Good for Canada! We used to watch the numbers coming up on TV to see if my brother's were on there. The entire family ready to go to Canada if they were.

Good article!

Some of the extreme news reports from various 'legitimate' papers/networks in the Great White North have said the two had "escaped" from the US after being "lured" into military service. Do I laugh now or wait a few seconds? They have even been compared to the slaves traveling via the underground railroad? Lord knows the US still has a draft...opps sorry we have an all-Volunteer force ...go figure.....as to the underground railroad comparison..lol...lets see...voluntary enlistment compared to people who were bought and sold? Yeah that makes sense...lol

That was a bit much....

Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia turned himself in to US military authorities for refusing to be deployed again to Iraq...he will undoubtably be tried before a court martial for his stance but at least he had the will of his convictions to stand and face the music as it were

Exactly. Better to 'do the right thing' than run with your tail tucked between your legs.

I agree with your post and I say send 'em straight back home. Here is the problem: Anyone can show up in Canada and say they are a refugee. Even Warren Buffet, I'm not kidding. They can issue a ruling failry quickly I think, but under Canada's Charter of Rights everyone is entitled to an appeal in judicial and tribunal decisions. And our very stupid Supreme Court says this even applies to refugees as soon as they land on Canadian soil. So they appeal. Refugee appeals can take up to five years, during which time they may not legally work, but are eligible for welfare. But many of them disappear into their respective ethnic communities and don't even show up for the appeal. The federal government can invoke the "notwithstanding clause" in our Constitution to pass legislation overruling the Supreme Court, or just hire a bunch of immigration officers to deal with the backlog, but that ain't gonna happen under this government. The ruling Liberal party is very pro-immigration and needs immigrant votes on election day. Canada will hold an election in the next 6 months and there is a good chance the Liberals won't form a majority, so the situation may change for the better soon.

Anyone who cannot differentiate between a consciencious objector and a military deserter deserves no respect.

Canada should turn over the deserters. There's no draft going on, these are people who signed on to be in the military. They should go to prison.

If you volunteer to go help at a local clinic and discover that the clinic is doing things to people that you object to, you have the right to stand up and say this is wrong. If you were ordered there by a judge to sevre time for a crime, you have the right to stand up and say this is wrong. If I volunteer to defend my country and I decide that fighting is in this is not what I volunteered for, why should I be a deserter?

I agree with the article.
Wisefawn,
I disagree with your point of view.
(to put it simply) When they sign up for the military it is voluntary. Once you have committed yourself, you sign a binding contract that says you give them four plus years. Depending on branch and type of job. (My hubby had to sign for 6 years). When in boot camp you are "sworn" in and you state you will follow ALL orders and laws handed down from the acting President and your immediate or officers(following chain of command). From that point on you are theirs for how ever long it is you signed up for. Unless, you screw up majorly or work hard to get out early.
The President ordered the troops to Iraq/Afghanistan. Period. They have a sworn duty to protect this country and follow orders especially those handed down from the President. Period. When they were at boot camp, they had time to decide to leave. If he realized they were training him to kill he should have went through the steps to get out.
Those two boys are using Canada as an excuse. It's a slap in the face to every soldier out there on the front lines right now.
It's despicable behavior.

Draginol
hit the nail, there is no draft going on. And even if there was it's not a matter of protecting our country anymore, but protecting those on the front lines now. They are beginning to see it is highly likely they can become out number very quickly. That's scary.

tough question. But Canada, being a relatively peaceful country, is an attractive place for those who are too scared or too moral to go to war.

The hypocrisy is thick enough to cut with a knife, the Trotskyites claim that Bush deserted the guard; they keep alleging that he was AWOL even though they have no proof. They decry Bush’s alleged desertion, but when an actual case of desertion occurs, they hail the deserters as saviors.

"they keep alleging that he was AWOL even though they have no proof"
It's kind of funny how the people had to pull Bush's teeth to get the papers they were asking for. Of course there's no evidence when the accused refuses to listen to the courts and decides to not hand over the records that prove Bush did fuck all during his National Guard stint. There are too many questions surrounding Bush's record and he's not talking. There's something dishonest about his refusals to cooperate.

Pull teeth to get papers? I don't have paperwork from 5 years ago let alone 30 years ago. It's about the hassle of having to find records that are giong to be politically scrutinized. Anthony has a good point too -- outright deserters get hailed by the left while they slam Bush because they don't think flying jets for the National Guard was enough. Intellectual dishonesty at its finest.

lol. you know darn well that Bush skirted his duties and never even showed up for his post. That's all fact. Why you would diss me over it is kind of beyond me. Why get angry at me when all I'm doing is repeating the only logical conclusion? And Kerry was in actual combat and won medals. Bush didn't go to Vietnam. How dare he insult Kerry for serving his country? I find it odd how many Americans are attacking a legitimate war hero and backing a war dodger. Worst of all is McCain not standing up loudly defending Kerry from the Republican jabs, but only concerning the Vietnam conflict. Kerry deserves support from fellow veterans, especially those who have experienced war and pain.

If I volunteer to defend my country and I decide that fighting is in this is not what I volunteered for, why should I be a deserter?

Because you signed a contract. You're legally bound. That's why. What does the military do? How does it defend this country? By fighting. If you're too dumb to see that then you probably shouldn't be in the military in the first place. I personally am glad they ran away. I don't want people like that, lame ass cowards, serving alongside my husband and my friends. If I had to serve with them, I'd be afraid they'd run off at the first sign of trouble and compromise not only the mission but the lives of the other people on the team. So, good riddance. But, the government will have it's pound of flesh, and when it catches up with them, and it will...I hope they get sent to Leavenworth to do some time.

In other words, I could join the military, take advantage of its benefits, and when it's time to go to war, I could flee to Canada without any consequences?

That is exactly what these guys are pulling Super Baby. I see it as a sign of the times personally. I know too many people of this generation that expect the benefits but don't want to do the work. They want their college paid for and all of the kudos that come with serving in the military but don't want any of the risk. It just can't be compared to kids running to Canada during Vietnam. Being forced into the military via draft is a whole different ball game. Not that I think it is a good thing to ever be a deserter but I just can't understand it when the guys volunteered in the first place.

what if the soldier knows it's not worth dying for? If they know the reasons for war were all lies? Then what? I sympathize with the guys who joined the guard to receive an education. They're the disadvantaged. And I would bet that each one who signed up asked, in jest or not, what the odds were that they'd ever be called to serve in a hellfire battlezone with their limited training. Actually, I have a thread in the Mouse House about David Hackworth, and he's got lots to say about the National Guard combat (un)readiness. Half of them are unfit for duty and many have been shipped to Iraq despite evidence of serious medical ailments.