Two U.S. soldiers who don't agree with the War in Iraq have applied for refugee status in Canada.
Not unlike the draft dodgers in the Vietnam era, who fled the U.S. draft by running to Canada, these two men apparently face court martials and jail time if they return to their home country.
Wasn't it once possible to claim "conscientious objector" status if one didn't believe in the reason for going to war? I had the impression that this was some kind of option for all citizens, but I really don't know much about it, or if it even exists nowadays.
I was watching CBC Newsworld earlier tonight, and a viewer wrote a letter complaining about the irony that the U.S. would prosecute these men for their unwillingness to fight (and be put in a position to possibly kill others), while at the same time, the U.S. Air Force pilot who killed four Canadian soldiers in the "friendly fire" incident in Kandahar, Afghanistan is suing the Air Force for breaching his right to privacy when it publicly releasing his letter of reprimand. He basically got a "slap on the wrist" for actions his superiors deemed "gross misconduct" and "arrogance". He was punished with a letter of reprimand for misconduct, and had to forfeit $5,600 in pay for an act that resulted in the death of four innocent Canadian soldiers. And he has the balls to sue over his human rights?
How preposterous. This seems just a little insane and hypocritical to me.
More background on the "friendly fire" incident
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