Canada deports U.S. deserter who opposes Iraq War

[b0ld]

WTF... Correct me if I am wrong... Wasn't there a post about a month or 2 ago where there was some article indicating that the Canadian government was letting deserters stay.... And now this???


Reuters AlertNet - Canada deports U.S. deserter who opposes Iraq War

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 15 (Reuters) - Canada deported on Tuesday the first of some 200 Americans who deserted the U.S. military and sought refugee status to protest against the Iraq War. Robin Long, 25, was removed a day after a Federal Court judge in Vancouver rejected his claim that he would suffer irreparable harm if returned to the United States. He fled across the border in 2005 as his army tank unit was preparing to deploy to Iraq. The Canada Border Services Agency confirmed Long's removal, but declined to give other details, citing privacy laws. Long's refugee claim had already been rejected and he could not appeal Monday's court ruling. The issue of U.S. deserters has evoked memories of Canada's acceptance of tens of thousands of draft dodgers and deserters during the Vietnam War. But it has also exposed a political split in the country -- even within its courts -- over what role it should play today. Ottawa has deployed soldiers in Afghanistan but has refused to participate in the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Long's supporters staged a small demonstration on Tuesday at the Peace Arch border crossing south of Vancouver. "We may be small, but we represent a large body of people who disagree with what happened," said Sarah Bjorknas of the War Resisters Support Campaign. Opponents of granting refugee status to deserters argue that, unlike during the Vietnam War, the United States does not now have a military draft and members of its military are volunteers who know the potential risks. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government has ignored a nonbinding motion passed by opposition parties in the House of Commons last month that would have allowed the Iraq deserters to stay. Long and others have argued it was only after they had joined the military that they decided the U.S. government had lied to the public about the reasons for the Iraq War, and they were refusing to fight in an illegal conflict. The Supreme Court of Canada refused last year to hear the appeals of two U.S. deserters whose applications for refugee status were turned down by immigration authorities. But Federal Courts in Ontario this month temporarily blocked the removal of two deserters, including Joshua Key who the court said did not get a proper immigration hearing on his claim that the Iraq War was unjust. Long's supporters had argued he should not be deported until the conflicting court rulings were resolved. It is unknown how many Iraq War deserters have moved to Canada, but peace groups have said they know of about 200 people seeking refugee status. It is estimated that more than 50,000 war resisters moved to Canada during the Vietnam era. Long fled to Nelson, British Columbia, an area of the Pacific Coast province where many Vietnam War resisters decided to remain even after Washington granted amnesty in 1977. (Editing by Rob Wilson)

[NinjaBoy]

OMFG, he should totally be allowed to stay. Don't worry about the thousands of others who qued up for immigration here through the proper channels.

The guy who signed up for the military (which clearly states you don't get to pick your battles) should get to stay because he illegally crossed here because of his political view.

I've had enough of these people from other countries who have no choice in the danger, or politics forced upon them trying to get into this country. It's time us to stand up and support those who chose their profession and at the last minute were all like "Fuck this noise, I'm outta here."

[Phrenetic]

what are the consequences of bailing like they did?

[NinjaBoy]

Originally Posted by Phrenetic

what are the consequences of bailing like they did?

Facing the punishment that was clearly laid out for them when the signed up for the military.

[Phrenetic]

jail? rape? firing squad? front line?

[rawb]

HEZ A TERRIST l

[NinjaBoy]

Originally Posted by Phrenetic

jail? rape? firing squad? front line?

Jail, maybe. Sometimes.

Mactavish said 94 per cent of U.S. army deserters have been dealt with without a court martial or prison time.

"While the American Universal Code of Military Justice allows for the theoretical possibility of a sentence of death for desertion, the last time a deserter was sentenced to death was during the Second World War," Mactavish said in the four-page ruling.

Deserter faces deportation

His supporters say it's unfair because he might have trouble getting a decent job after this:

[i]

He said deserters have a hard time securing employment and are automatically ineligible for government jobs, as well as many private-sector jobs with large companies.

]/i]

Which kind of does make sense, I mean you don't exactly get a great reference for ditching any job.

[Carrie]

I agree that he should go, it was his choice to join the US Army, he knew that he could be sent to Iraq.

[cinist]

fnk is a breeding ground for ignorant SOB's


post this in a place with intelligent folk.

[Bevvy Swift]

now im all for supporting deserters who were DRAFTED maybe, but if you SIGN UP for an army and receive all the perks, pretty sure its your responsibility to pull your fucking weight.

that said, in no way do i support the Iraq war, and cannot really say i blame the guy for deserting, but face the damn punishment in your own damn country, and maybe stand up for change in the states instead of just booking it to canada.

zeek.

[decypher]

Yeh but the publics perception of the war has changed greatly as more information has come out. Signing up in 2001 opposed to last year makes a big difference.

