United States of America

In Celebration of International Conscientious Objectors' Day

May 11-16 2006

New York City and Washington DC

Conference

Operation Refuse War: An International Conference of Resisters to Global War

Conference Timetable All events are located at Church of the Brethren, 37 North Carolina Ave.

Through workshops, actions, and an international conference, Operation Refuse War will highlight the difficulties that current conscientious objectors face as well as help build relationships and connections between the various communities within the anti-war movement. The focus of the events is on supporting contemporary American conscientious objectors and their families, as well as examining the current potential of conscientious objection (in its various forms) as a strategy for building an anti-war movement.

Kevin Ramirez and Steve Morse

2005 has been a pivotal year for counter-recruiters as the Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve and Air National Guard all missed their recruiting goals by thousands, effectively bringing about the worst year in recruiting since 1979!

War Resisters' International released a report to the United Nations' Human Rights Committee in March 2006, highlighting "issues of conscience and human rights" in relation to the US Armed Forces. The report forms part of WRI's activities in preparation for 15 May 2006 - International Conscientious Objectors' Day - which focuses on US Cos and resisters. WRI's main concerns are:

War Resisters League Peace Award Since 1958, WRI's US section War Resisters League honours a person or organisation whose work represents the WRL's radical platform of action with the WRL Peace Award. Recipients have included peace agitator A.J. Muste, civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, feminist and pacifist theorist Barbara Deming, Plowshares movement founder Daniel Berrigan, Gulf War Resisters, and many others.

Stephen Funk was one of the first resisters who went to prison for his conscientious objection to the war in Iraq in 2003, serving six months. For The Broken Rifle, he tells his story.

15th May is International Conscientious Objectors' Day, and in 2006 War Resisters' International focuses on the situation of and support to US war resisters: Gis applying for conscientious objector status, going AWOL, or finding other ways to get discharged from the US military.

15th May is International Conscientious Objectors' Day, and in 2006 War Resisters' International focuses on the situation of and support to US war resisters: GIs applying for conscientious objector status, going AWOL, or finding other ways to get discharged from the military.

War Resisters' International released a report to the United Nations' Human Rights Committee in March 2006, highlighting "issues of conscience and human rights" in relation to the US Armed Forces. The report forms part of WRI's activities in preparation for 15 May 2006 - International Conscientious Objectors' Day - which focuses on US COs and resisters (see "upcoming events").

Introduction

Although the United States does presently not enforce conscription, its present practice of recruitment for the Armed Forces and of keeping personnel within the forces once recruited gives reasons to concern from a human rights perspective. The focus lies on recruitment of the one hand, and on the difficulties to get out of the military once enlisted on the other hand.

Statement made at Ft. Benning, GA on November 17, 2005 by SPC Katherine Jashinski, first woman in the military to publicly declare resistance to participation in the war:

"My name is Katherine Jashinski. I am a SPC in the Texas Army National Guard. I was born in Milwaukee, WI and I am 22 years old. When I graduated high school I moved to Austin, TX to attend college. At age 19 I enlisted in the Guard as a cook because I wanted to experience military life.

With military recruitment in the USA down according to a many media reports (although some claim the opposite, i.e. TCV News), the battle about recruitment at high schools and universities identifies. Several universities dropped their opposition to military recruiters on the campus due to the risk of losing federal funding. Harvard Law School lifted its ban, which had only been introduced the year before, as reported by DailyPennsylvanian.com on 30 September.