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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050421.wdese0421/BNStory/National/
Ottawa â †Tom Hayden, a U.S. activist of the 1960s, is asking Canada to provide a haven for deserters from the U.S. army.
Mr. Hayden, once a defendant in the notorious trial of the Chicago Seven and later a California state legislator, went to Parliament Hill on Thursday to ask the federal government to give special consideration to Americans who flee military service in Iraq on grounds of conscience.
He said soldiers and reservists of today are in the same boat as Vietnam-era draftees and deserters who came to Canada to avoid service in southeast Asia.
He said the soldiers are coerced to volunteer for the army by lavish offers of cash and educational benefits.
Mr. Hayden, a Vietnam-era draft resister who was once married to fellow activist and actress Jane Fonda, said Canada should create a special class of refugees that would allow conscientious objectors and others who do not want to serve in Iraq to seek asylum in Canada.
A Toronto immigration hearing has already turned down a bid by one deserter to win political asylum. The tribunal pointed out the man volunteered for military service and said he would not face unduly harsh treatment if he went home to the U.S. justice system.
Is this a joke... "He said the soldiers are coerced to volunteer for the army by lavish offers of cash and educational benefits" When they sign on the line you'd think they'd realise what they are in for. Too many people seem to expect a free ride from the army and when the crap hits the fan, they all of a sudden become conscience objectors. I think someone with those types of view wouldn't join the army to begin with, no matter what type benefits there are. Also, the DRAFTEES were told to join the army these people VOLUNTEERED, completely different in my view.
Ottawa â †Tom Hayden, a U.S. activist of the 1960s, is asking Canada to provide a haven for deserters from the U.S. army.
Mr. Hayden, once a defendant in the notorious trial of the Chicago Seven and later a California state legislator, went to Parliament Hill on Thursday to ask the federal government to give special consideration to Americans who flee military service in Iraq on grounds of conscience.
He said soldiers and reservists of today are in the same boat as Vietnam-era draftees and deserters who came to Canada to avoid service in southeast Asia.
He said the soldiers are coerced to volunteer for the army by lavish offers of cash and educational benefits.
Mr. Hayden, a Vietnam-era draft resister who was once married to fellow activist and actress Jane Fonda, said Canada should create a special class of refugees that would allow conscientious objectors and others who do not want to serve in Iraq to seek asylum in Canada.
A Toronto immigration hearing has already turned down a bid by one deserter to win political asylum. The tribunal pointed out the man volunteered for military service and said he would not face unduly harsh treatment if he went home to the U.S. justice system.
Is this a joke... "He said the soldiers are coerced to volunteer for the army by lavish offers of cash and educational benefits" When they sign on the line you'd think they'd realise what they are in for. Too many people seem to expect a free ride from the army and when the crap hits the fan, they all of a sudden become conscience objectors. I think someone with those types of view wouldn't join the army to begin with, no matter what type benefits there are. Also, the DRAFTEES were told to join the army these people VOLUNTEERED, completely different in my view.