Americans rallied in support of war resister Lt. Watada today....

Opponents of Iraq War Rally around Lt. Watada
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2006-06-28 00:36. Nonviolent Resistance
By Alex Fryer, Seattle Times (Washington)

Lt. Ehren Watada couldn't be called a media figure, but the Hawaii-born officer who refused to deploy with his Fort Lewis unit on Thursday has done his bit to court the press.
Part of the public exposure is designed to protect Watada from potentially harsh military justice. But Watada also has become the latest public face for a peace movement that has produced few leaders able to marshal public opinion, even though polls show the majority of Americans believe the Iraq war was a costly mistake.

Lt. Ehren Watada refused to ship out with his unit.

Just as Cindy Sheehan, whose soldier son was killed in 2004, captured public attention last year with her vigil outside President Bush's Texas ranch, calls and e-mails have spiked in recent weeks to groups such as Veterans for Peace in St. Louis.

"When you have a person like Lt. Watada or Cindy Sheehan, I think that's more real," said executive director Michael McPhearson, whose son serves in Iraq. "And Americans react to sincere people expressing themselves."

In recent weeks, Watada held two news conferences, and supporters are organizing a national vigil for him on Tuesday.

This comes about a month after the same group orchestrating media coverage of Watada put together a similar event for two other soldiers facing discipline for refusing to fight.

Recently founded in Oakland, Calif., Courage to Resist is one of several organizations around the country trying to stop the Iraq war by focusing on those ordered to wage it.

The rest is at: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/12475