St. Francis, Pray for Us 4OKT11

A reflection on the life, beliefs and teachings of St Francis of Assisi, from Sojourners....
y Shane Claiborne

Photo by Cathleen Falsani

Today (Oct. 4) Christians around the world celebrate the life of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the bright lights of the church and one of the most venerated religious figures in history.
The life and witness of Francis is as relevant to the world we live in today as it was 900 years ago. He was one of the first critics of capitalism, one of the earliest Christian environmentalists, a sassy reformer of the church, and one of the classic conscientious objectors to war.
Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, born into a society where the gap between rich and the poor was increasingly unacceptable. It was an age of religious crusades, where Christians and Muslims were killing each other in the name of God. Sound familiar?
Francis did something simple and wonderful. He read the gospel where Jesus says, “Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor,” “consider the lilies and the sparrows and do not worry about tomorrow,” “Love your enemies” — and he decided to live as if Jesus meant the stuff he said.
Francis turned his back on the materialism and militarism of his world, and said yes to Jesus.
One of the quotes attributed to Francis is a simple and poignant critique of our world, just as it was to his: “The more stuff we have the more clubs we need to protect it.” It does make you wonder if he’d be on Wall Street protesting today.
With a childlike innocence, Francis literally stripped off his clothing and walked out of Assisi butt-naked to live like the lilies and the sparrows (and to become the patron saint for the flower children).  He lived close to the earth, and like Jesus became a friend of the birds and creatures, whom he fondly called “brother” and “sister.” In light of that, many Christians brought their pets to church yesterday for an special all-pets-allowed service, an annual tribute to Francis. And many a bird-bath dons his iconic image.
But it’s easy to turn our best movements into monuments. His life was a powerful critique of the demons of his day, which are very similar to the demons of ours.
One of my favorite stories of Francis was when he decided to meet with the Muslim sultan during the Fifth Crusade. It was a tumultuous time. War had become a necessity and a habit, and was baptized by much of the church. Francis was sent off as a soldier, but he could not reconcile the violence of war with the grace of Christ. So he got off his warhorse, and put down the sword.
Francis pleaded with the military commander, Cardinal Pelagius, to end the fighting. Pelagius refused. Instead, Pelagius broke off all diplomatic relations with the sultan of Egypt, Malik al-Kamil. The sultan in turn decreed that anyone who brought him the head of a Christian would be rewarded with a Byzantine gold piece.
Francis, however, pursued his vision in steadfast faith, surmounting all dangers in a journey to see the sultan. He traveled through fierce fighting in Syria and inevitably was met by soldiers of the sultan’s army, who beat him savagely and put him in chains, dragging him before the sultan himself. Francis spoke to the sultan of God’s love and grace. The sultan listened intensely and was so moved that he offered Francis gifts and money. Our saint of course had no desire for the money, but he gladly accepted one gift — an ivory horn used in the Muslim call to prayer. He took it back with him and used it to summon his own community for prayer. Both Francis and the sultan were transformed by that encounter.
In an age of religious extremists, Francis offers us an alternative. We have seen religious extremists of all stripes — Jewish, Muslim, Christian — distort the best that our faiths have to offer and hijack the headlines with stories of hatred.  We’ve seen Christian extremists burn the Quran, blow up abortion clinics, bless bombs, baptize Wall Street, and hold signs that say “God hates fags.” But Francis invites us to become extremists for grace, extremists for love.
Although the Church is prone to forget his witness or to make a monument of his movement, there is a whole world remembering his radical witness today. We celebrate his critique of an economy that left masses of people in poverty so that a handful of people can live as they wish. We rejoice in his love for the earth as we work to end the ravaging of our world. We remember his witness that there is a better way to bring peace than with a sword. And we remember the whisper he heard from God, “Repair the church which is in ruins.”
Let us do a little something today as a tribute to old Francis. Maybe we can get rid of some of our stuff or spend some time with a homeless person. Maybe we can laugh at advertisements today that try to convince us that happiness can be purchased. Maybe we can hang out in the woods and spend some time with the lilies and sparrows. Maybe we can take an “enemy” out for dinner.
These are the words of the famous prayer of Francis. May the inspire us to become better people and to build a better world:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Shane Claiborne is a Red Letter Christian and a founding partner of The Simple Way community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. He is the co-author, with Chris Haw, of Jesus for President.

