Threads Of Being

"Canada denies refugee status to American Soldier"

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I'm not sure which way I'm leaning on this. On one hand, I feel people should not be forced to go to war. On the other hand, he was not drafted, he joined the Army because he wanted to join.

Side note: It blows my mind that people join the military or reserves, and then when a war occurs are shocked they have to go fight. Come on people, if you don't want to go to war, don't join the military! I already know if I'm ever drafted I will be shooting myself before I shoot anyone else (not that they'd let me fight, as my ankle is well known for unexpectedly giving out).

Back when Desert Storm started there were families with children where both parents were in the reserves. Why? Because for "only one weekend a month and one week a year", they pulled in extra money from the government. (There's a good example of advertising that worked.) Then the war - I'm sorry, "the conflict" - started, and sets of parents were called to fight. The response from many was: "You can't send us both! What about our children?" The answer was, of course, find someone to take care of them while you are gone. Many of the parents were outraged. But come on! Did they think they could get that money without someday having to serve the purpose it was for?

I had a friend join the reserves after 9/11, and when his unit received orders sending them to war he was surprised and afraid. My question was, "then why did you join?" His answer was, "because I wanted to help after 9/11 and this was the only way I could think of." To which I asked why he didn't expect once joining he would eventually be sent to war, especially knowing 9/11 had just happened and what people's reactions where. He couldn't answer. I'm sure he had never wanted to risk his life like that, but at the time of joining didn't think through what the consequences would be. All the reserves means is you aren't constantly on active duty in the military, but you are on call in case of war.

Back on topic: Now, this man appears to be just fine with going to war. It is only this specific war (on Iraq) he has objections to, because he feels it's not legal and he would be forced to commit war crimes if he were to go. I can agree with these objections, I think he's right in those statements. But I also agree with the Canadian judge that said he would not face cruel or unusual punishment in the U.S. for being a deserter (I will amend 'as a civilian' to this statement - there's no telling how the military will react to him). I believe there are enough of us that feel the war is wrong for him to be just fine here. And perhaps if he even told people what actually is happening in Iraq, and what was and was not found, he could convince others.

Yes, if he were to come back or be brought back to the U.S. he would have to go to jail for 5 years for deserting. But as I've already said, he joined the military willingly. Sometimes when your beliefs go against decisions you have made you have to live with the consequences.

I think he should be fighting the system on this one, but I feel he's fighting the wrong system. This man should be fighting the U.S. for his rights, not Canada. Draft dodgers and deserters are two different things. Canada should not be blamed for wrong doing in this case.

Now that I'm in a good place, I need to start being a better friend.

"Champions.
Doesn't matter where we've come from. What we've done. Or suffered. Or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be." - Angel

"Don't let Church get in the way of your Religion." - Brandee

"Take the road less travelled, it's more interesting and there's fewer idiots." - Trekker01@aol


The original posts in this thread are at:

Quotes I loved growing up
Great Quote
One More (I still Love this one)

I can't believe it was September of 2003, and not last September (2004), that I last posted on this. I doesn't at all seem like a year and a half in my head. I think my skewed perception of time is getting worse... but onto the topic at hand.

I'm going to try and list all the instances since the last time I listed them here, I'll probably miss a few. One really interesting thing to note is that my dreams have been coming true in seasons other than summer now! Makes me very happy.

