in front of Naval Headquarters, San Diego – 2004-12-17 22:52:20
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/edit/index.php?op=edit&itemid=2175
Support Pablo Paredes!
Saturday, December 18th 1pm
In front of Naval Headquarters
(corner of Broadway and Harbor blvd. Downtown San Diego)
On December 6, 2004, Navy Petty Officer Third Class Pablo Paredes, 23, refused to board a San Diego ship taking 3,000 Marines to Iraq. Instead, he wore a T-shirt stating “LIKE A CABINET MEMBER, I RESIGN” and did just that.
Petty Officer Pablo Paredes stood resolutely on the pier of the 32nd street naval base in San Diego, as his ship the USS Bonhomme Richard, left for Iraq without him.
Sporting a simple black t-shirt with bold white letters stating: “Like a cabinet member, I resign.” anti-war sailor Paredes sent shockwaves through the military chain of command by taking a solitary stand against the war in Iraq by refusing to board his ship.
“I don’t want to be a part of a ship that’s taking 3,000 Marines over there (to Iraq), knowing a hundred or more of them won’t come back. I can’t sleep at night knowing that’s what I do for a living”, he told the San Diego Union Tribune.
Since refusing to participate in this unjust and devastating war, Pablo will now have to face the uncertainty of military punishment for being a GI with a conscience that refuses to be silent. Show support for him by joining us in a rally on his behalf this Saturday.
Pablo Paredes has chosen to present a conscientious objection to serving in war. On Monday of this week, he chose not to join his ship in San Diego that was headed to the Persian Gulf.
We would like your help in drawing national attention to his cause and message. The objections soldiers voiced directly to Rumsfeld, the resignation of the Secretary of Veteran Affairs and the overall conscientious objections of various military members is proof positive that he is not alone.
Resources and Tools
• For information on other Conscientious objectors visit: www.gifightback.org
www.sdmcp.org
www.join-snafu.org
We appreciate your support in our fight to give peace a chance. Please feel free to e-mail us your thoughts and concerns, in favor or against. Healthy debate is the best thing for our democracy. E-mail: vicparedes@msn.com
• Browse our site to connect with other key articles about Pablo Paredes and other Conscientious objectors.
• To learn how to support Pablo’s cause, visit:
www.sdmcp.org
http://www.swiftsmartveterans.com/
To contribute to Pablo’s support please go to: www.sdmcp.org
• Read more about Pablo Paredes at Michael Moore’s web site:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=598
• Read transcript of Amy Goodman’s interview with Pablo Paredes on Friday December 10th:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/10/1449250
Support Committee for Pablo Paredes
solidaritywithpablo@yahoo.com