[Bevvy Swift]

Originally Posted by decypher

Yeh but the publics perception of the war has changed greatly as more information has come out. Signing up in 2001 opposed to last year makes a big difference.

quite true.

but seriously, its not our responsiblity to harbour idiots who signed up to a corrupt army when theres people (literally) dying to get into our country from even worse military dictatorships.

imo he should have just martyred himself (politically, i mean) instead of bailing and passing the onus to our government and courts to save his ass

[Bevvy Swift]

like ooooooh some jail time man up

some poor bastards get stoned to death for less and we dont let them in

[Senior]

army recruiters target people who are poor and uneducated making all kinds of promises. personally I can understand why people would be foolish enough to get caught up in it would support allowing someone to stay here who has fled from this.

GoArmy.com

have seen how much fun this shit looks like? now imagine growing up in an inner city slum with little hope of a better future.

[cinist]

Originally Posted by Senior

army recruiters target people who are poor and uneducated making all kinds of promises. personally I can understand why people would be foolish enough to get caught up in it would support allowing someone to stay here who has fled from this.

GoArmy.com

have seen how much fun this shit looks like? now imagine growing up in an inner city slum with little hope of a better future.

:idea::idea::idea:


it wouldn't hurt half of you people to read a book or atleast watch a documenary or something sometime, eh?


i love how Canadians just sit back and watch this american puppet gov't change our moral value system, and even appluad. wankers.

[Bevvy Swift]

^i know, i know, beleive me i empathize. but poor stupid people in the states are still better off than say, the palestinians, or the somalians, or possibly the burmese, or any of the other masses of people who would love to come live here.

and in a country where freedom of speech is exercised as fervently as it is, this guy (the deserter), and/or any others in his position, should use the opportunity to stand for something.

in any of the above mentioned places youd just be shot. or worse.

edit - to what nolan said

[Senior]

Originally Posted by Bevvy Swift

^i know, i know, beleive me i empathize. but poor stupid people in the states are still better off than say, the palestinians, or the somalians, or possibly the burmese, or any of the other masses of people who would love to come live here.

and in a country where freedom of speech is exercised as fervently as it is, this guy (the deserter), and/or any others in his position, should use the opportunity to stand for something.

in any of the above mentioned places youd just be shot. or worse.

edit - to what nolan said

so from now on I should remember to only care about Somalians? sorry to say but this is bullshit.

the war in Iraq is based on a lie and the people who were recruited to fight there were told lies. Vietnam was an at large draft and this is a poverty draft. I applaud the people who escape either.

[Senior]

by the way do you think that any of you might be the slightest bit influenced by the media coverage that you are all parroting?

[Bevvy Swift]

Originally Posted by Senior

so from now on I should remember to only care about Somalians? sorry to say but this is bullshit.

the war in Iraq is based on a lie and the people who were recruited to fight there were told lies. Vietnam was an at large draft and this is a poverty draft. I applaud the people who escape either.

point taken dood. and i agree with you mostly, but i guess the bottom line is i dont really care what happens to the guy. im just saying he could be using the media coverage to publicize the lies in a more specific manner instead of his personal sob story.

just sayin :)

[cinist]

Originally Posted by Bevvy Swift

the bottom line is i dont really care what happens to the guy. :)

that's exactly what it is, and it's where the problem begins.

[Bevvy Swift]

^which problem exactly?

the problem that hes getting deported? so what he gets some jail? hell survive, and probably be a stronger person for it. i cant beleive ive even typed this many paragraphs. blegh.

[Bevvy Swift]

the problem begins in the lies that are told by the US government. someone (such as a soldier in the US army) who has first hand experience with the lies and thier detramental results, could be using his media coverage to expose the governemnt and maybe, just maybe, create change.

i am not the problem because i think he should be doing more with his position than run away.

[Some dude]

Army targets the poor and uneducated because they have the most to offer these people. I see nothing wrong with this.

Iraq's occupation was poorly thought out, but now that Coalition forces are in there, they can't just pack up and leave, so, soldiers are required to fulfill their obligation.

American deserters should be treated like any other criminal that runs across the border.

[P.A.R.T.Y]

We're all in it together.

[cinist]

Many of the people who signed up, did so without realizing they were signing up for an illegal/unjust war.
Some were told they would be in non-combat postions.
A good number of soldiers are recruited from their small/jobless towns or inner city ghetto's where they are fed endless information about all the perks they will recieve if they join up. They go to schools, malls, basketball courts ect and get kids to sign up before they've even left high school!
These recruiters are under insane pressure to get people signed up..they actually have quoto's that they have to live up to every month (There have even been suicides among recruitment officers)

There are an estimated 20,000 dodgers, doesn't this spell out pretty clearly that something is wrong?

Also, a lot of these people have already been to Iraq and are being sent back on their 2nd or 3rd tour, did they sign up for that? it's back door draft as they say. Many are not willing to participate in what they've alreay scene for themselves is wrong.

Would they have a louder voice to critisize the war from an American prison? yeah sorry I really doubt that.

Would a country be less likely to enter an un-just war if they knew their people would oppose and refure to fight, just maybe.