Esinye seziganeko ezikhuthazayo ukuza kuthi ga ngoku kwiVeterans For Peace National Convention ebiqhubeka eMiami ibiyintetho yangoLwesine ngamagqala aliqela ala ukuthabatha inxaxheba emfazweni. Ngokuqhelekileyo, baye bakwenza oku emngciphekweni wexesha elibalulekileyo entolongweni, okanye okubi ngakumbi. Kwiimeko ezininzi aba baxhathisi baphephe ukwenza naliphi na ixesha. Kwanaxa besiya ngaphaya kwezitshixo, babekwenza oko benemvakalelo yokukhululeka.
UGerry Condon wala ukuthunyelwa eVietnam, wagwetywa iminyaka eyi-10 entolongweni, wabaleka eFort Bragg, walishiya ilizwe, wabuya ekhankasela ukuxolelwa. Umongameli uJimmy Carter waxolela abachasi njengesenzo sakhe sokuqala e-ofisini. UCondon akazange "asebenze" ngosuku, nokuba "kwinkonzo" yasemkhosini okanye entolongweni.
UJeff Paterson Wobukroti bokuxhathisa wala ukubhabha e-Iraq, ekhetha ukuhlala phantsi kwi-tarmac. UBen Griffin ovela kwisahluko esitsha seVFP e-UK wenqaba ukuthatha inxaxheba kwiimfazwe zezizwe zethu kwaye ukhutshwe umyalelo we-gag. Akavunyelwa ukuba athethe, ukanti uthetha kakuhle. UMike Prysner kaMatshi Phambili kunye noCamilo Mejia weVFP apha eMiami bachaza izenzo zabo zokuchasa.
U-Mejia usenzele ubabalo olukhulu kwiminyaka ethile emva kokubeka ibali lakhe kwincwadi - ukunqaba okugqithisileyo, ngelishwa, kubalweli boxolo abanamabali amnandi ukubalisa. Incwadi kaMejia ethi "Road From Ar Ramadi" sisingeniso esoyikisayo kuye nabani na ozibuzayo ukuba kutheni umntu ebhalisela emkhosini aze ale ukubulala abantu. U-Mejia, ngoku osebenza kwimiba yamalungelo oluntu asekhaya e-Miami ngelixa ehlala eyinxalenye ye-antiwar movement (enye i-rarity), i-co-converor ye-VFP ingqungquthela.
Ngo-Okthobha ka-2003, uMejia wayelijoni lokuqala laseMelika ukwala esidlangalaleni ukulwa e-Iraq. Ngelo xesha kuphela ngamalungu angama-22 omkhosi wase-US ayeyi-AWOL kuloo mfazwe, inani elaliza kunyuka ngokukhawuleza liye kumawaka njengoko imfazwe yayisiba mandundu nanjengoko ukukholelwa kwizizathu ezahlukahlukeneyo ezinikelwayo zemfazwe zaba ngumphunga. Amajoni nawo aqala ukwala imisebenzi ethile enokuthi ibulale abantu okanye bazibeke emngciphekweni ngaphandle kwenjongo ngaphandle kokuqhubela phambili umsebenzi womphathi-umphathi enika imiyalelo ekhuselekileyo evela kwisiseko. Amagqala eMfazwe yase-Iraq kungekudala aza kusebenza kunye neVeterans For Peace ukwenza umbutho omtsha, i-Iraq Veterans Against the War. Kodwa ngexesha lokwala kukaMejia ukulwa wayemi yedwa.
UMejia wazibandakanya nomkhosi ubukhulu becala ngesizathu sinye sisenziwa ngabantu abaninzi baseMelika: ukunqongophala kolunye ukhetho. Wayesebenza indlela yakhe kwisikolo samabanga aphakamileyo kunye nekholeji yoluntu. Kodwa urhulumente walunqamla uncedo lwakhe lwezemali, kwaye akazange akwazi ukuhlawula amatyala ekholeji. Umkhosi wamnika imfundo yasekholejini kunye nokhuseleko lwezemali. Oko kwakwanele. Lo nyana wabavukeli beSandinista waya eFort Benning, kwikhaya leSikolo saseMelika, apho wayeya kuziqeqeshela ukubulala esenzela ubukhosi base-US.
UMejia wafunda ukungawuthandi umkhosi. Ukuzibophelela kwakhe kwakuza kuphela ngoMeyi ka-2003. Kodwa ngoJanuwari 2003, i-Florida National Guard yahamba ngenqanawa ukuze iqalise ukuhlasela kwe-Iraq ukuba uMongameli Bush wayezenza esidlangalaleni ukuba azame ukuphepha kunye nokudibanisa ngasese amacebo e-harebrained ukuze aqalise. Inkontileka kaMejia yandiswa kwi-2031 (kungekhona i-typo), kwaye wathunyelwa eJordani. Wayengamele okanye echasene nomkhosi okanye imfazwe ngayo nayiphi na ingqiqo elula. Wayelwazi uqhanqalazo olukhulu loxolo ehlabathini lonke. Wayengazithandi izinto ezininzi malunga nomkhosi kunye nale mfazwe, awayekholelwa ukuba yimfazwe yeoli. Kodwa wayenyanisekile yaye ethobela, engekaqiniseki kukuziphatha okubi okugqithiseleyo kotyando awayenendima kulo.
Amava okuqala kaMejia e-Iraq abandakanya ukuxhatshazwa kwamabanjwa. Wayengayithandi le mikhwa kodwa akazange ayixhathise. Ngengqondo wazama ukuwaxuba ecaleni njengomsebenzi "weeapile ezimbalwa ezimbi." Okanye wazama ukuzithethelela ngokwenza oko wayekwenza ngenxa yokunyaniseka kumajoni awayemngqongile.