Exclusive: Peace group tried to scrub involvement with soldier linked to Ft. Hood plot 28JUL11

I have posted information on my blog about Pfc Nassar Abdo and his issues concerning his conscientious objector status and the war in Afghanistan. I got my information from Courage to resist and IVAW. I am not blaming them for what I posted on my site. I posted the information because I believe what these groups believe, that conscientious objectors do have the right to refuse to participate in military combat, including positions that actively support military combat because of their beliefs. In spite of the deception of Pfc Abdo, in spite of his involvement in child porn and in spite of his plans to attack and kill soldiers, a plan so hypocritical of someone who claims to be a conscientious objector, I STILL BELIEVE there are good men and women out there, people of character and strong convictions, who can not participate in military combat because of their beliefs. It is because of these people that I will still, in good faith, work to protect their right to C.O. status. From The Raw Story....

Pfc. Nasser Abdo, the 21-year-old soldier arrested Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to attack Fort Hood, had ties to a number of prominent anti-war organizations, including Iraq Veterans Against the War and Courage to Resist, Raw Story can confirm.
Abdo, who went AWOL from duty over the July 4 weekend after being charged with possession of child pornography, was an applicant for conscientious objector (CO) status, supported by the Oakland-based GI rights group Courage to Resist. In turn, his efforts to resist deployment were supported by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), one of the best-known anti-war groups in the nation.
He was arrested Thursday outside Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, after police received a tip informing them that Abdo had purchased firearms with cash, from the same gun store that Major Nidal Hasan visited before murdering 13 of his fellow soldiers in 2009.
In the wake of Abdo's arrest, Courage to Resist removed a page on their website that detailed Abdo's plight, but it was preserved through Google cache. Reached by Raw Story, Jeff Paterson, the group's project director, acknowledged that they had tried to cover up their involvement with the soldier and said they would be issuing a statement in the coming hours.
He added that his impression of Abdo was a young man with "mental health issues" who was "very difficult to work with."
"I worked with him last August, in order to help formulate his application as a conscientious objector, then we helped formulate his legal appeals for the objector process," Paterson said. "Then he got hit with pornography charges on his laptop, at which point we told him that we would help him through the resolution of his objection issues, but he would have to find himself legal defense separate for these criminal matters."
"We're shocked [at Abdo's arrest]," Paterson said. "I believe he had some significant mental health issues that became apparent as we worked with him. He had a particular version of Islam that was certainly ... He was disrespectful to women. These were the kinds of issues we argued over late last year. It's not a religious thing, it's a matter of human decency."
"He was a very difficult young man to work with. Our statement is that we hope people don't think of conscientious objectors as homicidal."
IVAW, similarly, admitted to Raw Story that they also worked with Abdo, but a spokesperson who asked not to be named said they absolutely condemn his alleged actions.
"We have worked with him in the past, but he was not ever a member of this organization," the spokesperson said. "We have had three interactions with him in the past: We supported his application as a conscientious objector; we publicized a statement by him condemning Islamophobia; and finally, he lended his support to our 'Operation Recovery' campaign last Veteran's Day. Besides that, we do not have a concrete link with him.
"IVAW is committed to nonviolence. We do not condone any sort of violence against the military or any individual."
The spokesperson added that they had no comment about Abdo's mental health.
"We support conscientious objection, so he was someone who was brought onto our radar because of that."
Abdo was the first Muslim soldier to seek CO status due to his faith. In televised interviews, he claimed that his beliefs would not permit him to kill other Muslims.
In spite of this claim, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy said last year that he should not be granted CO status and instead face a military tribunal for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan.
A message left for Abdo's attorney went unreturned.

IVAW requests meeting with new Fort Hood commander 28APR11

SOLDIERS at Ft Hood will finally have an advocate for them, too bad the commander of the base doesn't realize that is his job! From IVAW....

