Defending the Truth

Soldiers to get life in jail for refusing to act as occupiers

SOLDIERS who object to taking part in a military occupation of a foreign country will face life in prison under measures due to be rubber-stamped in the House of Commons on Monday.

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This is what it is coming to I suppose. Very sad that people are being forced against their sense of morality to fight.

I hate to be a stickler, but I'm sorry if you sign up for the god damn army you better realize what the consequences are going to be. I feel no remorse for this.

I agree with that. My son's girlfriend signed up for the National Guard 09/10/2001. We all know what happened the next day. She got back from Iraq safe and sound. I'm proud of her for doing her duty and being respectful about it.

When you sign up for service you expect to be put in harms way only when absolutely necessary. Not to make big business more money.

I know what Tadpole would say because he always talked about sworn duty to follow orders and that when you sign you sign to protect the government, its citizens etc. One should know that wars are political battles and that the use of you as a soldier is going to be in political contention. If you can't handle that on you conscience you should not sign up for service. As a child growing up I was really into military things, jets, guns, ships etc, and I always thought whether I would go to a service academy or not. The thought of being a fighter pilot or going to Anapolis always intrigued me. I learned through high school though that I would not put my life on the line for something I didn't agree with and I'm thankful I live in a country where I can make that choice. Iraq is a nasty place right now and I don't blame these guys, perhaps the element of fear combined with a sense of injustice is enough to drive these soldiers to desertion. I can see that but that's not what soldiers do.

Its perfectly understandable that they volunteered for what they are doing and are expected not to abandon their posts. But it is also their argument that its their right and some would say duty not to serve in an illegal and unjustified war. I can understand punishment for going AWOL, but I think the point of this article is..."but for life?"

Yeah jail for life is too harsh but perhaps they did it just to really prevent anyone from deserting. U.S. troops don't get life for deserting, at least not that I know of.

They signed up knowing full well that they would have to do something like this, my great grandpa was a bomber crewman in ww2, and told me how he had a gun put to his head by a commanding officer and was forced to drop bombs on a village occupied by nazis, and a large number of civillians, he did not want to do it, but it was them or him.