Iraq War Resister Sentenced To 15 Months

Iraq War Resister Sentenced To 15 Months

www.thestar.com

The first American war resister deported from Canada – where he had fled after refusing to be deployed to Iraq – was sentenced to 15 months in jail yesterday at a court martial hearing in Colorado.

Pte. Robin Long, 25, of Boise, Idaho, was also given a dishonourable discharge after pleading guilty to charges of desertion.

The sentence was the longest any convicted army deserter had received since the beginning of the 2003 Iraq war, said retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright, a former diplomat who resigned from her post out of protest at the war's outset.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, there you have it. 15 months of jail time for refusal to fight in the profiteering mongers invasion / occupation...

It sounds like he is at peace with his decision and punishment, based on his demeanor.

I wonder if more comparable sentences are soon to follow for the rest of the "dissenters"?


www.thestar.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Mod Edit: Breaking News Forum Submission Guidelines – Please Review This Link.


[edit on 24/8/2008 by Mirthful Me]

Lol 200. Who cares. That number is so insignificant...it is insignifcant just like the punishment. Disserters get shot in other armies. At least he can't vote anymore either. Of the hundreds of thousands of servicemen only 200 are known to hightail it to Canada, that is actually an encouraging number in support of the war.

reply to post by SectionEight


I'm sure alot of people will care,mostly the family of the 200 people

You might say it's only 200 but they are the 200 that had the balls to stand up and say this is wrong and i'm not going,i wish them all luck in the quest for freedom.

[edit on 24-8-2008 by duffster]

15 months? Big deal. He'll be out sooner on good behavior.

I wonder about the guys in his unit that he deserted that are on rotation three, four or five? I guess it's OK that they have to keep going back while he sits it out safe in the US (even in a prison).

Originally posted by duffster
You might say it's only 200 but they are the 200 that had the balls to stand up and say this is wrong and i'm not going,i wish them all luck in the quest for freedom.

They should have thought about that prior to enlisting. Just what did they think the rifles they had were going to be used for?

Ass-hats need to start reading a contract a bit more closely.

A lot of units just spent 15 months in Iraq so I would say sitting in jail for 15 months is about right. I use the same logic when considering the family's of these 200 individuals. At least the family's can go visit them in jail. I guess these family's have things are lot harder than the family's of the soldiers that actually did go over and fight...

Furthermore, I can't say for sure about all of those soldiers but people tend to find excuses that some would find acceptable when they don't want to go over and fight. Excuses like the war is unjust or things along that line.

reply to post by Styki


Playing Devil's advocate here, (and I actually agree with some of you and Jericho's points wholeheartedly) WHAT IF:

Some soldiers in question REALLY DID become conflicted in the midst of this war?

What if, when they initially signed on they BELIEVED the fairy tales being spewed out by our pathologically lying government, and felt they were signing on for a noble cause, only to find out that they had been fooled, and then no longer wanted to fight in an invasion based on lies?

I understand that these men signed contracts and are under oath, but should EVERYONE who signs on the dotted line just automatically go along with things, even when they discover the wool has been pulled over their eyes?

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


lets weigh this

go to Iraq

1. not really fighting for the defence of ones country
2. fighting to keep the people that are rich with money still flowing
3. risk of being blown up by Iraqi resistance and terrorists
4. fighting in an iligal war


15 months jail time

1. 15 months in prison with chance of early release
2. not fighting in a corrupt war
3. not fighting for the profit for the fat cats
4. Stay with ones loved ones

15 months sounds good


edit
add 4)

[edit on 24-8-2008 by bodrul]

The problem I have with this is, he joined it voluntarily.
And then when was sent to fight in a war said no.
Although I don't agree with the war, or any war, even the ones we had to fight in order to not be invaded.
He joined the damn military what did he expect?
They tell you before you join clearly, and make you aware of the fact that, you may be sent to war and killed.
Once you sign the paper, being made aware of that, how can you just say "NO"?
What about all the soldiers and military people in the past that never had no choice and were conscripted.They couldnt just say no.
They got more than 15 months in jail.

Sargeant to private, "clean out those latrines!"
Private whines, "I didn't sign up to wash toilets" and runs to Canada.

You can substitute any excuse imaginable for "I don't agree with this war" and you will still be an AWOL deserter. You don't get to say jack diddly about which war you fight in once you sign on the dotted line. If there was a draft you could claim to be a conscientious objector for religious reasons but even then you would still be assigned to non combat duties or a place in Levenworth breaking big rocks into little rocks if you still refuse.

This guy lost his right to vote and to own a gun and is a felon. Since most anti americans don't like guns or the candidates it is really a moot point there. Being a convicted felon will be tough to get a decent job and it will be hard to live out the rest of his days being spit on and shunned. Every job he goes on he will encounter somebody who had a relative who served so he is in for a miserable life.

Originally posted by bodrul
15 months sounds good

But on the other hand, finding out what "sport f**king" is in a military penitentiary isn't a blast, either.

If he were a "draft dodger" I'd have a little more sympathy for him. A little, but not much.

He is a deserter. In the past, that was usually handled quickly with a firing squad.

