Scott Fontaine;
Tacoma News-Tribune
April 2, 2010

Pvt. Travis Bishop left his jail cell at Joint Base Lewis-McChord last week with no job, a criminal conviction and just one regret.

“I wish I had known about applying for a conscientious objector status a lot sooner,” said Bishop, a 26-year-old Louisville, Ky., native.

The former sergeant made headlines when he went absent without leave and refused to deploy to Afghanistan with his Fort Hood unit last year. Bishop cited his Christian beliefs in making the decision – a move that ultimately cost him 71/2 months of freedom and led international human-rights group Amnesty International to label him a prisoner of conscience.  read more »

Join Travis Bishop to honor his courage. This event will be at Coffee Strong, and starts at 3 pm Sunday, March 28. Refreshments will be provided by Coffee Strong staff.

He was tried by the military for his stand against an occupation he believes is illegal. He insists that it would be unethical to have deployed to support an occupation he opposes on moral and illegal grounds. He filed for conscientious objection (CO) status.

Between 2000 and 2006, more than 40,000 troops from all branches of the military deserted. Army desertion rates jumped by 42 percent from 2006 to 2007.

See the list of supporters who made his early release possible. This community of support is growing!

Jeff Paterson, Sarah Lazare and everyone else at Courage to Resist  read more »

Ann Wright, ret. Colonel and diplomat who served in Somalia, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia; tireless advocate for Palestinians in Gaza, and for military sexual trauma survivors, and Citizen of the Year in Atlanta, 2009...will join us for an afternoon in Tacoma!

Her talk will focus on the costs of wars, and relationships among wars in the Middle East.
We’ll discuss what these costs are, in ways that everyone shares concerns: Dwindling jobs, health care and education, globally. And of course, what people are doing and planning in response to economic changes. Community building seems to be on the agenda.

KING’S BOOKS
218 St Helen’s Ave
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253-272-8801)  read more »

By Jon R. Anderson - Staff writer, Army Times
Posted : Sunday Mar 7, 2010 12:55:44 EST

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Seth Manzel is not your typical peacenik.
An Iraq veteran with an ash-black crucifix tattoo on his forearm, he wears his hair short, as if he were still an infantry squad leader. At home, he has a safe full of guns. At work, he’s the strong-arm night guard for a rough-and-tumble motel.
But by day, he helps run a coffee shop just outside Fort Lewis, where war fighters mingle with anti-war activists over hot brew and heated discussion.  read more »

Coffee Strong seeks the following Volunteer positions,or Internships! Positions are available now, with a goal to fill them by the end of March.

Media Assistant: Drafts press releases, maintains the Media database, searches for media opportunities to promote Coffee Strong. Attends weekly staff meetings.

Website Assistant: maintains contact with primary web manager, adds content under direction, updates Resources page; may be asked to serve as a moderator.

Outreach: develop and keep an inventory of "tabling in a box" (t-shirts, donation forms, brochures, sign-up sheets, etc.) Coordinates tabling events, identifies events for reaching specific groups.  read more »

WAR RESISTER TRAVIS BISHOP GETS THREE MONTH REDUCTION IN SENTENCE
Hundreds of letters from supporters credited with large part in victory

February 10, 2010
http://freetravisbishop.wordpress.com/

FORT HOOD, Texas – Sergeant Travis Bishop received word this week that he was given a 3-month suspension, of the 12 month sentence he received last year for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan based on his Christian religious beliefs against war.

Lt. General Robert Cone, commanding general of Fort Hood approved the sentence reduction on February 4th after considering Sgt. Bishop’s clemency application.  read more »

Two very powerful speakers will discuss dynamics they've identified over the last decade working with military sexual trauma (Stinson) and sexual assault among wives or partners of police officers (Brannan). Both women have extraordinary backgrounds, and both have received honors for their work in Sonoma County, CA.

Elizabeth Stinson is a military trauma therapist, as well as a mediator who worked for many years with several tribes, as a UN certified forensics expert. Her diplomatic skills saved sacred sites and properties. Come meet her, and appreciate the clarity of her communication, very respectful yet clear approach to resolving issues that threaten the power and rights of women and soldiers.  read more »

It's Time to Change the Rules!

There is no charge to participate; donations to Coffee Strong gladly accepted.

The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United is just the latest--and most blatant--example that corporations have hijacked our government. The ruling leaves ordinary citizens little oportunity to participate in making the fundamental decisions that affect our lives. Corporations are using our legal system against us.

It's Time For a People's Movement, to draw many in the community together. Meet others who are very concerned. Speakers will give an excellent overview.

We must amend the US Constitution to affirm that only people, NOT corporations, are entitled to constitutional protections specific to elections, and other violations of democratic rights.  read more »

This young woman, Spc. Hutchinson, whose mother initially agreed to provide care for her baby, discovered her mother was also caring for three disabled or ill relatives. The mother became clear within a week that she couldn't care for the infant in addition to her other commitments.