Take Action  Donate to help us send organizers to Ft. Hood. Read IVAW's letter to new Fort Hood Commander Gen. Campbell. Read an article about IVAW's preliminary outreach at Fort Hood. Send us your feedback.            Change of Command ceremony at Fort Hood on 4/21/11. Operation Recovery Campaign heads to Fort Hood; Requests meeting with General Campbell In May, Operation Recovery is deploying a team of organizers to gritty, sun-baked Fort Hood, Texas - the largest military installation in the United States.  There we will lay the groundwork for a fight to win service members' rights to heal.  But we can't do this without your help. Make a donation today to cover the costs of food, local transportation, small stipends, and outreach materials for our organizing team at Fort Hood this summer. Why is Operation Recovery deploying to the military's belly of the beast? Because we know that winning soldiers' rights to heal at Fort Hood - the most deployed military base in the U.S. - is the first step in winning our rights across the country.  If we succeed, we can seriously challenge the military's ability to continue the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. Challenging Fort Hood leadership to take traumatized troops seriously Last weekend Lt. General Don Campbell, Jr. took command of the Army's III Corps and Fort Hood, the largest and most deployed military installation in the United States. On General Campbell's first week at work, IVAW's Operation Recovery campaign wants to put the issue of traumatized troops at the top of his agenda.  We've sent him a letter about the epidemic of soldiers suffering from un-treated military trauma at Fort Hood and have requested a meeting to discuss the issue and our ideas for solutions.  Read our letter to General Campbell here. As the new Commander of Fort Hood and III Corps, General Campbell has the power to stop deploying traumatized troops and get service members the health screenings and treatment they so desperately need, but first he needs to know the scope of the problem. Our attempt to meet with General Campbell is just the beginning.  Whether he agrees to meet with us or not, Operation Recovery will no go ignored. Make a donation today to support our efforts at Fort Hood this summer. Operation Recovery Deployed - building for a fight a Fort Hood IVAW's Fort Hood chapter leader, Kyle Wesolowski, has been laying the groundwork for our deployment to Fort Hood.  Kyle was an active duty soldier there until recently, when he won Conscientious Objector status.  He has been outreaching to service members, learning how common the struggles of un-treated trauma are, and the high level of interest soldiers have in doing something about it. In May, our Operation Recovery organizing team will join Kyle.  Together they will work for several months to outreach to soldiers, build our case against the military's egregious practices, conduct town hall meetings with troops and their family members, and pressure General Campbell to do the right thing. But we can't accomplish this without you.  Help us send IVAW organizers to Fort Hood by making a generous donation today. Thank you! In Solidarity, IVAW Staff, Field Organizing Team, and Operation Recovery Campaign Team

Iraq Veterans Against the War is a 501(c)(3) charity, and welcomes your tax deductible contributions

Ruckus over Bradley Manning at President Obama fundraiser; Bradley moved to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas; PFC Turner - Conscientious Objector from COURAGE TO RESIST 21APR11

UPDATES on Bradley Manning, his imprisonment and transfer to Ft Leavenworth, KS, as well as Conscientious Objector PFC Colton Turner.

