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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! February 22, 2004 Jeremy HinzmanBy GreyhawkMeet Jeremy Hinzman, a GI making news: Hinzman, who grew up in Rapid City, S.D., joined the Army in January 2001. The socialist structure of the military appealed to him, he said. He liked the subsidized housing and groceries and, at the end of his service, the money for college. Turns out one of those lucky young bloodthirsty soldiers might just get to kill Jeremy, who, it turns out, ...figured it was only a matter of time before his unit would go to Iraq. He said he felt the war there was unjust and was being fought over oil interests. Which pretty much destroys your shot at Conscientious Objector status, jackass. Nope, ol' Jeremy's a deserter in time of war. According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, Hinzman is believed to be the first U.S. soldier filing for refugee status in Canada for refusing duty in Iraq. During the Vietnam War, an estimated 30,000 Americans sought refuge in Canada to avoid compulsory military service. But there's a huge difference between draft dodging and deserting, and bear in mind this guy was Regular Army, and a volunteer. Hinzman's chances of receiving refugee status are statistically slim: According to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board, none of the 268 American applicants last year was accepted. But people who are denied refugee status are not automatically deported; they may be granted permission to stay in Canada under other provisions, said Charles Hawkins, a spokesman for the board. Though surely President Kerry will pardon him. (via Wizbang) Posted by Greyhawk / February 22, 2004 7:31 AM | Permalink 1 TrackBackAnother Sunday-night tour through the blogosphere, looking for link-love in all the right places ... The Mudville Gazette, who's sending lots of people over for my caption contest, also has a great post on a young man who styles himself... Read More 29 Comments |
November 26, 2010America@war [Greyhawk]
I think anyone who's ever pondered the "comment" option - once only available on blogs and bulletin boards, now ubiquitous on almost any web site - will appreciate this:
The so-called faculty of writing is not so much a faculty of writing as it is a faculty of thinking. When a man says, "I have an idea but I can't express it"; that man hasn't an idea but merely a vague feeling. If a man has a feeling of that kind, and will sit down for a half an hour and persistently try to put into writing what he feels, the probabilities are at least 90 percent that he will either be able to record it, or else realize that he has no idea at all. In either case, he will do himself a benefit. That's wisdom from the past, captured for posterity at the US Naval Institute, shared via the web on the institute's 137th anniversary. From their about page:
"The Naval Institute has three core activities," among them, History and Preservation: The Naval Institute also has recently introduced Americans at War, a living history of Americans at war in their own words and from their own experiences. These 90-second vignettes convey powerful stories of inspiration, pride, and patriotism. Take a look at the collection, and you'll see it's not limited to accounts from those who served on ships at sea, members of the other branches are well-represented. I'm fortunate to have met USNI's Mary Ripley, she's responsible for the institute's oral history program (and she's the daughter of the late John Ripley, whose story is told here). She also deserves much credit for their blog. ("We're not the Navy nor any government agency. Blog and comment freely.") We met at a milblog conference - Mary knew (and I would come to realize) that milbloggers are the 21st-century version of exactly what the US Naval Institute is all about. Once that light bulb came on in my head, I mentioned a vague idea for a project to her - milblogs as the 21st century oral history that they are. "Put that in writing," she said (of course - see first paragraph above!) - and here's part of the result. Shortly after the first tent was pitched by the American military in Iraq a wire was connected to a computer therein, and the internet was available to a generation of Americans at war - many of whom had grown up online. From that point on, at any given moment, somewhere in Iraq a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine was at a keyboard sharing the events of his or her day with the folks back home. While most would simply fire off an email, others took advantage of the (then) relatively new online blogging platforms to post their thoughts and experiences for the entire world to see. The milblog was born - and from that moment to this stories detailing everything from the most mundane aspects of camp life to intense combat action (often described within hours of the event) have been available on the web... And et cetera - but since you're reading this on a milblog, you probably knew that. And you know that milblogs aren't just blogs written by troops at war, that many friends, family members, and supporters likewise documented their story of America at war online in near-real time, as those stories developed. The diversity in membership of that group is broad, the one thing we all have in common is the impulse to make sense of the seemingly senseless, and communicate the tale - for each of us that impulse was strong enough to overcome whatever barriers prevent the vast majority of people from doing the same. Everyone at some point has some vague idea they believe should be shared - we were the people who, from some combination of internal and external urging, found and spent those many half hours persistently trying to write it down. But where will all that be in another 137 years? Or five or ten, for that matter. That's something I've asked myself since at least 2004 - when I wrote this:
Membership in the ghost battalion has grown in the years since, and an ever growing majority of those abandoned-but-still-standing sites are vanishing. Have you checked out Lt Smash's site lately? How about Sgt Hook's? If you're a long-time milblog reader you know the first widely-read milblog from Operation Iraq Freedom and the first widely-read milblog from Afghanistan are both gone from the web. If you're a relative newcomer to this world you may never even have heard of them - or the dozens upon dozens of others who carried forth the standard they set down. If you have a vague notion that something should be done about that, (a notion I've heard expressed more than once...) then you and I and the good folks at the US Naval Institute are in agreement. Preserving the history documented by the milbloggers is just one of the goals of the milblog project, the once-vague idea that we're now making real. And it's a big idea, if I say so myself - too big to explain in one simple blog post, so stand by for more. Likewise, it's too big a task to be accomplished by just one person. So if you're a milblogger (and exactly what is a milblogger? is a topic for much further discussion on its own) I'm asking for your help. All I'll really need is just a little bit (maybe just one or two of those half hours...) of your time, and your willingness to tell the tale. We've already made history, it's time to save it. (More to follow...) Posted 4:02 PM | Permalink |
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The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 Furthermore, I will occasionally use satire or parody herein. The bottom line: it's my house. I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2011 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  Tending Distant Far from hearth and home, watching What tales we'll tell When things grim Some distant sunset, vision fading Saluting fallen friends whose names - Greyhawk, Baghdad, December 2004 |
Good ol Jer will fit right in with the Canadians.
My thoughts exactly Jane...let the Canadians keep him.
Try him in absentia, give him a death sentence, and tell him we will keep it warm. Pay his family's relocation expense in return for their renunciation of citizenship and permanent departure..
As other illegal immigrants claiming refugee status in Canada, ol' Jeremy has, no doubt, been asked a few questions, been fingerprinted, and allowed to disappear into the woodwork. It'll be six months or more before the authorities give him any further thought. For years, middle-eastern Islamists have been flocking to Canada, claiming refugee status, and dropping out of sight.
The lax immigration law and border security of our friends to the north have been keeping many terrorism experts awake nights.
on 9/11, the jetliners that struck New York were allowed to proceed unmolested for more than a half-hour, and the plane that supposedly crashed in Washington was not intercepted for more than an hour and forty minutes after it was widely known that four planes had been hijacked.
FBI Director Robert Mueller insisted officials had no idea this kind of attack could happen when in fact the FBI had been investigating the possibility of EXACTLY this kind of attack for almost TEN YEARS. Numerous previous attempts at using planes as weapons, intimate knowledge of terror plans called Project Bojinka, and knowledge of suspicious characters attending flight schools who were being monitored by the FBI make his utterance a clear lie on its face.
In the weeks before 9/11, the U.S. received warnings from all over the world that an event just like this was about to happen, but FBI investigations into suspected terrorists were suppressed and those warnings were deliberately disregarded.
The names of the alleged hijackers, all ostensibly Muslims, were released to the public only hours after the attacks, despite Mueller saying we had no knowledge this would happen. This is an impossible twist of logic. If he didn't know of a plan to strike buildings with planes, how would he know the names of the hijackers? Various artifacts were discovered in strategic places to try to confirm the government's story, but these have all been dismissed as suspicious planting of evidence. Since that time several names on that list have turned up alive and well, living in Arab countries. Yet no attempt has ever been made to update the list. And why were none of these names on the airlines' passenger lists?
FBI Director Robert Mueller insisted officials had no idea this kind of attack could happen when in fact the FBI had been investigating the possibility of EXACTLY this kind of attack for almost TEN YEARS. Numerous previous attempts at using planes as weapons, intimate knowledge of terror plans called Project Bojinka, and knowledge of suspicious characters attending flight schools who were being monitored by the FBI make his utterance a clear lie on its face.
In the weeks before 9/11, the U.S. received warnings from all over the world that an event just like this was about to happen, but FBI investigations into suspected terrorists were suppressed and those warnings were deliberately disregarded.
The names of the alleged hijackers, all ostensibly Muslims, were released to the public only hours after the attacks, despite Mueller saying we had no knowledge this would happen. This is an impossible twist of logic. If he didn't know of a plan to strike buildings with planes, how would he know the names of the hijackers? Various artifacts were discovered in strategic places to try to confirm the government's story, but these have all been dismissed as suspicious planting of evidence. Since that time several names on that list have turned up alive and well, living in Arab countries. Yet no attempt has ever been made to update the list. And why were none of these names on the airlines' passenger lists? FBI Director Robert Mueller insisted officials had no idea this kind of attack could happen when in fact the FBI had been investigating the possibility of EXACTLY this kind of attack for almost TEN YEARS. Numerous previous attempts at using planes as weapons, intimate knowledge of terror plans called Project Bojinka, and knowledge of suspicious characters attending flight schools who were being monitored by the FBI make his utterance a clear lie on its face.
In the weeks before 9/11, the U.S. received warnings from all over the world that an event just like this was about to happen, but FBI investigations into suspected terrorists were suppressed and those warnings were deliberately disregarded.
The names of the alleged hijackers, all ostensibly Muslims, were released to the public only hours after the attacks, despite Mueller saying we had no knowledge this would happen. This is an impossible twist of logic. If he didn't know of a plan to strike buildings with planes, how would he know the names of the hijackers? Various artifacts were discovered in strategic places to try to confirm the government's story, but these have all been dismissed as suspicious planting of evidence. Since that time several names on that list have turned up alive and well, living in Arab countries. Yet no attempt has ever been made to update the list. And why were none of these names on the airlines' passenger lists?
FBI Director Robert Mueller insisted officials had no idea this kind of attack could happen when in fact the FBI had been investigating the possibility of EXACTLY this kind of attack for almost TEN YEARS. Numerous previous attempts at using planes as weapons, intimate knowledge of terror plans called Project Bojinka, and knowledge of suspicious characters attending flight schools who were being monitored by the FBI make his utterance a clear lie on its face.
In the weeks before 9/11, the U.S. received warnings from all over the world that an event just like this was about to happen, but FBI investigations into suspected terrorists were suppressed and those warnings were deliberately disregarded.
The names of the alleged hijackers, all ostensibly Muslims, were released to the public only hours after the attacks, despite Mueller saying we had no knowledge this would happen. This is an impossible twist of logic. If he didn't know of a plan to strike buildings with planes, how would he know the names of the hijackers? Various artifacts were discovered in strategic places to try to confirm the government's story, but these have all been dismissed as suspicious planting of evidence. Since that time several names on that list have turned up alive and well, living in Arab countries. Yet no attempt has ever been made to update the list. And why were none of these names on the airlines' passenger lists?
This soldier is right in seeking refugee statis in Canada or anywhere other than in a country where he is expected to kill for someone elses greed.
You stupid Americans are living in fear in your "democratic" and "free" society. Hinzman will at least live in a place where his kids won't get shot @ school.
pissy Americans living in your own self created tepid filth you created calling down one who had the guts to speak out, good luck you will need it. If he needs a place to stay he can stay at my house
Thank God, we still have young people in this country that can think for themselves and not just follow blindly where our leaders tell them to go! I agree with Jeremy that this war is an illegal action and I would not want to die for it either. I am an American who loves my country but that does not mean I have to trust in my government and believe everything I am told by members of government - including the president. Long live Jeremy Hinzman and the American right of free speech!
Why can't the rest of the world understand that:
1- Iraq has WMD because Bush Jr. says so and it doesn't matter whether or not there's any credible evidence about it. This is the greatest country in the world...simple.
2- Everybody knows that the war is about oil but that doesn't make it illegal. America has fought long and hard to put itself in a position to be able to do whatever the hell she wants, whever we want. We aren't going to be told what to do by the UN which has no appreciation for our oil needs.
3- Once this kid joins the army he should do whatever the hell he is told. Everyone knows that joining the military means selling your right to think for yourself. He signed up to be a killer for America. Whether he kills innocent or guilty people is not his concern. Thank God, that decision is made by Bush Jr -leader of the greatest country in the world. He should just follow orders like the good nazi soldiers -Hitler was to blame not his loyal and honourable soldiers.
4- Bush Jr., God bless him, is commander and chief and therefore he decides who gets killed and why. He's leader of the greatest and oldest democracy in the world. I know that SOME people bring up the fact that more people voted for Gore, but, Bush Jr. got the courts to proclaim him president so he earned it. It's not just about votes, it's about justice.