- First (or second?) time I visited Kim & Steve's house: The wall of their living room with the front door that doesn't open and the almost kids-like pattern of the wallpaper on just that wall (which turned out to be the weird construction an-outer-wall-needs-to-cover-this-up stuff)
- Visiting Emily in SC in summer 2004, the hotel we (finally) ended up at: Entering our room with it partially dark and the red colors and the little fridge on the left against the wall just at the end of the hall as it opened into the room and the room having a couch on the right with a half wall separating it from where the beds were, and the hotel's entry hall with the vaulted ceiling and turning (not round) stairway to the second floor.
- Las Vegas in August 2004: The new Borg ride from when we left the first corridor to turn right, everything after that to just before the room where we sit down, and then again during the watching the screen part when the Borg Queen starts tries and get away.
- Visiting Mom in October 2004, going to Olive's hair salon: the part of the salon where hair is washed, having four chair stations, two on each of opposite walls, and the symbol on the frosted glass
- Picking up guest for Trinitycon 2004, at the oldest terminal in DTW airport: the long info counter and area behind it decorated for Halloween, but no one was there.
- Taking guests into Detroit during Trinitycon 2004: I and a few people walking through a still mostly green park on a path with a wall many yards on our left side and at one point as the path is curving there are a couple picnic tables off near the wall, and at one of them a small group of people are sitting and one yells over to us to offer us a drink.
- First time I visited Chad's house in late 2004: the one blue wall in the kitchen behind the "breakfast nook" area, but that wall not being blue on the other side of the wall that separates the kitchen from the entryway/living room, and the layout of the living room/dining room/kitchen.
- NERO in January 2005 (This is one of the most vivid and accurate ones): a small open amphitheater type area against a natural semi-steep hill, the seating all benches made of wood along the slope of the hill, two sets of stairs edging the seating one on each side, a big raised off the ground stone walled fire pit in the center of what would be a circle if the semi-circle of seating went all the way around filled several feet over the top with branches and other wood which is several yards away from the seating, and all of it - everything- covered in 1-2 feet of snow. Nothing shoveled, all pristine. The path leading there running along the top of the hill coming from around a bend. Me with four or so other people (I didn't know at the time of the dream, I did at the time of the event) walking the path around the bend to see this sight, then going down the closest set of stairs and up and around the fire pit, making deep foot impressions in the snow as we do.
- NERO in January 2005: The "burning" of the dead bad guy: A wood building with the back of the side closest to us walking up to it being only a covered porch type thing, with wood and tools and stuff under the roof covered part next to the walls for the interiors of the building, with two big blocks of hay sitting out next to each other just off the covered porch. A body lying on those two being burned and me turning away from the sight.
- NERO in January 2005: There may have been one more instance I think, maybe even two, I can't remember exactly what now.
- NERO in March 2005: After driving through the camp's entrance and passing the first building: After a camp building the road curves then "boxes" around a big pond/very small lake (though this road went from right to left to get around whereas in my dream it was left to right to get around) - this is kinda a sketchy one as to if it was my dream or not.
- NERO in March 2005: The corner on the road turning right from the cabins leading to monster camp (this was a recent dream - odd, usually it's years, not months or even weeks was it?) with the wood fence on the right side that also turns the corner and the snow on the ground and more ice/slush than snow on the road making it hard to move easily on.
- March 2005: Monday after coming home from NERO where I sprained my ankle, after having it all checked out, I went to a little pharmacy next to my doctor's office to buy crutches: the lay out with the little counter to where the pharmacists work on the left after walking in from the door, and the slightly low ceiling, and only two aisles on the right, then following someone around down the furthest most aisle from the door.


Those are all the ones I remember right now. I think I'm missing a few. Will have to post them when I remember them again!

Have you seen that commercial where a Groom and his groomsmen are huddled in a coat closet around a TV with drinks watching a football game? The Bride, with bouquet in hand and bridesmaids and others behind her, open the door to this spectacle. Clearly the wedding is ready to go, people have been wondering where the Groom and company are, and the Bride and crew have been looking for them. All the men look up with surprise and fear. The Bride's reaction? She looks around at all the men, looks at the screen, and as she pushes her way to the Groom she asks "What's the score?" The commercial then cuts to the product. When it comes back to the wedding party, the Bride is sitting on the Groom's lap with a drink in hand watching the game saying "How's our defense?". One of the groomsmen turns to the Groom at this moment and says "You're a lucky man." The Groom nods with a smile.

Yeah. :)

Of course, I know despite my best efforts or genuine interest, I'd not be happy at holding up my wedding. Just means I have to be sure NOT to schedule my wedding when there's a game on.

So picture it: driving along the freeway, you round a bend and see a sea of brake lights. All four lanes. You grumble as you pull to the right lane (your exit is only a mile up!) and quickly brake as well, easily coming to a stop without hitting anyone. And then you stay there. This isn't stop and go traffic, it's wait and crawl. You look down the breakdown lane to see if you can see far enough ahead to determine the problem, or more likely to see if the lane is clear enough that you can drive to your exit. It's not. And the problem is construction, of course. What do you do?

Well this morning, I looked down the breakdown lane trying to decided if I wanted to risk having to dodge construction signs in my Little SUV. You will Never guess what I saw! There was an entrance ramp that merged with the freeway only several car lengths ahead of me, and cars were pulling out of freeway traffic onto to the ramp and going backwards up it! They weren't backing up it slowly either, they were zooming along up to the road above as if it was their right. Some people even turned their cars around and drove up it like it was an exit ramp! No care or worry about anyone trying to use it to get *on* the freeway, it's actually purpose.

This isn’t the first time I've seen something like this out here. Though the other times it has been people bailing out of the express lanes to the local lanes backwards down the entrance, which isn't actually a ramp like today. I've not seen anyone getting off the expressway with this method before without police telling them to do so!