Last week Major Jason Watson, an active-duty Air Force officer, stood on the Capitol steps and held up a sign that read: Impeach, Convict, Remove. He didn’t even put it down when police handcuffed him. Major Watson has worn the uniform for over twenty years and risked his career, his pension, and his own freedom to say out loud what most of Congress won't. He wasn't breaking any rule when he started. Demonstrating on the Capitol steps is legal, but only if a sitting member of Congress is standing with you. Texas Democratic Representative Al Green stood by Major Watson’s side. For as long as Green stood beside him, a man in an Air Force uniform holding a protest sign was perfectly within the law … but then Green walked away. And the moment he was gone Capitol Police told Major Watson to stop or be arrested. He did not stop and he was arrested and booked under a statute called Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding, and led him off the steps of the very building he swore an oath to protect. Major Watson is on leave from his post as a logistics readiness officer in Poland. He isn't a Democrat and says he knows next to nothing about Congressman Al Green's politics. But what he does know is that thirteen American service members are dead after strikes on Iran and Venezuela that Congress never voted for, and that the Constitution he memorized gives the power to start those wars to the Capitol, not the Oval Office. So he came to the Capitol and said it to their faces. A military pension is not a small thing to gamble. Neither is a criminal record. Watson bet both on the chance that a few members of Congress might feel some shame watching an active-duty airman get cuffed for holding a piece of cardboard. The odds are not good. Green forced a vote on impeachment this year and the House killed it 237 to 140; two dozen Democrats crossed the aisle to make sure it never reached an up-or-down count. Major Watson accused the president of shredding the Constitution, which he did, and left the Capitol in handcuffs. He walked up to the most powerful government on earth with a scrap of cardboard and an oath he wouldn't break, and dared it to arrest him for reading the Constitution back to its face. And it did. That ain’t America. Stand up. Speak up. Stand with Major Jason Watson. CAST A GODDAMNED VOTE!!! |
This is integrity.
ReplyDeleteThis is patriotism.
This is bravery.
He may be risking a lot. A lot for him and his family. But he did it.
What irks me is that this man may be prosecuted for being a patriot and some people cannot bother to cst a damn vote.
Ugh.
XOXO
Spot on, sir, and welcome back!
DeleteWhat a courageous man Major Jason Watson is. A true American hero in very challenging times and a credit to his uniform.
ReplyDeleteYes, he is, doing the right thing no matter what happens to him.
DeleteWe all should be doing that.
Major Watson was arrested for practising his right to free speech while an American service man raped a British subject in England a military tribunal didn't even bother to charge him with rape. Justice is becoming very warped in America, driven from the top.
ReplyDeleteCases involving American service members accused of sexual assault or rape against British subjects in England are governed by the NATO Status of Forces Agreement which generally grants the US military primary jurisdiction over crimes committed by their personnel on duty, while the UK has primary jurisdiction for off-duty, off-base crimes. BUT ... the US frequently retains or takes custody of personnel under these agreements, which has led to intense scrutiny.
DeleteSo it's not the UK it's the US, sad to say.
True courage on display.
ReplyDeleteWe need more of that!
Deletethe dog's mother
ReplyDeletexoxo :-)
I read about him in the NYTimes. He truly is a hero, a guy who has guts, unlike the members of Congress who continue to let tRump and his minions get away with destroying this country and the rule of law.
ReplyDeleteNailed it, Michael!
DeleteHe's a brave man. He's put everything on the line to say what so many others believe.
ReplyDeleteA very brave man, who may lose his pension for speaking up. He is an example for all of us.
DeleteMajor Jason Watson is the absolute antithesis of J6 rioters, yet he'll face harsher penalties for his courage than any of those assh*les. And why wasn't there a member of Congress (Dem or GOP) standing with him on those steps at all times?! Absolutely disgusting.
ReplyDeleteA Democratic Congressman, Al Green from Texas, was there, but the moment he walked off the steps Watson was arrested.
DeleteWe need more Americans like Watson and more Democrats in office like Watson.
Why wasn't another Congressman coming to take his turn when Al Green had to leave? Shame on them.
DeleteThe outpouring of praise for his courage was overwhelmingly popular on the social media I read. I don't think the villains have paid enough attention to the massive reaction.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot call yourself the pro-military party, as the GOP does, and then treat the military like shiz.
DeleteI'd like to know more about Al Green standing by Major Watson and then abandoning him. I don't know anything about Al Green.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I don't know that he abandoned him, I think maybe he just walked away thinking nothing would happen.
Deletexoxo
Watson goes to jail and January 6 traitorous rioters go home. Yeah, ain’t that America.
ReplyDeleteSadly, true.
DeleteIt certainly isn't the America the world used to admire.
ReplyDeleteIt's not America, it's the leaders, for now, of America.
DeleteI searched for the references and found out that The U.S. usually handles cases only if the crime is connected to military duties. Sometimes, the UK allows the U.S. to take the case. Also, keeping a service member in U.S. custody does not mean the U.S. has the legal right to prosecute.
ReplyDelete