Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1740987,00.html

Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty

Duncan Campbell
Tuesday March 28, 2006
The Guardian

Hundreds of deserters from the US armed forces have crossed into Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum.

A decision on a test case involving two US servicemen is due shortly and is being watched with interest by fellow servicemen on both sides of the border. At least 20 others have already applied for asylum and there are an estimated 400 in Canada out of more than 9,000 who have deserted since the conflict started in 2003.

Wow, I never thought I would see something like this in my lifetime. The War in Iraq is truly turning into another Vietnam. Dissention and demands for a pullout are in all strata of society and government, but now soldiers are fleeing. This is not good. When that started happening during the Vietnam Conflict (as far as I know it is still not classified as a war) that's when the draft started.

To illustrate the Vietnam comparison clearly..... The first Iraq war lasted 3 years or so, but we never left and the second has lasted another 3 years. So we have been at war for 6 years officially plus 3 -4 years of other stuff. So it's been a decade. Ten yeas of war, protests, fleeing to Canada and a possible draft. It's not looking good.

Personally I feel it is time to get out. Too many people have died with no progress. There's no clean way to do this, but I still strongly believe it is time. We are in the point of diminishing returns so it is only going to get worse. {sigh} Makes a father think how we are leaving the world for our children........