BERMYS AGAINST THE DRAFT
Larry Marshall Sr.
A History of Conscription In Bermuda
Conscription as it presently exists in our country has it’s origins in the 1965 Defence Act. This act was conceived and enacted by a government which did not have the best interests of its citizens at heart to put it mildly. It was in essence a reactionary mechanism put in place to insure the status quo was maintained. To appreciate this fact one need only to read Article 4 of the Bermuda Constitution which not only allows conscription of soldiers but policemen and prison wardens as well. Forced labour is also allowed under this article putting our country in the dubious position of actually endorsing and enforcing slavery.
So Draconian and oppressive are these laws that failure to comply brings a prison sentence of between three and six months. That is not the end however as those sentenced must then either begin or resume military training. Failure to do so means they will again be sentenced to prison. In other words a conscientious objector could technically do a life sentence. As a consequence over forty young men have been sentenced to prison since 2000 which is an astonishing rate seeing that only 150 are conscripted on a yearly basis. Most did not have legal representation and were on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. All were black which is but one of many contradictions of local conscription which is the next point.
Another and the most obvious is that it began 2 years after it was abolished in Britain in 1963. That this could happen is unconscionable seeing that our local regiment is modeled after the British Army. And to add insult to injury young conscripts here are forced to pledge allegiance to the Queen of England while in her very own country young men have the right to choose whether or not they wish to enter the military forces. For the record they pledge to give their lives for the Queen and her heirs if necessary.
The next obvious contradiction is observed when Bermuda is compared with other countries within the Commonwealth and regionally. Out of 75 countries in the Commonwealth only 3 continue to enforce this diabolical practice. Within the Caribbean we are also one of three, the other two being Cuba (known for its sterling record in human rights) and the Dominican Republic. Yet what really puts this contradiction in perspective is that we are the only English speaking country in the world that enforces conscription.
Continuing on this theme we come to the biggest contradiction which is the Bermuda Regiment masquerading as an institution of discipline. How young men, randomly selected, are then supposed to be moulded into model citizens by a group of filthy minded, filthy mouthed degenerates is beyond me. This group has very little credibility among those unfortunate enough to be under their command simply because their behaviour is anything but disciplined. My youngest son, along with 200 others, was shown a pornographic movie the first day of boot camp in 2003 to illustrate discipline. There were no ramifications whatsoever for the officer guilty of this despicable action. Yet this individual typifies the officers within the camp whose escapades both locally but especially abroad could make up a sequel to “Men Behaving Badly”.
From these contradictions let’s now observe the real impact this evil institution has had on generations of young Bermudian men. The abuses range from verbal and emotional abuse to physical abuse which includes incarceration served at times in their underwear. During ‘boot camp’, which lasts for two weeks, eighteen hour days are the norm with constant profane abuse being hurled at the conscripts. And this is then supposed to mould them into better citizens. At night they are not allowed out of their barracks which results in most urinating in plastic bags, soda cans and even out the windows. The British MP Andrew McKinlay has brought this to the attention of the House of Commons in London.
This abuse continues on a weekly basis as the young men are forced to participate in parade drills. This constitutes 95% of the Bermuda Regiment’s function. It is worth noting that American tourists have no idea when they watch regimental parades of just how many young men in them have suffered immensely. They have no idea that 90% of them have absolutely no desire to participate and feel extremely humiliated and embarrassed at having to perform under such circumstances. The psychological and emotional scars caused by this has adversely effected so many over the years. Some have even found the situation so unbearable that they snapped and ended up in our local mental institution. Yet despite the innumerable amount of abuses perpetuated by this system it continues graphically illustrating the maxim ”alls that necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.”
That is until recently when the islands first anti-conscription coalition was formed. That took place in January 06 with the co-founders being Larry Marshall Jr., Audley Campbell Jr., and Larry Marshall Sr. No doubt many of you reading this article will ask why it took so long. Primarily because of the tremendous brainwashing of many locals who have been mesmerized by the propaganda machine of the Bermuda Regiment. Not only have they misled the public into believing conscription is necessary they have gone a step further and actually convinced them it is beneficial for the young men involved. This is classic Goebbels the master of propaganda who stated “Tell a lie big enough and often enough and it becomes the truth”.
Yet despite the aforementioned our group is very encouraged as the tide has definitely turned in our favour as many Bermudians, having been made aware of how inhumanely the young men are treated, are finally speaking out against this injustice.
Even so there are still many obstacles ahead but by the grace of God and with support from within and without our country the goal is indeed attainable. One of those obstacles, believe it or not, is local politicians who have become accustomed to supporting conscription as it is politically expedient. Therefore they are totally indifferent to the suffering of conscripts. Their hypocrisy is seen in the fact that not one has volunteered for the army neither their children. I guess when it comes to the army politicians are the same worldwide. Cowardly, self serving, and opportunistic.
Another obstacle is price as the costs of fighting through the courts is challenging especially for a group of working class people. Yet this was our only avenue as trying to prick the collective conscience of the powers that be would be an exercise in futility.
Therefore on December 06 we filed a writ in the local Supreme Court. The case should be heard within the next few months. If we lose the Court of Appeal is our next recourse. After that it would be the Privy Council in London. This might seem like negative thinking but due to reasons I am not presently at liberty to discuss the latter is probably our best chance for justice as the British are far more liberal when it comes to human rights.
Needless to say the legal process is extremely expensive and it is for this reason that we seek financial support in order to insure that we have the very best lawyers and can go the distance. If you do decide to contribute rest assured that your money is going to a worthy cause. Bermudians Against the Draft is a non-profit organization fighting to bring freedom to an entire country for the first time in 42 years. Help us to bring to an end this madness that has plagued our nation for too long.
In closing I would like to thank the editor of Draft Notices for allowing me the opportunity to expose Bermuda’s “dirty little secret”. I would also like to say that as a Bermudian I am both embarrassed and ashamed that our country endorses such a terroristic system. It is my dream that young men in our modern society will one day soon enjoy the freedom that their counterparts enjoy in your country.
On that note I warn you not to take that freedom for granted. It has been brought to my attention that the Democratic Congressman Mr. Charles Rangel has initiated moves to bring back the draft in America. That would be a most egregious mistake that will inevitably lead to human rights abuses on a scale not seen in decades.That being the case my advice to those involved in the anti-draft movement, not that you asked for it, would be to fight with everything you have in order to insure that this initiative is not successful. For rest assured that those drafted will most certainly come from two distinct groups: the poor and minorities. In other words those most vulnerable to such blatant violations of human rights. If you need an example of how corrupt and unfair conscription is just look to Bermuda.
Thank you,
Larry Marshall Sr.
Co-founder of B.A.D.