Ruckus over Bradley Manning at President Obama fundraiser Military moves to further isolate Manning with Kansas transfer PFC Colton Turner—Conscientious Objector Bradley Manning Organizing Toolkit now online! Supporters cause ruckus over Bradley Manning at President Obama's fundraiser this morning Accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower becomes focus of breakfast with President Barack Obama By the Bradley Manning Support Network. April 21, 2011 This morning President Obama met with 150 donors for his 2012 reelection campaign over breakfast at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, California. However, the event turned interesting when nearly two dozen of his contributors pressed the president in song on the unjust confinement and tortuous treatment of alleged WikiLeaks whistle-blower US Army intelligence analyst PFC Bradley Manning.  As the President spoke of the creative organizing that won him the 2008 election, over 10% of the attendees held up “Free Bradley Manning” signs and launched into a song entitled “Where’s our change?” As Secret Services agents attempted to grab the signs, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, and President Obama looked on. (Video) Read more... Military moves to further isolate Bradley Manning with transfer to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas By the Bradley Manning Support Network. April 19, 2011 Alleged WikiLeaks source moved away from attorney and DC-area backers; however, Kansas residents already preparing to spearhead support with June 4th rally at Fort Leavenworth. The military and Administration has been shocked by the support Bradley Manning has garnered globally--specifically at the gates of Quantico. Read more... Related: Why was PFC Bradley Manning moved? By Bradley's attorney David Coombs "Although the news of the move came as a surprise to the defense, the timing did not... the defense was in the process of filing a writ of habeas corpus seeking a court ruling that the Quantico Brig violated PFC Manning’s constitutional right to due process." Pfc. Colton Turner—Conscientious Objector By Bob Meola, Courage to Resist. April 13, 2011 U.S. Army Pfc. Colton Turner is a twenty year old conscientious objector.  Presently the Army is playing mind games with him and has been acting less than honorably in processing his application for Conscientious Objector classification.  On April 11th, after nearly six months of stalling and failing to properly address Turner’s request for recognition as a C.O. based upon his Christian faith and sincere beliefs, and instead responding to him in inappropriate ways, the Army issued Turner a whole new set of gear—the kind that is issued to a soldier who is about to be deployed. Turner received a new bulletproof vest, an assault pack, pocket knife, ammo pouches, grenade pouches, and a seatbelt cutter among other things.  According to his attorney, James Branum, on April 11th, “It is unclear at this time what the command’s intentions are, but it appears that they may be planning to ignore the alleged AWOL and instead pressure Colton to go on a deployment and fight in violation of his conscience.”   Turner’s defense team hopes to dissuade the command of this idea as Colton is resolved that he cannot deploy. But as of today, April 13th, Turner is now on a deployment list. Read more... Bradley Manning Organizing Toolkit now online! For those of you who want to participate more actively in the campaign to free Bradley Manning, we have created an activist toolkit, jam-packed with useful info, strategy and resources. Months in the making,  this toolkit is designed with you in mind.  It contains a breakdown of how to take individual action and encourage others, create and host events, outreach to the media and ally organizations, and plenty more. Everyone is an activist. View, download and/or print the PDF

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COURAGE TO RESIST E MAIL NEWSLETTER 8NOV10

ARTICLES AND UPDATES on PTSD, TBI, conscientious objectors, Bradley Manning, Jeff Hanks, and Naser Abdo.

