Remember the name Pablo Paredes<\/FONT><\/B><\/A>. He’s an enlisted He showed up four days ago on the naval pier in San Diego where the USS Bonhomme Richard<\/FONT><\/B><\/A>, which “I’d rather do a year in a prison in the military than do six months of dirty work for a war I This morning he was interviewed<\/FONT><\/B><\/A> from an In the interview, Paredes emphasized that his protest is “based on principle” and is “not a Paredes said he simply did not want to be part of the military “muscle” serving an “ideology Earlier Paredes told NBC’s local reporter, “It’s sad to me that some people don’t understand
\nsailor who has protested the war in Iraq by refusing to board his ship for deployment to the
\nPersian Gulf. More than anyone so far, Paredes recalls the Vietnam war resisters. <\/P>
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\nferries Marines to Iraq as part of the Expeditionary Strike Group 5, was about to depart.
\nAccording to a local NBC report<\/FONT><\/B><\/A> and others,
\ninstead of his uniform, he wore a T-shirt that said Like A Cabinet Member<\/I> (on the front)
\nI Resign<\/I> (on the back) and waited to be arrested.<\/P>
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\ndon’t believe in — and not many people believe in — and get Marines in harm’s way,” Paredes, 23,
\ntold NBC’s local San Diego reporter. Paredes was berated by other sailors but was not detained.
\nHe believes the Navy did not want to be seen arresting him on camera. Paredes had notified
\nreporters of his protest, and he is continuing to speak out as publicly as possible.
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\nundisclosed location by Democracy Now!<\/FONT><\/B><\/A> Contrary to its
\ndescription of him, however, Paredes said he is not a deserter or a fugitive in hiding — he said he
\nis categorized as “U.A.,” the military term for unauthorized absence — and expects to turn himself
\nin.<\/P>
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\ndecision based on personal fear” for his own safety. He explained that his job as an electronics
\ntechnician for the ship’s defensive missile system was not dangerous and would not be even if he’d
\ngone to the Persian Gulf.<\/P>
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\nthat is not promoting peace.” He said he understood that the war in Afghanistan “made sense” as
\na response to 9\/11. But, he added, “I don’t understand why we are in Iraq.”<\/P>
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\nwhat I’m doing, don’t understand that this fight takes a lot more courage and that I’m fighting for
\nthe very people that they’re putting in harm’s way.” He said he couldn’t sleep at night knowing that
\nhe would be part of a mission to ferry thousands of Marines to Iraq and that hundreds would be
\nkilled.<\/P>
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