[Marxism] Gov't drops 2 charges but Lt. Watada still faces up to 4 years if convicted

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Army drops 2 charges in Watada court-martial
Counts of conduct unbecoming an officer are dismissed
By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Army dismissed two charges against 1st Lt. Ehren Watada yesterday,
reducing by two years the maximum length of confinement he faces when his
court-martial begins next week, his attorney Eric Seitz said.

Watada still faces up to four years' confinement on three other charges.

The two specifications for conduct unbecoming an officer the Army is
dropping stem from comments Watada made to reporters, including
Star-Bulletin reporter Gregg Kakesako, in interviews June 7.

In exchange, Watada has agreed to stipulate that he made the comments
attributed to him by the reporters. That relieves the reporters of
responding to government subpoenas seeking their testimony during the
court-martial.

"We were never happy about the fact that the reporters got drawn into this,"
Seitz said. "The statements that he's alleged to have made were accurately
reported, and we don't disassociate ourselves. We've never disassociated
ourselves from any of the comments that have been accurately attributed to
him."

Watada still faces two other charges of conduct unbecoming an officer for
comments he made in a June 6 news conference and in a speech at a national
convention of Veterans for Peace in Seattle in August. He is also charged
with missing movement for refusing to join his Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade
unit on June 22 when it left for Iraq.

Each of the conduct charges carries a maximum one year of confinement, and
missing movement carries a maximum two years' confinement.

The court-martial proceedings are scheduled to begin Monday.

Seitz said the judge has refused to allow him to call expert witnesses to
bolster his client's claims that his comments and actions were based on his
belief that the war in Iraq is illegal. Without them, Watada would be the
only witness to take the stand in his defense, said Seitz.

The latest development in Watada's case comes two days after his stepmother
collapsed while taking part in a march in the nation's capital to protest
President Bush's plan to increase U.S. troops in Iraq. Seitz said Rosa
Sakanishi suffered a mild stroke and remains in George Washington University
Hospital.

Watada's father, retired state Campaign Spending Commission Executive
Director Bob Watada, addressed the thousands of protesters on the National
Mall on Saturday.

C Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- http://starbulletin.com



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