Canadians, You Rock. Sincerely, An American
I'm watching Breaking Ranks on the Documentary Channel about Canadians helping American soldiers who've defected by providing legal representation (ironically from an American who defected from the Vietnam war and obtained legal status) as well as Canadian host families who've provided a home, food, support etc.
Canadians, it may be cold as hell up there, but I can see that you keep the place warm with your kind and generous hearts. The government denied these guys refugee status, but the Canadian families keep supporting and helping these Americans. It makes me grateful to you. This is the second documentary I've seen where Canadians and Canadian resources were used to help Americans when our own country would not.
TL;DR Canadians you rock.
Posted Nov 29, 2010, 8:09 AM UTC
If Canadians wanted to help, they should send these people back and help them fund a defence to the charges. Even if these people were allowed to stay, we still have an extradition treaty.
If they believe the war was illegal and authorised under false pretence, let them fight it in court. If they're going to end up getting hosed no matter what, at least have your say in court. Stand up for what's right.
You have to understand something: Canada has a very generous refugee program and people abuse it. If people don't stop abusing it, things will change and the TRULY NEEDY will not have access to it any longer. So, an American like myself from a 1st-world country tying up the refugee claims is actually really fucking lame when there are people who are victims of genocide, gangs, military regimes, etc who are trying to get their cases properly adjudicated whilst Americans should be fighting their government at home. Every second wasted on a refugee claim from the USA where a legitimate foreign person is in fear of their family's safety abroad and wants to be legal so they can bring them over...no...seriously, fuck these deserters. Send them home now. Get them the fuck out of the line that truly desperate people are in.
I have limited sympathy for these people. My sympathy is limited because even the most uneducated country bumpkin who joined the military with an 85 IQ knows they own you. If you're smart enough to know something is wrong, you're supposed to use the chain of command and the law, not run away.
It is not like a Canadian to disrespect someone's decision, particularly the decision of someone who is under distress. I understand that once you have made a commitment to your nation's army you ought to follow through but there is such a thing as making a mistake. This is true in more ways than one. Signing up to begin with could have been one such a mistake or maybe deserting could be a mistake. Either way, as a Canadian I recognize that people make mistakes and this can put them in a situation where they need help working out their situation (note that by this I do not mean "get out of" their situation). This is what I understand by "wanting to help". I other words, I am there to provide support because I recognize other people to be just as able to get themselves out of trouble as they are of making mistakes. To "send these people back" against their will, as you imply here, doesn't help.
This is too nuanced a topic to be treated this way; while I agree that there are people in this world that exist in circumstances we can hardly imagine, this does not mitigate the circumstances that drives these US soldiers to seek refuge up here. Both circumstance situations deserve equal consideration IMO. In a modern society, agents of the government should have the opportunity to back out if they are being asked to perform illegal acts...
The thing is I'm reasonably sure that they do. There are programs for conscientious objectors in the US military. There are legal means of getting out of service that you have moral issues with which is why I don't really understand desertion in these cases.
Perhaps someone who understands the US side of this would be able to explain more for us?
Even if that is the case, it's not difficult to understand why someone in that situation might be suspicious of those programs.
Of course they might be suspicious. However, it takes moral courage to do the right thing and it isn't easy. I don't really blame people for not having the fortitude to actually do the right thing in these circumstances; it must be terrifying and especially back in 2003 when the war drums were at a fever pitch.
That easier road of deserting to Canada, while understandable, strikes me as somewhat untenable and I'd prefer simply for reasons of moral certainty and consistency that some of these people remained in the US, went through the process and either exposed it as a sham or showed that it could work and was a viable alternative for soldiers who object to the war.
Imagine what a powerful statement that might have been.
This, a thousand times this.