No Atheists in Foxholes…But why all the Quakers? OK maybe not Quakers, but in a volunteer military how do we end up with so many conscientious objectors? I have to admit that I’m skeptical. This week marked the start of court martial proceedings against Army Lt. Ehren Witada, and over the weekend I had e-mail regarding the case of Kevin Benderman. At first glance I just don’t have much sympathy. These guys should have known what they were getting into, and their change of heart seems more opportunistic than principled. I would perhaps have more sympathy if they had been drafted. I’ve read arguments from the other angle that say since they opted in, they should be able to opt out. At a minimum, I figure they signed their hide over to the military for x number of years; if they don’t follow orders for those years, they’re at least obligated to sit in confinement for x years. Is this war illegal or immoral? I can accept that it might be misguided, imprudent, or unjustified, but the judgment of what is illegal between two sovereign states is pretty fuzzy. Any prospective soldier better look at our political system and history of military action ranging from D-Day to Granada and determine the morality of our system before they take their oath. Yes, a soldier has a duty to disobey any unlawful order. If they are ordered to massacre a village they are obligated to make a judgment against that order. But objections to the lawfulness of this war run contrary to the governmental processes that authorized it. Many politicians may now disavow the war, but the fact remains that the majority voted to authorize it. Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney may support the objectors’ claims that the war is illegal, but there were dissenters even against WWII after Pearl Harbor (Rep. Jeannette Rankin, MT). I congratulate Witada, Benderman, and others for the fortitude of their beliefs, and their conviction to sacrifice their freedom to make a point. I hope that the military has followed its regulations and given these men a fair airing of their grievances, but I expect them to serve their obligation – if not in the field, then in confinement. Michael Previous: Immigration -- Next: Dinner with the Oligarchs Comment from seantaylor: it is nice to see the moderate approach . I just came through a site called ezcampaigns.com which would really be beneficial in your campaign process Posted by seantaylor Feb 6, 10:09 PM # |
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