5- If innocent Iraqis have to die so that we don't have to slow down our oil consumption or move toward less convenient, cleaner, cheaper fuels then so be it. That's the American way. Slavery may have been wrong too, but it's also one of the reasons why we are such a wealthy and powerful nation. Do we apologize for it? H@LL NO! That's the American way. One nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. If you're not an American perhaps God will protect you.
pyre, if Hinzman cared so damn much about his principles, why did he voluntarily enlist in the first place?
He made a conscious choice to join the military with the full and clear knowledge of what his duties would be.
He only found the 'guts to speak out' after realizing he might actually have to make good on his promise to serve & protect his nations interest.
I'd have more respect for him if there was a draft, but to volunteer, then desert the people depending on you, just because you don't have the cojones to fulfill your promise, well... that's a load of crap.
Let him stay at your house, the U.S. military can't afford to have that sort of idiot endangering other soldiers with his ineptitude.
We'll see how the Canadian courts rule on this.
The kid might have been a volunteer, but he was being asked to fight an illegal war.
Had he deserted having to fight in lawful combat activity I don't think he'd have much of a case.
u americans r so dum u idiots!!!! hes a dude and the only person from ur country who can see how ilegal ur war is, u r all a bunck of morons!!!!
The USA is not at war with Iraq. Only congress can declare war. This has not been done. We are at "war" against "terrorism", much like the "war" against drugs, or the "war" against "poverty", etc.. The military action against Iraq is being carried out to benefit Israel. Several Mossad agents operating in Iraq have already been killed by the resistance. Oil concerns are of secondary importance.
Looks like Jeremy is just another leech in the American system, he wants the rest of us to pay for his college, etc. Let him drain pathetic Canada's economy instead of ours.
Denis -you call us dumb? Look at your idiotic misspellings and use of internet shorthand. YOU come across as a complete idiot.
Personally, I would love to go to Canada, find this deserter, and beat the living shit out of him. This is pretty much w blwck and white case - he signed up for the benefits the Army provides, then when it came time to actually return service for the freebies he had, he turned and ran like a total pussy.
I happen to love Canada and the Habs. You are good folk. But please, get off of your high horse and realize that the war we fight is for the entire world, not just America. And the last time I checked, gas prices in the US are at the highest they have ever been. So much for the Liberal's idiotic claims that we went there to take their oil.
I don't understand how a culture that was so horrified by the events of 9-11 could sit back and watch with pleasure and pride as your nation "shocked and awed" the world by destroying the center of Baghdad. Do you not have any morals? Your leaders and generals appear on TV talking about how you will "kill" other human beings. What other nation on earth has leaders who openly talk about killing? Think, compare, and then blush. Your corrupt newscasters wet themselves with pleasure at the site of all your smart bombs destroying a city and killing people. I don't really want any more Americans in Canada, you seem to be as primitive as those sick Arabs who cheer the murder of others. But I guess we have to keep these guys for a while, as you will surly kill them if you get your hands on them.
I say hang'em! They are cowards and I would never call them true americans. I'm in the Army Reserves, and if I were to be called up, I would go!!! No one held a gun to their head and told them to sign. There's no draft, no one told them to join, they did it on their on accord. I'm upset that neither me or my unit was called to serve my country in a war that we need to win. And to all those canadians that are defending them... why do you think that we always bad mouth you guys up there? From a PROUD AMERICAN, thanx for your time...
Canadians, we fucking revolutionized Democracy so don't try to be mocking us.
You're just a wannabe US. and it's apparent
Hinzman is a coward
I think you are very brave, and what you are doing is tough. It can be a very difficult thing to go fight a war. Some can some cant. You are no less a person because you dont want to fight. You just dont want to die and there is nothing wrong with that no matter what anyone says. God bless.
1. Jeremy volunteered. There was no draft.
2. He made an Oath. If he has such strong beliefs, why did he make the oath of service?
3. He is a coward.
4. Many have died so we can have the freedom we enjoy.
5. Those men died so his OWN WIFE and her family could come to the USA and seek refuge here and enjoy our freedom.
6. Stay in Canada because we dont want you back here! And as you did in the Army, keep asking for free handouts, Its nice to see you are providing for your family.