UMejia ngokuthe ngcembe wawazi umnqweno we-Iraqis wokuba umsebenzi uphele, kodwa wayekholelwa ukuba uya kuphela ngokukhawuleza. Ngexesha loqhanqalazo lwase-Iraq, ityendyana lase-Iraqi laliza kuphosa isiqhushumbisi, kwaye uMejia wajolisa kwaye wadubula - njengoko benzayo abanye ababemngqongile. Lo mfana wafa ngoko nangoko, kodwa ingxaki eso siganeko yavusa umphefumlo kaMejia ayizange ibe njalo.
UMejia wayekhathazwa yintiyo yamajoni angoogxa bakhe kubo bonke abantu baseIraq. Abantu baseIraq abamsulwa bavalelwa entolongweni kwaye bancinwa, xa bengadutyulwanga. Izidumbu zabo zaphathwa kakubi ngamajoni aqhulayo efota iifoto namabhaso awo enyama. Ubhala athi uMejia ngabantu baseIraq ababebukele ezo zenzo, โKwaye kwathi qatha kum, indlela ekumele ukuba kwakucaphukisa ngayo ukubona isalamane sabo sisemhlabeni, sihamba ze kwaye sigcwele igazi, sihlekwa yaye sihlaziswa kwanaxa sifile. "
Ukuqala kwenkcaso phakathi kwemikhosi kwavela kulwazi lwabo olukhulayo lokuba abaphathi babo babebasebenzisa kukhuphiswano lwezona mfazwe zomlilo, ezona zininzi zibulalayo, nawona mabanjwa amaninzi. Iimfuno zolu khuphiswano zigqithise ubulungisa okanye isicwangciso. Ukubuyela kwindawo yokuhlala namabanjwa amsulwa kwakubhetele kakhulu kunokubuya elambatha. Kwakungekho njongo iphambili yokuqhuba naluphi na umsebenzi, njengoko amajoni ayenokubona. Bahamba-hamba bejikeleza yonke injongo yabo kukuzilinda njengoko bejikeleza.
Njengoko inkcaso yase-Iraq ikhula, ngokunjalo noloyiko lwase-US, ukuya kuthi ga kwinqanaba apho amajoni ayedubula nakubantwana abangaxhobekanga ukuba amajoni ayengenakuqiniseka ukuba abantwana abanabungozi. UMejia waziqonda zombini ezi mbono, kwaye waqonda ukuba emfazweni ukhetho lubi okanye luyoyikeka. Ukhetho olulungileyo kuphela, waqala ukukubona, kukungasebenzisani nemfazwe konke konke.
Ngaxa lithile uMejia wazama ukucacisela abanye abantu baseIraqi into awayengasakholelwa kuyo, ukuba imfazwe yayijolise ekuziseni โinkululekoโ kubantu baseIraq. Omnye wama-Iraqi owayesazi okuthile ngemeko kaMejia wachaza ukuba uMejia wayenqwenela ukuwushiya umkhosi kwaye wayengakwazi. "Ke njani," lo Iraqi wabuza, "ungasizisa inkululeko, xa ungenayo inkululeko kuwe?" Xa uMejia wayethatha inxaxheba kugqogqo lwezindlu zase-Iraqi, wajonga ukoyikwa kwabantu base-Iraqi ngokubanjwa kwe-US kunye "nokuvalelwa" njengelahleko. Ngokuqinisekileyo amabanjwa aya kugwetywa ngokufanelekileyo aze akhululwe ukuba amsulwa, wazixelela. UMejia uvuma ngelithi: โNjengoko kwenzekayo, iintsapho . . . zaziwazi ngakumbi umkhosi wam kunam.
Kodwa imikhosi eshiye iziseko yayisazi ngaphezu kwabathetheli ababengazi. Lo mva, ekholelwa ngobuxoki ukuba inkcaso yayivela ngaphandle kwendawo yasekuhlaleni, yayalela ukuba zonke iindlela ezingezizo zivalwe ngokungenanjongo. Amajoni awayesazi ukuba ezo zigqibo ziphosakele akazange athethe nto ngenxa yokoyika ukuba yintoni umngeni onokuyenza kumsebenzi wakho.
UMejia wakwazi ukubuyela eUnited States kangangeeveki ezimbini. Waya kwi-AWOL ngoncedo oluvela kumaqela oxolo, kwaye wajika ukuze ajongane nokuvalelwa entolongweni. Waye "ekhonza" ngaphezu kweminyaka esibhozo wayevumile. Kwaye wayekholelwa ukuba imfazwe yayibulala abantu ngaphandle kwenjongo eluncedo.
Ukugculelwa kwe-charade yokuzenzisa kwetyala wagwetywa uMejia waza wamgweba unyaka we-1 entolongweni. โNgaloo mini,โ njengoko wayesiya entolongweni, uMejia ukhumbula oku, โNdandikhululekile, ngendlela endandingazange ndibekho ngayo ngaphambili.
Iincwadi zikaDavid Swanson ziquka "Imfazwe Lixoki. " Ubhala iiblogi http://davidswanson.org kwaye http://warisacrime.org kwaye isebenza njengoMququzeleli we-Campaign kwi-intanethi ye-intanethi http://rootsaction.org. Uyabamba Intetho yeRadio yeSizwe. Mlandele kwi-Twitter: @davidcnswansonkwaye FaceBook.