The Appeal for Redress

With a special thank you to Lietta Ruger, one of our local heroes in the resistance to the continuing occupation of Iraq as a leader with Military Families Speak Out:

”Our troops are speaking, and this time directly to Congress. In campaign 'Appeal for Redress' the numbers of active duty troops signing the appeal is increasing daily, if not hourly…”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) More than 200 active duty U.S. armed service members, fed up with the war in Iraq, have joined an unusual protest calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, organisers said on Wednesday.

The campaign, called the Appeal for Redress from the War in Iraq, is the first of its kind in the Iraq war and takes advantage of U.S. Defence Department rules allowing active duty troops to express personal opinions to members of Congress without fear of retaliation, organisers said.”

If you are a member of the United States Military or know someone who is and have been concerned about speaking out against the continuing occupation of Iraq, the following information (from the Appeal for Redress website) answers some very important – yet totally unreported – information about the rights of active duty military members to speak out.

Rights Under Law

THE RIGHTS OF MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY

Members of the military have rights under the U.S. Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and the military's own regulations. Military regulations give you important ways to voice your opinion about what's going on in Iraq. They also impose important limitations. People in the military don't have the same constitutional right to express themselves as civilians do.
The military regulation that covers protest and dissent by members of the military is
DoD Directive 1325.6—

"Guidelines for Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces.”

The command may prohibit members from distributing written materials on base, other than through "official outlets," without prior approval. However, the command may not prevent you from distributing printed material simply because it is critical of government policies or officials.

DoD Directive 1325.6 says it is DoD policy to preserve military members' "right of expression… to the maximum extent possible, consistent with good order and discipline and the national security." Members of the military may attend demonstrations but only in the United States and only when they are off base, off duty, and out of uniform.

THE RIGHT OF SERVICE MEMBERS TO COMPLAIN AND REQUEST REDRESS

Article 3.5.7 DoD Directive 1325.6 provides the right of service members to complain and request redress of grievances against actions of their commanders. (IMPORTANT NOTE: A redress is not to be confused with a petition. The action taken here by individual service members is an Appeal for Redress to End the War in Iraq.)

DoD Directive 7050.6—
“Military Whistleblower Protection Act”

DoD Directive 7050.6, otherwise known as the Military Whistleblower Protection Act, provides for the following rights:

4.1 Members of the Armed Forces shall be free to make a protected communication to:
4.1.1—A Member of Congress

Articles 4.2-4.4- Military members are protected against reprisals for such communication. If the command tries to retaliate against you for exercising your free speech rights, get some legal assistance. Talk with a civilian military counselor and/or a civilian attorney familiar with military law. You may be able to file a complaint under Article 138 of the UCMJ1. You may be able to file a complaint under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act. There may be other legal channels. An attorney or counselor can help you file a complaint or communicate with your command about the problem.

You may also call the G.I. Rights Hotline at
(800) 394-9544
or (510) 465-1472 (also international calls)

1Chapter 47, Uniform Code of Military Justice, SubChapterXI, Miscellaneous Provisions, Sec. 935. Scroll to Art. 138, “Complaints of Wrongs.”

Your members of Congress should be aware of this information and, just as importantly, should be made aware of the Appeal for Redress. Please take a few minutes to be sure that they do by forwarding a link to the website: http://www.appealforredress.org/index.php

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue