war resister rodney watson in sanctuary two years today; leave a message of support

Today, September 18, 2011, is the second anniversary of the day Rodney Watson went into sanctuary in the First United Church of Vancouver.

Rodney, after serving his tour in Iraq, knew that he could no longer continue to participate in the immoral, illegal occupation of that country. He chose to come to Canada, where he applied for asylum and was denied. You can read more about Rodney's experience and his decision to desert here: "Why a resister chose Canada over the war in Iraq", published on Christmas Eve, 2009.

In September 2009, the Canadian government - against the will of Parliament and the wishes of the majority of the Canadian people - was about to deport Rodney to the US, where he would have been court martialed, imprisoned and likely given a dishonourable discharge, the equivalent of a felony offense that would restrict his life opportunities forever.

Reverend Ric Matthews of the First United Church of Vancouver offered Rodney sanctuary, and he accepted. He's been living in the church ever since.

Today, my thoughts are with this brave man, willing to live in a room in a church so he can live with his conscience.

If you would like to send a message to Rodney, please leave a comment here and I'll send him the post.






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