Mike Ferner

May 16, 2005
by Mike Ferner

Ft. Stewart, Georgia — The court martial of Army Sgt. Kevin Benderman for refusing to deploy to Iraq with the Third Infantry Division has taken two dramatic turns before it has begun.

On Wednesday, in the no-frills courtroom here at this sprawling Army post near Savannah, Col. Stephen Henley granted a motion filed by defense attorneys for a new Article 32 hearing, setting the proceedings against Benderman back to square one. Then, as the process began anew the next day, the Army filed two new allegations against the 40 year-old sergeant that could add up to 10 more years to his sentence if he is found guilty.

April 11, 2005
by Mike Ferner

An Open Letter to:
Hon. Walter B. Jones Jr.
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.

Dear Congressman Jones,

Your remarks condemning Richard Perle at the April 6 House Armed Services Committee hearing show your heart has clearly been touched by the senseless tragedies spilling from this war. Your words give encouragement to those of us who long to see our country get out of Iraq and end the death and suffering of countless thousands, including our fellow citizens. Your words give us hope that perhaps your heart and your mind will be open to knowing truths you could not earlier recognize.

March 21, 2005
By MIKE FERNER

Remarks commemorating the Second Anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq given at rallies in Columbus March 19 and Cleveland March 20, 2005

As we gather here this afternoon, our colleagues in Toledo are debuting “Arlington at Toledo,” a cemetery with over 1700 white, wooden tombstones to commemorate each U.S. soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

February 4, 2005
by Mike Ferner

In his provocative bestseller, ‘War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning’, Christopher Hedges explores how individuals, groups in society, and whole national psyches are emotionally invested in war.

For anyone actively involved in the movement against the continuing tragedy in Iraq, or even quietly fuming at home, the war is a constant outrage, each day exceeding the next. Some days we can think of little else. And yet, as we shout against the thunder of war I can see that Hedges makes a powerful point, even for the peace movement. Because war’s suffering is so horrible, opposing it gives me a sense of purpose beyond what “normal” life brings, and I sense the same thing within my friends who are similarly committed to ending this war.

January 19, 2005
by Mike Ferner

No, this is not a military-oriented guide to keeping fit. Yet it has made some people uncomfortable if not downright sore.

It’s about the peace movement and how a U.S. Marine company using downtown Toledo for “urban warfare” training January 7-8, provided an opportunity for activists to think and act beyond normal limits.