He's getting off light.

reply to post by SectionEight


I might have agreed with you on some of the previous wars, but on this latest debacle, I'm not so sure. Whether you want to accept it or not, this country is DEEPLY divided on this war---The reasons for going into it (LIES), and the reasons for CONTINUING it. I'm not so sure this guy is going to recieve the widespread ugliness you foresee him having. In fact, I think that a great deal of folks who are conflicted with this WAR, and not the soldiers fighting in it, may think he made a heroic decision not to continue engaging in warfare in a war based on BS and Profiteering.

reply to post by Interestinggg


Problem is, no part of that contract involved dying for the profit of your leaders.
He signed up thinking he'd be fighting for freedom, or the safety of the nation itself.

Last I checked, the only freedoms the Iraqis have is to either die, or keep their head down when passing through heavily armed checkpoints.

And they certainly didn't pose a threat to the US... or any country nearby for that matter.


The point of democracy, is the people must resist when the government acts against their will. Being a soldier just means you have that much more responsibility to the people.

I can name many countries where not enough soldiers said no to a tyrannical or fascist decision, those countries didn't turn out so well... I'd rather not see that happen in a free country.

Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
......may think he made a heroic decision not to continue engaging in warfare in a war based on BS and Profiteering.

Tell that to the guys in his unit that are sporting Purple Hearts. I think they'll have a different opinion.

Since he was "just" deserting, I think his time ought to be spent at Walter Reed. Maybe working in the wards with guys that were wounded might help adjust his attitude.

Sure beats the other punishment some friends thought up: Sending him back to Iraq to hump ammo for the guys he deserted.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


That's a good point which reminds me of something I was going to say but I didn't want to confuse people. I am certain some of those 200 soldiers have already been to Iraq. That could bring a change in the way they see things and how they view the war. Also, I can't blame a soldier for leaving that has already been to combat. Psychologically it might be best for them to just not go back.

There are also other factors but I can't just buy the whole I'm against the war line.

Originally posted by DimensionalDetective
reply to post by SectionEight

 

I might have agreed with you on some of the previous wars, but on this latest debacle, I'm not so sure. Whether you want to accept it or not, this country is DEEPLY divided on this war---The reasons for going into it (LIES), and the reasons for CONTINUING it. I'm not so sure this guy is going to recieve the widespread ugliness you foresee him having. In fact, I think that a great deal of folks who are conflicted with this WAR, and not the soldiers fighting in it, may think he made a heroic decision not to continue engaging in warfare in a war based on BS and Profiteering.

What is heroic about hiding out in Canada? If he was a heroic for the cause guy he would have said no and went straight to jail kicking and screaming. He has zero ground to stand on with anyone.

reply to post by jerico65


Like I said, I actually agree with some of the points you have made here. I guess I am viewing this through 2 different viewpoints though. Personally, I think war is nothing but a racket to begin with, and I will do everything I can to discourage anybody I care for from ever signing up to be pawns in someone's chess match of greed (with certain past exceptions granted, of course).

reply to post by Interestinggg


Remember the ss officers that did not resist during WW2.. what happened to them as of late? if you know something is morally wrong and if the war \occupation is illegal as a soldier you have a duty to stand up to this.. who knows if 20 years from now U.S officers and soldiers are tried for war crimes? it sounds unlikely but it also seemed unlikely to the SS officers at the time that they would ever face a tribunal... This kid did the right thing..

[edit on 24-8-2008 by thefreepatriot]

[edit on 24-8-2008 by thefreepatriot]

First of all, anyone who fights for this country is totally misled and deceived. They aren't fighting for freedom because if they were, then why are our freedoms being taken away from us.

They are fighting for the biggest most corrupt organized crime syndicate to stay rich and in power. The soldiers I respect and what they believe they're fighting for.

I went to join the Marines when I was 17 and they wouldn't accept me because I had no diploma. Now the sorry saps will take anyone.

As far as I'm concerned, it's the corrupt,deceptive gov't and state agencies who continually rape us on a daily basis of our constitutional rights that should stand trial and be held accountable for Millions of counts of :

Aiding and abetting a criminal
Accomplice to a crime (and every crime commited by illegal immigrants)
harboring a fugitive
TREASON (giving the enemy aid and comfort).

These are the criminals not the people who deserted this deception. This is how the spiteful biatches in our agencies ruin peoples lives. On paper, that will always pop up in a court of law and make you look like what they label you, a criminal.

You may think what he did was wrong but this doesn't make him a criminal. As a matter of fact, he's not the one kiling people.It's the people who use us Americans as chess pieces and order the death of millions of others who should be murdered.

The sooner everyone realizes that our govt is against us "We The people" the better off you'll be. The country needs to be run by middle class Americans who are in everyday reality,not some rich faggots living in a mystical land of make believe, litterally playing w/people's lives, worrying about nothing more than lining their pockets w/cash.

i got a question, "would you fight for this government"? I wouldn't. I would fight for my fellow Americans though. Our military belongs here protecting this land. Not some foreign interest. As we're scattered accross the globe, we're being violated right in our own home. FREEDOM my A**!!!

FREEDOM IS AN ILLUSION.