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Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tsigprofit who wrote (9218)	4/14/2004 12:18:55 PM
From: tsigprofit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 20773

Mejia post...last...other stories to tell... > There's the time his squad killed a civilian who ran a checkpoint; the > time they shot a demonstrator. There's the officer who forged orders so he > could get his unit into combat, and the other officer who broke his own > ankle to get out of > combat. There is the father who wasn't allowed temporary leave even though > his young daughter had been raped. And there is the GI who took shrapnel > in the head and now can't talk, can't recognize his family and wakes up in > the middle of the night confused and sobbing. > Given the politics of the military, it is unlikely that Mejia's serious > allegations about the conduct of his superiors will be investigated, let > alone prosecuted, while his own decision of conscience could be treated as > a criminal matter. "I'd rather do the five to ten years in prison for > desertion than kill a child by mistake," says Mejia. "When you are getting > shot at, you shoot back. It doesn't matter if there are civilians around. > Prison ends, but you never get over killing a kid." > So far this war has produced only a few AWOL convictions and one > high-profile asylum case in Canada. Pfc. Jeremy Hinzman of the 82nd > Airborne is seeking refuge north of the border on the grounds that he is a > conscientious objector. Marine Reserve Lance Cpl. Stephen Funk also went > AWOL and claimed conscientious objector status this past April. Funk was > convicted of being away without leave, demoted, forfeited two-thirds of > his pay, received a bad-conduct discharge and sent to the brig for six > months. Mejia, who turned himself in at a press conference on March 15, > faces five to ten years in prison. Currently Mejia is in Florida with the > National Guard, awaiting administrative dismissal as a recognized > conscientious objector or criminal prosecution as a deserter. > posted 31 march 2004 > bringthemhomenow.org