PTSD Soldier refusing deployment "I am just trying to get help," insists Jeff Hanks, US Army infantryman who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is expected to surrender to the Army next week. Bradley Manning legal overview We expect the pre-trial hearing of accused Wikileaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning to take place early 2011, followed by trial about four months later. Naser Abdo, Muslim peacemaker On the anniversary of the shooting at Fort Hood, Naser Abdo, a Muslim servicemember seeking Conscientious Objector status based on the principles of Islam tells the missing story of Muslim peacemaking. SF Bay Area event: Mailing / pizza party this Wednesday Help Courage to Resist mail our tri-annual newsletter and fund appeal to supporters around the world. Join us at 55 Santa Clara Ave, Oakland CA 94610 this Wednesday evening, November 10, from 5pm-10pm. AWOL Soldier Jeff Hanks refusing deployment due to PTSD Please consider a donation to Jeff's defense fund hosted by Courage to Resist. Est. need is approx. $1,500. By Sarah Lazare, Truthout. November 5, 2010 "I am just trying to get help," insisted Jeff Hanks (photo right), active duty US Army infantryman, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "My goal in this situation is to simply heal. And they wonder why there are so many suicides." Jeff spoke rapidly over the phone from Virginia, where he, his wife and his two young daughters are staying while he is AWOL from the military. Days earlier, Jeff had walked out of an airport, refusing to board a plane headed for Kuwait, which was to be his first stop on his way back to Afghanistan. During his mid-September leave from his second combat tour with the 101st Airborne Division, Jeff sought help from Fort Bragg and Fort Campbell military doctors for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical wounds sustained in battle. Yet, just as his treatment was getting started, his command interfered, insisting that his military health care providers grant him clearance for immediate deployment. His providers acquiesced, even though they had not completed preliminary testing. Jeff, who has trouble being in large crowds of people and difficulty controlling his anger, says he is in no state to deploy back to the war from which he is still struggling to heal. The 30 year-old soldier decided that his only choice was to go AWOL. Jeff plans to turn himself into his command at Fort Campbell on Veterans Day, November 11. He will be accompanied by supporters, including members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Read more... Bradley Manning legal update and overview We expect the pre-trial hearing of accused Wikileaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning to take place early 2011, followed by trial about four months later. Both hearings should be open to the public and media in the Washington DC area. Supporters will be encouraged to attend. - Courage to Resist By David Coombs, attorney for Bradley Manning. November 1, 2010 I. The Military Process: The basic structure of the military process is similar to any criminal trial in a civilian court. Once allegations are made, the government begins to investigate the alleged crime. The government’s investigators are usually either Military Police Investigators (MPI) or Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers. These individuals interview the key witnesses, secure all available evidence, and create a report that details the nature of their investigation. Based upon the investigation by MPI or CID, the government prosecutor (Trial Counsel) then discusses the case with the soldier’s chain of command. The trial counsel will typically recommend to the command the possible charges that could be preferred against the individual soldier and discuss the likelihood of success at trial. II. Charges have been Preferred: Once charges are preferred against a soldier, each level in the chain of command will make a recommendation as to what level of court-martial should hear the soldier’s case. The command can recommend a Summary Court-Martial, a Bad Conduct Discharge Court-Martial, or a General Court-Martial. Each level of court-martial has different maximum punishments that it is authorized to impose. If the charges against a soldier are serious, such as in this case, then they will be most likely be heard by a General Court-Martial. In any case where the command has recommended trial by General Court-Martial, the Brigade Commander will direct that the case be first investigated by an Article 32 Investigating Officer. Read more... Naser Abdo: The missing story of Muslim peacemaking On the one-year anniversary of the shooting at Fort Hood, TX, Naser Abdo (photo right), a Muslim servicemember seeking Conscientious Objector status based on the principles of Islam tells the missing story of Muslim peacemaking. Please consider a donation to Naser's defense fund hosted by Courage to Resist. By Kimber Heinz, War Resisters League. November 5, 2010 Today, November 5, 2010, marks the one-year anniversary of the Fort Hood shooting, in which former Army psychiatrist Major Nadal Halik Hasan shot and killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, wounding 42 others. As U.S. servicemembers and the families of the victims of this shooting grieved for those who were killed and Americans mourned the loss of life, reports on these crimes riveted the mainstream media. The shootings were certainly newsworthy. The problem is that almost the only time Muslims are featured in the U.S. news media is when a Muslim engages in an act of violence. A one-sided focus on violence committed by some Muslims fuels the racist narrative that “Islam is a religion of violence"—which underwrites the so-called “Global War on Terror.” In spite of ongoing efforts by many in the Muslim religious community and Muslim-American organizations, the long and vital history of Muslim peacemaking has been lost in the avalanche of reports on Muslims where the mainstream media connects them only with violent extremism. The lack of acknowledgment and recognition in the U.S. of Muslim peacemakers continues to have grave effects on Muslims all over the world as well as those at home in the U.S. Additionally, the ongoing hyper-focus by the U.S. state and mainstream media on Islamic militants to the exclusion of those Muslims whose peacemaking efforts oppose militarism of all kinds continues to prop up and justify ongoing U.S.-backed military occupations, including those of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Private First Class Naser Abdo, a 20-year-old Muslim servicemember currently serving in the U.S. Army and seeking Conscientious Objector (C.O.) status on the grounds of Islam, is a Muslim peacemaker. Read more... Please click here to forward this to a friend who might also be interested in supporting GI resisters.

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This Veterans Day, Honor the Consciences of Our Veterans from ROSE MARIE BERGER/SOJO 11NOV10

Today, on Armistice Day, 18 American military vets will commit suicide. This weekend, military veterans are gathering in Washington, D.C., for the second Truth Commission on Conscience in War. Today is also the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours: Patron Saint of Conscientious Objectors.
“War inflicts terrible, tragic consequences on all touched by it,” says Truth Commission member Herman Keizer (U.S. Army ret.). “Moral conscience should not be one of its casualties.”
St. Martin (born about 316) grew up in a military family. His father was an officer in the Empire’s army. When Martin was 15 he followed his father into the military. But Martin had been influenced by Jesus-followers and had become a catechumen in the underground church. After several years in the military, the Empire came under attack. But Martin’s ongoing conversion to Jesus made him realize that the military life was not compatible with his Christian faith. He refused military service and was taken off to prison. St. Martin was probably one of the earliest conscientious objectors. He made a protest, refused to fight, and lived through one war in prison.
In this video we see Martin of Tours’ influence on U.S. veterans today.

