United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

On Thursday, the Olympian (Olympia, WA) reported on the enthusiastic reception accorded to Lt. Ehren Watada by “[a]bout 470 people” at South Puget Sound Community College, in the southwest part of Olympia, WA.[1] -- Reporter Christian Hill wrote that “His looming trial did nothing to soften his rhetoric” and reported at some length, for the first time in any newspaper to our knowledge, on some of the themes that Lt. Watada has been striking in speeches delivered throughout the Puget Sound region in the past four weeks. -- “He criticized the U.S. election system, saying it's replete with failing electronic voting machines manufactured by companies with ties to politicians. He said that most Americans are more interested ‘in “American Idol” and fantasy football’ than what their elected leaders are doing. -- Regarding his trial, he said the charges against him were ‘trumped up’ and noted that officers who spoke out against former President Clinton received only minor reprimands, not courts-martial. -- ‘Really it's not much of a trial,’ he said after Wednesday's speech. ‘. . . It's just a disciplinary hearing. “He's guilty; how much punishment should we give him?” That's pretty much what it's going to be.’ -- He said the arguments that prosecutors will use against him in their effort to maintain good order and discipline within the ranks were the same used 30 years ago. -- ‘Nothing has changed except the names,’ he said. ‘Vietnam is now Iraq.’ -- The nation will repeat this cycle of illegal wars and burden future generations with its consequences until elected leaders learn that wars based on deception ‘should never be allowed or condoned in a free society,’ he said.” -- The article unleashed a vitriolic online debate, in which one reader jubilated: “[W]ait until he is in a military prison. I can hardly wait until Watada starts his prison term. I would like to see how his fellow soldiers in prison respond to him his cowardice with ‘love and affection,’” a disturbing note echoed by another, who wrote: “Can't wait to see what the REAL soldiers do with him when he is imprisoned for lying and placing his fellow soldiers at risk of dying!” -- Another exclaimed: “This town is sick; anyone who would support a traitor to his fellow men, his country, and God needs to be locked up in to a pre-U.S. invasion Iraqi prison under Saddam, then maybe they would have supported the war!” -- On Sunday, executive editor Victoria Kilgore wrote a column apologizing for using the words “true patriot” in the headline of the article, which has been changed on the newspaper’s web site.”[2] -- On the legal question of whether the Olympian is liable for publishing texts that incite violence, see here....

[PHOTO CAPTION: First Lt. Ehren Watada speaks to auditorium full of spectators.]

OLYMPIA -- Army Lt. Ehren Watada expects a far different reception when his court-martial begins next week for his refusal to serve in Iraq. For this one night, however, he was greeted as a hero.

About 470 people, nearly all strongly aligned with his stance that the war in Iraq is illegal, attended his speech Wednesday at South Puget Sound Community College.

The Fort Lewis officer again assailed the Bush administration for misleading the country to invade Iraq. He urged Americans to end their complacency and help bring an end to the war.

"This needless war has cost so much, but it has not been in vain if we are all willing to change," Watada said.

Starting Monday, he will sit in a far smaller and quieter room with an audience of at least five officers who will weigh whether his defiance warrants up to four years in prison and dismissal from the service.

The Army has charged him with missing movement and two counts of conduct unbecoming an officer for statements he made in earlier speeches critical of the current administration.

Earlier this week, prosecutors agreed to drop two additional counts of the conduct charge based on statements he made during interviews.

His looming trial did nothing to soften his rhetoric within the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts.

He criticized the U.S. election system, saying it's replete with failing electronic voting machines manufactured by companies with ties to politicians. He said that most Americans are more interested "in 'American Idol' and fantasy football" than what their elected leaders are doing.

Regarding his trial, he said the charges against him were "trumped up" and noted that officers who spoke out against former President Clinton received only minor reprimands, not courts-martial.

"Really it's not much of a trial," he said after Wednesday's speech. ". . . It's just a disciplinary hearing. 'He's guilty; how much punishment should we give him?' That's pretty much what it's going to be."

He said the arguments that prosecutors will use against him in their effort to maintain good order and discipline within the ranks were the same used 30 years ago.

