U.S. deserter fears 'social persecution'

[mindspell]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041209/REFUGEE09/TPNational/Canada

U.S. deserter fears 'social persecution'

Ex-paratrooper seeking asylum in Canada wants to avoid committing atrocities in Iraq

By MARINA JIMÉNEZ
Thursday, December 9, 2004 - Page A11

A U.S. Army deserter seeking asylum in Canada said he will face "social persecution" if he is sent back to the United States and believes he is within his legal right to refuse to fight in the Iraqi war because he does not want to commit atrocities.

 

[xfer]

There was a thing on 60 Minutes last night about these deserter types. It's pathetic, if you ask me. I can't believe they're drawing comparisons to Vietnam-era border-crossers; there's a huge fucking difference between you were drafted into the army from an otherwise peaceful existence and you joined the army to get money and were dismayed when war actually happened.

 

[0sm0se]

An excellent point Alex, its some guy who figured he could collect the government's charity without actually doing what he signed up to do.

 

[xfer]

Pretty much. Gives a bad name to real anti-war people and makes it seem like all anti-war types are cowardly opportunists, when the truth is anything but.

 

[mindspell]

Just to make things clear, I agree with you guys. And his social persecution defense is pretty pathetic.

 

[xfer]

I also think it's ridiculous that he thinks it's okay that his willpower is so weak that if he was stationed in Iraq and his buddies were like "Hey let's rape that little Iraqi boy" he would have to go along with it, and the only way out of it is to not go to Iraq at all.

 

[lizard]

interesting that he's not trying the conscientious objector route but that's probably because he knows the casualty rates for unarmed medics.

 

[xfer]

i bet he wouldn't succeed in the conscientious objector route because it's pretty clear he's perfectly happy to kill Arabs as long as it's on his own terms.

 

[0sm0se]

Well, who doesn't want to kill a few A-rabs?

 

[xfer]

"Count me in!"