COURAGE TO RESIST E MAIL NEWSLETTER 13OKT10

INFORMATION on actions and programs of Courage To Resist, with an intelligent explanation of why they are supporting the application of discharge as a conscientious objector by PFC Nasser Abdo. Also and update on Bradley Manning and Operation Recovery.

Support US Army Muslim objector Fort Bragg infantry soldier Nasser Abdo has applied for discharge as a conscientious objector based on his Muslim faith; however, his unit may attempt to deploy him anyway. Operation Recovery launched "Military commanders are pushing service members far past human limits for the sake of 'combat readiness.' There is a problem, a basic right is being denied, and we will organize to get it back," declares Iraq Veterans Against the War. Alliance for Global Justice We're now a program of the Alliance for Global Justice, a nonprofit 501(c)(3).This allows us to focus on our mission--and less on non-profit administrative paperwork. Free Bradley Manning Alleged Wikileaks whistle-blower Army PFC Bradley Manning remains at the center of our daily work. We'll be launching a public declaration and petition "We Stand with Brad!" soon. Check out "20+ Cities rally support for Bradley Manning" if you missed it. Support US Army Muslim objector Nasser Abdo By Courage to Resist October 12, 2010 Please consider a donation to Nasser's defense via Courage to Resist. We hope to raise at least $1,000 towards his civilian legal representation. Nasser faces deployment, and likely jail if he refuses. "To a soldier the association of terror and Islam serves the purpose of falsely justifying ones actions in combat by stripping Muslims of their humanity. The association of terror and Islam is what we now refer to as Islamaphobia, and furthermore that it is as if the US public is just recently following a trend that has been rampant in the military for years. Only when the military and America can disassociate Muslims with terror can we move onto a brighter future of the religious collaboration and dialogue that defines America and makes me proud to be an American.” --PFC Nasser Abdo As Chuck Fager, Director of Quaker House, Fayetteville, NC, explains in support of Nasser, “A Muslim soldier whose interpretation of his faith leads him to the conviction that he can’t participate in war deserves the same respect from the Army as does a Quaker, a Mennonite, or any other person following their conscience.” A handful of past Courage to Resist donors have expressed objections to our support of PFC Nasser Abdo. There are always a couple of folks that have problems with any particular objector and their reasons for refusing to fight or speak out. However, in Nasser's case, it's been far more than usual. For Courage to Resist, we help objectors tell their stories and support them when they come into conflict with the military as a result of reasons of conscience. For audio and video interviews with Nasser, visit www.freenasserabdo.org Operation Recovery launched to resist repeated deployments By Iraq Veterans Against the War October 7, 2010 Thousands of troops are being sent to war despite suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Many of us within IVAW have faced or are currently facing deployment as we try to recover from the severe trauma we have already experienced. While we recognize that we must stop the deployment of all soldiers in order to end the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we see the deployment of soldiers with PTSD, TBI, and MST as particularly cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. Military commanders across all branches are pushing service members far past human limits for the sake of 'combat readiness.' We cannot allow those commanders to continue to ignore the welfare of their troops who are, after all, human beings. Read more... Operation Recovery web page and resources Making the Pledge of Support Now a program of Alliance for Global Justice By Courage to Resist. October 12, 2010 Courage to Resist is now a program of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ)! We would like to thank the International Humanities Center (IHC) for their fiscal sponsorship during the first five years of our collective. Like IHC, AfGJ is a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. This relationship allows Courage to Resist to focus more on our mission of supporting the troops who refuse to fight--and less on the administrative paperwork required to keep a non-profit running. Like most fiscal sponsors, AfGJ hosts a number of projects. However, Courage to Resist is autonomous from and independent of any political organization, party, group, or other AfGJ-sponsored project. Read more... Please click here to forward this to a friend who might also be interested in supporting GI resisters.

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