The nation will repeat this cycle of illegal wars and burden future generations with its consequences until elected leaders learn that wars based on deception "should never be allowed or condoned in a free society," he said.

Residents need only have stepped out of the performing arts center to see that many disagree with Watada's stand and that his very name brings out strong emotions.

Josh Amos, 35, a state worker, stood outside the front doors holding a sign that read "Watada is a traitor." Next to him, his son Austin, 16, offered a similar commentary: "Watada is no hero."

The elder Amos said he served in the Marine Corps during the Panama invasion and suffers from a service-related injury. There's a code among service members that they don't turn their backs on one another, he said.

Watada has maintained that he initially believed the Bush administration when it said former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was an imminent threat and was tied to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He has said his opinion changed after reading and further research into those claims.

Upon learning he would be sent to Iraq, he offered to resign his commission and twice requested to deploy to Afghanistan instead. The military rejected those suggestions. He's not a conscientious objector opposed to all war.

One women who walked by yelled at Amos, "George Bush is the traitor." A man told Amos he didn't have a deep understanding of the war. That led to a heated debate between that man and another veteran.

"He is a true patriot. He is a true American," said Nolan Lattyak, 29, of Olympia, who spoke to Watada after the speech. "He is doing what people are afraid to do."

Chris Carson of Olympia gushed: "Lt. Watada without question is one of the most authentic, genuine, sincere people I have ever been in the presence of."

Concluding his speech, Watada said that in the years ahead, Americans will look back and recognize "the criminality of this current administration." People then will ask who stood up against it, he said.

He ticked off a several names: Women in Black, the local chapter that holds weekly silent vigils in downtown Olympia, and Veterans for Peace, an anti-war group that has been a key supporter of Watada.

No one should understand that more keenly than journalists. Language, written and spoken, is our toolbox.

But words chosen for a couple of recent front page headlines have generated a response that was not intended.

In one instance, a headline on a story about a woman found dead by the side of a road referred to the body as a "corpse." Technically that's correct. Readers felt that was disrespectful and let us know in no uncertain terms.

"Headline: 'Corpse found ...' C'mon, Olympian, can't you be a bit more delicate? 'Body' is way better than 'corpse'! You sound like one of the gossip rags."

"Have you no shame or compassion for the victim or her family? Your choice of words has reached a new low."

The headline writer chose the word because it was succinct and accurate. But for readers, the word carried ugly connotations. The reporter, by the way, does not write the headline. The reporter submits the story, the story is edited and then the headline is written, typically hours later.

Was it the best word choice for that headline? Probably not, considering the way it was interpreted. Will we use the word again? Only with more careful consideration.

The second instance occurred last week in the headline above the story about the speaking appearance by 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, who faces a court martial this week.

"Seeing this morning's headline calling Watada 'a true patriot' was a direct slap in the face to those of us who have loved ones serving in Iraq at this very moment. If Watada is 'a true patriot' then what is my husband? The way I see it is that Watada signed up for a job, knowing all that it could encompass. He took advantage of the U.S. Army to fund his college education [NOTE: This is not true, and the Olympian should not have published it. --M.J.] and at the first sign of actually having to fulfill his obligation he backed out like a coward. Many soldiers don't agree with the reasons for our presence over there, but bottom line is that they committed, voluntarily, to a job and just because they may not agree with the politics behind it all they will not back down from their obligation."

"The headline is awful. I wonder how the military feels reading that this morning. Greeted as a hero. Our city first tells the Navy to piss off. Then, this paper has the nerve as to use the word hero with Watada."

A headline should convey immediately what a story is about. This particular headline captured a quote from someone attending the event and incorporated the words as a reflection of the general audience reaction. Was it accurate? It seems to be, from the reporter's account. But was it a clear headline? No. Readers interpreted the headline as the newspaper's assessment of Lt. Watada. It is not the newspaper's role or our intention to take a position on Lt. Watada outside the Opinion page.

This was a hastily written headline produced on deadline, but we work on deadline every night. This headline should have been improved on. There's no excuse.

--Vickie Kilgore is executive editor of the Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-4223 or at vkilgore@theolympian.com.