Anti-war judge rejects foster teen's bid to join military

Shawn Sage, a foster child, who appeared before judge Mackel to ask (beg) for permission to sign with the Marines for an early enlistment was denied. Children's Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel reportedly told , Shawn and a recruiter that she didn't approve of the Iraq war, didn't trust recruiters and didn't support the military.

“The judge said she didn’t support the Iraq war for any reason why we’re over there,” said Marine recruiter Sgt. Guillermo Medrano of the Simi Valley USMC recruiting office.

“She just said all recruiters were the same - that they `all tap dance and tell me what I want to hear.’ She said she didn’t want him to fight in it.”

His foster parents, as well as his social worker, supported his decision to enlist early but since he is a foster child, I suppose his LEGAL GUARDIANS have to provide (or withhold) consent. In this case, that appears to be the court.

So much for a judge administering justice impartially.

And she’s done this before, Stop the ACLU has more.

Pictorial Icons of War?

Our local paper ran a piece in today's paper that led with 5 crudely scrawled hash marks and the title "5 Years in Iraq: Photographs recall unforgettable moments of a long war." (I don't know if that was the title it was distributed with or if a local editor's touch) by Jerry Schwartz with the Associated Press tag. Schwartz starts out with this query: "When you close your eyes and think of Iraq, what do you see in your mind's eye?

The whole thing (with images) at Some Soldier's Mom. And I ask, when you close your eyes and think of Iraq, what do you see in your mind's eye?