I just had to add to the comments from Americans who feel as I do, that Jeremy Hinzman is a coward!! I am a proud veteran of the United States Army, and I lost my son-in-law in the first Gulf War. Yes, it was devastating, but my young daughter, widowed at the age of 20, told members of the news media that her husband had "done the most honorable thing any American could ever do...he gave his life for his country." Cowards such as Hinzman should not be allowed to return to American soil to live - he turned his back on every American, but especially other military comrades who are fighting to protect us. Canada can keep Jeremy , since some Canadians seem to have sympathy and want to protect him. We Americans were attacked on our own soil and Sadam Hussein was a continued threat to the entire world's efforts for peace! I hope to God it doesn't happen, but when/if a similar attack occurs in Canada, I don't want to hear their whining requests for American assistance. They can call on Jeremy to stand watch on their shores!! Jeremy, you disgust me!!
Olivia, Canada has never whined to the US for help in any war. Canada entered WWII in Sept. of 1939. When did the USA enter? The difference between our lands is this: the USA is a warmonging empire, Canada is a peace loving democracy.
notoneofyou, we're speaking in the present-tense...I never said Canada whined in the past!! maybe you think your country is immune to terrorism...and I sincerely hope it continues to be! But to label all Americans as warmongers is extreme, to say the least. We haven't always volunteered to lend assistance in times such as Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. They asked for our help!! And let me tell you, I am one American who personally experienced their gratitude, after their liberation. One of my uncles had a similar experience in Normandy!! My point is, the circumstances regarding our presence in Iraq are none of Canada's business. You didn't want to be involved, so why get involved now? I hope Canada remains a "peace-loving democracy." I, for one, will be watching to see what happens, when/if Canada becomes one of Al-Quaida's targets.
Putting the morality of the war aside:
Hinzman volunteered to join the United States Army.
The United States Government ordered the United States Army to deploy in an invasion of a sovereign nation without proper intelligence, evidence, or international consensus (which is illegal according to the Geneva Convention, a gentleman by the name of Adolf Hitler might have something to do with this)
The Geneva Convention states that if an individual is ordered to participate in an action deemed illegal and in violation of said Convention, and faces punishment for dissenting from the action, it is considered persecution on the grounds of political free-will (which is grounds for a refugee claim).
Hinzman faces at least a long prison term if returned to the United States (in a worst case scenario, execution is still an option after all this time). Not only this but he, his wife, and his child have all received death threats, and private American citizens have been confirmed to be contracting bounty hunters and mercenaries to find the family and caputure and/or murder them.
Since Canada is a signator to the Geneva Convention, Hinzman has a very good case built up because of the above circumstances.
There is also the fact that a US soldier is *obligated* to disobey illegal orders. The order to invade Iraq was indeed illegal because a) the President is Commander In Chief (and thus not only a civilian leader, but a military one as well), and b) the President gave the order without the proper "war authorization" of Congress, as earlier mentioned.
Hinzman's case is practically iron-clad. It would be a classic case of federal cop-out for the government to pressure the Canadian Supreme Court to send him back to the United States, to the same tune and degree as Maher Arar.
(Editor's note: Links to porn sites were deleted from this comment.)
Okay, for some of the posts, people are making sense, but for you blithering morons out there just blindly saying "Hinzman is a coward and he must die", you guys need to go somewhere, I don't care where, just go form your own barbaric country where you think it's right to abuse people and shoot them for what they have. For you sadistic people, just try and think of how it would feel to have a member of your family die wrongfully in this mockery of a so-called "war on terrorism". You wanna know the reason why all those iraqis are blowing up their own homes and buildings?? Well, let me put it this way, if another country was invading us, I bet you ANYTHING that you would rather set your own home on fire then let some invading prick take it for his own. I'm not some blind liberal either, I just happen to THOROUGHLY dislike the way republicans have been acting lately. I personally believe that the bush family should be forever exiled from the US, and NO MEMBER OF THEIR FAMILY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO EVER TAKE ANY FORM OF GOVERNING OFFICE IN THIS COUNTRY EVER AGAIN!!!! Bush Sr. was just all pissy and PMSing because he couldn't get Saddam, so he got his son to continue his meaningless cause. I swear, I don't think our country has been this divided since the civil war. I haven't just lost friends in the military, I've lost friends at home, because they sit there, and listen to Bill O'Reilly's and Fox News' brainwashing blather about how Democrats are evil, and Ol' Bush is the new savior of the planet....I'd rather pass a kidney stone the size of Montana than TOLERATE 4 more years of our current "president". My hat is off to Jeremy Hinzman, at least he had the BALLS to stand up for what he believed, and what HE would do anything for, his wife and kid, not 280 million people whom don't even know he existed at the time. Go for it, Jeremy! You deserve a better life in Canada.
The hateful and ignorant comments coming from the Canadians is neither surprising or original. They are, however, disturbing as ever. Folks, the blind hatred that you see eminating from the posts of Canadians is based purely in seething jealousy, bitterness and a total lack of reason. These are people who hate us simply because we are American. They hate us because we love our country and our freedom. The hate us because we support our president. They hate us because we hold dear our principles. One can even compare them to the Muslims, so deep does their hatred for us run. They have no real love of country and nothing to truly be proud of, thus they are ever envious of everything we have to be proud of. I could sit here all night and enumerate all of the ways America has proven herself to be the most successsful, strong, independent, wealthy nation on the planet jam packed with good people who have big hearts-despite the fact that they and their duly elected leaders are attacked routinely from the very countries they have helped in the past.
So my fellow Americans, pay no attention to the venom you see spewing forth from these small, small people.
Hinzman and his fellow deserter WILL face justice in THIS country for how they have wronged THIS country. This has nothing to do with Canada and they need to mind their own business and send these men back to face the consequences they KNEW they would face for their actions. Just look how inscensed Canadians become when we try to interject our policy on their country! It's the height of hypocrisy for them to interject their own personal beliefs in this instance. IT's about what is right, despite your political or moral objection to the ongoing battle in the middle east. NO country can afford to turn the other cheek when it comes to a deserter. Especially not this country and our conviction to sustaining a strong and competent military. In order for us to maintain the security we hold dear, thanks to our military, we MUST punish these men. There is no other option. If we do not bring them back and punish them, we might as well surrender this country to France, Canada, Germany, and whatever Socialist nation that wishes to see our unique brand of capitalism and democracy die.
It's that simple. Hinzman is the epitomy of coward and based on his comments is truly anti-American. He is one of the blame America first crowd and why he joined the military can only be assumed to be out of pure selfishness. Shame on him. SHAME ON HIM.
My goodness, Karen, that's a lot of anger and hatred you've got there! I can't imagine what one of us "small, small" people could have done to you to make you so thoroughly hate us. You are entirely wrong when you say that we have a deep hatred of Americans. We may not understand you or like what you do at times, but that's not hatred. By the way,do you even know any Canadians?
As for us seething with jealousy and bitterness - don't flatter yourself! Not all of the rest of the world wants to be American you know. I take extreme offence at your statement that Canadians are not a proud people, nor do we have anything to be proud about. We have one of the most beautifully diverse countries in the world (ever been here?); we take pride in our multiculturalism and the knowledge and understanding of others that it brings; we're one of the world's leaders in various areas of medical research (cancer, diabetes, genome and stem cell reseach to name a few); we developed the zipper, the telephone and the mechanical arm on the space shuttle, as well as the Hubble telescope); we live without guns and metal detectors in our schools; we have universal medical care where no one is turned away because of lack of insurance or ability to pay; we have higher literacy and less poverty than you. Shall I go on?
No, we're not a proud people, we're an EXTREMELY proud people. I'd like to extend an invitation to you for next July 1st to come up and see just how proud we are on our next "Canada Day". Bet you didn't know we had one did you?
(Oh, and I'll bet all our military personnel on peace keeping missions in Afghanistan, Haiti, Africa and elsewhere in the world will be happy to hear they're not proud of their country and have no reason to be. Tell that to the families of 4 of our servicemen who were killed last year in Afghanistan by an American fighter pilot who disobeyed a direct order from his superiors not to fire on them - his punishment: a fine of one month's pay. To add insult to injury, he's now appealing.)
And, I'll be sure to tell my Dad that he shouldn't be proud of the fact..because he's Canadian, of course.. that he fought for three years during WWII in India, Burma and Thailand before the Americans even entered the war.I guess the same goes for all the Canadians who fought in England, France, Holland, Italy, etc, as well as those that fought in the Korean war.)
In Jeremy Hinzman's case, our courts are looking at one thing and one thing only - his eligibilty to receive refugee status and, believe me, this is not a slam dunk case. He has to prove to the courts that he will be persecuted if he is returned to his own country. We're not "interjecting" our beliefs on anyone. It's about OUR country deciding if someone has the right to live in our country based on OUR laws - not yours. I believe that's called democracy and it doesn't just belong to the United States.
I'm so sorry that you perceive that you have been routinely attacked by "the very countries that you've helped in the past". Personally, I can't think of much you've done for Canada lately other than continue with a 29% tariff on lumber imports from Canada, even though the WTO and NAFTA have both ruled it illegal, and banned the importation of Canadian live cattle for 14 months for no logical reason other than it benefits your breeders and keeps the cost of beef high in your country.
So, Karen, instead of telling us how much we hate Americans, try getting to know us. We're really not that bad you know.
This is not about politics (for those of you out there who may think otherwise), its about what you "signed" up for when you raised your right hand to pledge you allegiance "to the flag of the United Stated Of America" to defend it nations people, and to follow the orders of your ranking superiors "including" the Commander In Chief (no matter who holds the position at the time you are called upon)
You are also informed before you even raise your hand that at that time, you may leave if after having been told what you are expected to do (including "suspending" your constitutional rights as an American Citizen to protect the rights of all citizens in the course of your duties) and if you raise that right hand and face the flag and speak the words that are quoted to you, you are "bound" by your honor and integrity (a case where this is very lacking in today’s society) to perform to the best of your abilities and more if called upon.
During your preparedness for service, you "still" have the final option to walk away during your initial training (receiving a "general discharge which does not hurt your job opportunities) simply by telling your drill sergeant (instructor) that you cannot do this because you cant handle or will not involve yourself with something that is going against your beliefs (yelling is of course expected and maybe even be used as an example of what Not to be like, but its for the benefit of the few who really wont to become a soldier to understand what is “exactly expected of them”)
That’s right people, you can still "opt out" until the very moment you are graduated from boot camp (boot camp after all is to "weed out" the individuals who do not wish to participate in the military world of operations)
So when this individual decided to desert (even being fully aware of what could happen to him in the process) he stained the Honor and integrity of the U.S. Army by showing that he was "only in it for the money" not realizing (or listening) that this is more then a job, its about being there to provide whatever is required of you for the benefit of more then a few, for the benefit of the people you protect: American Citizens? Yes, Other foreign citizens? Yes (when ordered to provide this service), and if there is an order that is deemed unlawful. and you are "directly ordered" to follow said order, you can ask for it to be written and signed by the officer or NCO in charge , but you must follow this order as you were directly ordered to follow said order for failure to do so will result in a court marshal case. If you still do not follow this direct order, then you must be willing to handle the aforementioned punishment as deserting "Is-Not-An-Option" as a state of war will cause a summery execution to be the end result.
He understood this (he was told this) I can say this because I am a Veteran Of The U.S. Army, I lived through the cold war, took part in its demise, and I can say that he "fully understood" what he was getting into, he could not have known otherwise as he was explicitly told what was expected of him during and up through the ranks of which he advanced through.
There is no secret government policy to blindside a potential soldier of what is expected of him, there are no recruiters that are expected to "bring them in at all cost" and tell you what you want to hear, but a recruiter will not offer up this information "willy nilly" unless you ask him/her for it and as he/she is Honor and Integrity bound, he/she will tell you what you want to know over what you asked.
Canada is not the issue, the issue is about what was expected of him and he refused to take the proper route to voice his concerns (JAG & or a Minister) and in the process, hurt the image of the American Soldier (Not just an Army soldier, but all branches of soldiers) by deserting and not handling the issue in the proper way expected of him.
That’s it for my soap box run, I simply would like for it to be understood that in the defense of the country I live in, a soldier must put his life on the line for all citizens of the United States and all Citizens that he has been ordered to protect in other countries as deemed by the commander in chief at that time. To do otherwise places innocent people (no matter the creed, color, or nationality) in harms way for the benefit of one selfish individual.
Mr. hinzman, when you raised your right hand to take the enlistment oath to join the army did you think about what you were doing? You deserted your commrades in arms when you left Ft. Bragg in the dark of night. I hope you enjoy canada and their socialized medical system. I hope your or your family have to wait for 2 yrs for a routine surgery. I hope you have to sneek back to the good old USA to have medical care. When you do I hope you are arrested immediatly and and sent to Levenworth prison. Since you like the socialized life you will love prison, free medical care free meals and a cellmate named Butch. The army is better without you, they don't need cowards and that is which you are. Stand tall when you hear the canadian national anthem, you will never hear the US anthem that you DESERTED. 18 hrs of KP/7 days a week that you did in Afghanistan will look good after several yrs in canada. You are a looser.