whitebeard

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Dear List:
        I'm grateful to Stephanie Westbrook for the link to the interview with James Circello.
        She is right to suggest prudence in implementing the idea of a GI Rights Hotline. Still, Italy is the home of so many US bases that it seems logical to do something along the line of what Nancy from Florence and Logan of Iraq Veterans Against the War suggest in this country. In Germany too, where, as I understand it, down-range troops are sent for R&R at a base (I don't remember where) with lots of psychiatrists and psychotherapists to help them with their problems. I have not seen the cards Stephanie and Nancy passed out in Vicenza (and do read their report on that venture at http://www.peaceandjustice.it/vicenza-4thofjuly.php!) but besides furnishing contact information for people in the US, it would be useful to inform those under arms about how veterans are being treated -- or if you prefer, not treated when they are sick. Over a third of the vets from the first Gulf war -- the cakewalk, you remember! -- have mental or physical disability, and here we are only referring to the cases acknowledged by the government institutions like the Veterans' Administration. One out of four homeless in the US are war veterans, and the number of vets from service in Afghanistan and Iraq is increasing rapidly. Of homeless female vets, 40% claimed they had undergone sexual harassment or worse down range. As James Circello writes, "I saw kids turn into animals. Members of my own unit, whom I will never speak negatively about, doing things that one day I know will haunt them." I could go on, but my point is that many of the young men and women who have enlisted are callow, just as I was at that age, when I proudly donned my ROTC uniform. They need someone to give them counter-information with respect to what their recruiters told them. And in case they do want to follow James Circello's good-sense example, I'm sure it would not be hard to suggest places they could turn to in Italy for aid and abettance (so to speak). This falls short of a hotline but goes beyond the present situation in which contacts between the peace movement in Italy, including USC4P&J, and US troops in Italy would seem to be limited, except for Nancy and Stephanie's initiative in Vicenza.
        Yours,
                Gordon Poole

At 09.25 04/10/2007, Stephanie Westbrook wrote:

Hi Martina,

Thanks for your message. I share your thoughts on the importance of the
military resistance movement.

On the GI Rights Hotline, we´ve never been approached by them. In
Florence this past June, we had a casual conversation with Phil, who live in
Naples so you probably know him, Nancy from the group in Florence and
Logan, member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Logan brought up the
idea of creating a hotline in Italy. Nancy and I expressed our doubts on
getting enough trained people to make the *very serious* commitment
required of operating a hotline long term, how to pay for it, etc.

We suggested the better route being to support the hotline by making it
known to soldiers in Italy so they can call or email the folks in the U.S.
who´ve been trained to respond. In fact, Nancy and I entered the Ederle
base in Vicenza while open to the public on the 4th of July specifically to
give out cards. (see our report: http://www.peaceandjustice.it/vicenza-
4thofjuly.php) And Maria and I traveled from Rome to Livorno to give them
out at the "American Beach" of the Camp Darby base in July. I have also
left stacks of the cards with the folks in Vicenza. This is something you
could definitely do in Naples, as well.

In any event, since you´re in Naples and can´t come to meetings, why don´t
we start a discussion via email on this project and how our group in Rome
could be involved? Those who are interested, please contact Martina
directly and we´ll start a mini-list to discuss what it would take to setup the
hotline and who has time to commit: mbottine@email.smith.edu

For more info on the GI Rights Hotline: http://www.girights.org/

And on a side note, see this video by James Circello, who went AWOL from
the Ederle base in Vicenza in April 2007:
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/445/1/

Thanks again, Martina.

Stephanie

Date sent:      Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:47:31 -0400
From:   "Martina Bottinelli" <mbottine@email.smith.edu>
To:     <gilbert@fol.it>,<members@peaceandjustice.it>
Subject:        Re: [USC4P&J Members] ...GI Rights HotLine...

Dear fellow Peaceniks,

             After reading the petition John Gilbert sent to the mailing
lists entitled "Leading Americans Ask U.S. Military to Refuse Orders to
Attack Iran" (see attachment if you haven't already received it), I was
hit by its importance. With this imminent threat to attack Iran, I
realized the role of the GI Rights HotLine and other such groups that
support military resistance (such as The Central Committee for
Conscientious Objectors, Courage to Resist, Center on Conscience and
War, and the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild) is
really the key to the anti-war movement. More so than at the beginning
of the Iraq war (when many people still believed that mass mobilization
could bring an end to the war), today, after a failed attempt, the role
of the military Resisters is really coming to the surface. Iraq Veterans
for Peace are at the center of the Movement, there is no denying it.
           I don't live in Rome and thus can't attend group meetings,
but I've heard that the GI Rights Hotline has asked USC4P&J to support a
HotLine here in Italy. I'm wondering why the group decided (as I'm sure
it was a collective decision) to decline this offer -is it the immense
responsibility of such a task? I would really urge that we don't miss
out on this offer, as it is the most important tool in the anti-war
movement. Not to mention for local battles on the bases here in Italy,
especially Vicenza. Personally, I would be very interested in being
involved in the setting up of a Hotline, no matter how demanding it
might be. Discarding of such an opportunity to set up a long term
structure in the movement towards peace, such as a permanent HotLine,
seems a grave strategic mistake. If I'm mistaken about this issue,
please let me know; the grapevine is never the best structure for
passing and receiving information.

In Peace,
Martina Bottinelli
3391392341
L'Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale