The American tradition that everyone, even Nat Turner, is entitled to a day in court is so strong that people will deliberately violate the law to get a day in court and challenge the law. H.D. Thoreau did it personally to challenge the Mexican War. The IWW had free speech fights to challenge the kind of threats to freedom of expression that called forth the ACLU into being. Dr. King did it to challenge segregation laws. Billy Mitchell even did it to bring attention to the future of air power. Of course his situation was a little different. The law he broke wasn't the one he wanted to make the issue, but the principle is the same. He went out of his way to deliberately violate a law to get a day in court and turn it into a platform. Lt. Watada violated the law that he wished to make the issue, and his day in court is a wonderful chance to challenge the legality of the war in Iraq. I hope he wins his case. [crosposted @ D-Kos]
The latest as of today:
On the first day of the court-martial in Fort Lewis, an Army base near Seattle, Watada explained that he saw the order to go to Iraq and support combat operations as illegal because the war itself was illegal.
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