The military PLACED the baby in protective custody, took the baby from the mother, Alexis, and has now awarded her four court martials.

Read about Alexis, and write a letter to the military commanders. Sign the petition. See http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/811/1/

Please, take a minute to write Marc a letter of support! These letters should be delivered without any problem.

Army Spc. Marc Hall sits in jail over “Stop-loss” song

After over a month of confinement, Army Specialist Marc Hall still sits incarcerated in the Liberty County Jail near Fort Stewart, GA. The U.S. Army jailed Hall on December 11, claiming that the lyrics of his hip-hop song, “Stop-loss” amount to the “communication of a threat.” Hall, an Iraq War veteran, recorded the song last summer, expressing his anger over the Army’s Stop-Loss policy, which involuntarily extended his contract for a second Iraq deployment. We believe that Spc. Hall’s right to free speech is being violated with the Army’s actions.  read more »

Army Imprisons Soldier for Singing Against Stop-Loss Policy

By Dahr Jamail, Truthout 1/8/10

http://www.truthout.org/article/army-imprisons-soldier-singing-against-s...

Army Specialist and Iraq war veteran Marc Hall was incarcerated by the US Army on December 11, 2009, in Liberty County Jail, Georgia, for recording a song that expresses his anger over the Army's stop-loss policy.

Stop-loss is a policy that allows the Army to keep soldiers active beyond the end of their signed contracts. According to the Pentagon, more than 120,000 soldiers have been affected by stop-loss since 2001, and currently 13,000 soldiers are serving under stop-loss orders.  read more »

By Marjorie Cohn
December 21, 2009
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-cohn/obamas-af-pak-war-should_b_3...

President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize nine days after he announced he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. His escalation of that war is not what the Nobel committee envisioned when it sought to encourage him to make peace, not war.  read more »

Just outside the largest Army base on the West Coast, a coffeehouse aims to provide active-duty soldiers and fellow veterans with help surviving the effects of war -- and maybe ending it.

By Kim Murphy

November 16, 2009

Reporting from Lakewood, Wash.

For an Army weary from war, they offer tea and sympathy -- along with double tall lattes, caramel macchiatos and leads on civilian jobs. At Coffee Strong, outside the gates of the sprawling Ft. Lewis Army base, the brew is served up by veterans and comes with a shot of solidarity.  read more »

Army has mom, Alexis Hutchinson, arrested and 11-month old son put into county foster care system. Alexis has now been ordered to deploy to Afghanistan on Sunday, November 15, where she will be court martialed.

Action Alert: Contact Congresswoman Barbara Lee to urge her to "Request that the Army not deploy Alexis Hutchinson to Afghanistan so that she can care for her son." From the 9th District (Oakland-Berkeley, CA) phone: 510-763-0370 (fax: 510-763-6538). Nationwide: 202- 225-2661 (fax: 202-225-9817).
Donate to Alexis' legal and family support fund (couragetoresist.org/alexis)
Alexis' attorney now available for media interviews.
By friends of Alexis and Courage to Resist. November 12, 2009  read more »

Getting Under the Hood at Ft. Hood

Code Pink
November 11, 2009
wwww.CodePinkAlert.org

Dear Friend,

This Veterans Day, our hearts ache for the soldiers and
their families affected by the recent shootings at Ft.
Hood. Our hearts also ache for the soldiers and their
families who continue to be affected by war in Iraq and
Afghanistan on a daily basis. Now more than ever,
CODEPINK is committed to helping to heal the hearts of
those touched by war, and doing whatever we can to
bring our troops home.

Email Obama today to say No Surge--no more wounded
soldiers, no more lost lives, no more throwing money  read more »

The 11th Hour: The Date Behind Veterans Day
Published by: Claudine Zap

While most know that Veterans Day honors those who have served in the military, the meaning behind its exact date (November 11) may not be so familiar. Here's the backstory:

Back in 1918, in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a stop to hostilities was declared, ending World War I. An armistice to cease the fighting on the Western Front was signed by the Allied powers and Germany.  read more »

Few Can Avoid Deployment, Experts Say
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: November 10, 2009

No matter how much a member of the armed services dreads being sent to a war zone, there is no easy option for an early discharge —
especially when deployment is near.

“It’s very hard,” said Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military law at
Yale Law School and is president of the National Institute of Military Justice. “Particularly in the case of people who have received substantial and valuable training, like health providers or aviators, the military is very loath to allow people out prematurely.”

Reports that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of  read more »

Joint Statement from Under the Hood Café and the Fort Hood Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War

Authored Nov. 6, 2009 at 11:08am

Our community is distraught by the tragic shooting at Fort Hood yesterday. We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

As upset as we are about this incident, this shooting does not come as a shock. Eight years of senseless wars have taken a huge toll on our troops and their families. It’s time to admit that the wars in southwest Asia are in no one’s best interests. Bring the troops home now!  read more »