perilously debilitating its
  military.

  These malefactions, in violation of a host of international treaties,
  protocols, and conventions, have placed the military, in particular its officer
  corps, in legal and moral peril.  West Point Graduates Against The War
  (westpointgradsagainstthewar.org), a grassroots movement to redeem the honor of
  our country, stands opposed to the Bush administration and its callous disregard
  for honorable behavior.  At issue -- which directly assaults the West Point
  Honor Code -- are the falsehoods of the Bush administration, culminating in
  Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations on February
  5, 2003.

  The West Point Honor Code -- "A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or
  tolerate those who do" -- defines honor and duty as a way of life.  This
  provides graduates with a lifelong sense of duty, a shared responsibility for us
  all to do the right thing, even admonishing our country's leadership when
  democracy and its inherent freedoms are at stake.

  Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, and West Point
  class of 1915, was a champion of the right to dissent.  "Here in America we are
  descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels," he said, "men
  and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine.  As their heirs, may we
  never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion."  His words inspire us to
  act.

  Eisenhower was even clearer when it came to preventive war, the kind that
  Bush and his chickenhawk ilk fancy so dearly.  He stood foursquare against it. 
  "When people speak to you about a preventive war," said Eisenhower, "you tell
  them to go and fight it.  After my experience, I have come to hate
  war."

  When West Point graduates took their commissioning oath of office, they
  swore to protect the nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The
  deceitful connivances of the current administration have resulted in a war
  catastrophic to our nation's interests: politically, economically, militarily,
  and morally.  The time has come for West Point graduates to speak out about
  these deplorable conditions.

  We will not serve the lies of this administration.  To remain silent is to
  tacitly serve.  So we speak out, clearly and directly.  We seek justice for all
  victims of this illegal war, both servicemen and servicewomen, and the citizens
  of Iraq.  We stand opposed to the undoing of Constitutionally guaranteed
  freedoms by this most dangerous, oppressive administration.  And so, too, would
  President Eisenhower.

  "If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison," he said. 
  "They'll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads. But if an
  American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he
  must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government."

  Nor shall we graduates of the United States Military Academy at West
  Point.

  [James C. Ryan is a co-founder of West Point Graduates Against The War.  He
  is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, class of 1962.  Ryan spent
  five years in the army artillery with assignments in the United States and
  Europe.  Thereafter a businessman, he subsequently became a writer.  He divides
  his time between Istanbul, Turkey where he lives, and New York City where he
  teaches in the summer at Columbia University.  Father of four, Jim has eight
  grandchildren.]

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