Comments:American war deserter given stay of deportation in Canada

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It is about time that a country stood up to America over this. I used to think that if I was drafted, that I would go, but you know what, I would rather be labeled as a criminal from an unjust war then be force to work for this corrupt government as a murderer. Good for deserters. They will help show the government that we will not fear them.

We need to get back to the day when the government feared the people, and worked for the people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.171.180.101 (talk) 10:23, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

As for the guy who insists on dropping the fbomb, Constitutional rights dont apply anymore. I can think of a dozen ways I could nail someone for using their first amenedment rights. Defamation Anyone? 164.116.47.180 (talk) 16:01, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

So, is this just a quick way to immigrate? When I brought my husband here from the US it took 3 years. Maybe he should have just enlisted in the military and deserted here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.248.186.147 (talk) 11:10, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

This man voluntarily signed up for military duty then decided that he didn’t like fighting. If he doesn’t like fighting why sign up in the first place? Furthermore, we as Canadians shouldn’t be supporting or rewarding this kind of dereliction of duty. What kind of message are we sending to our own soldiers when we allow things like this to happen? That its OK to play army and fool around with guns and big boy toys but when we actually need you to fight you can desert and we won’t mind? Hinzman should be sent back to America and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.248.181.162 (talk) 13:57, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Because they signed up for the military to defend the United States, and defend the constitution. This war was both unconstitutional under US law and illegal under international law. Therefore, they should be allowed to stay. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.97.20.208 (talk) 22:13, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Precisely what he said ^ . Did we find WMD’s? I still cant understand why anyone would be still be behind the war in Iraq after all of the pretenses have been proven false. Why fight a war that you have no just reason to fight? We found Saddam, but we did not find Bin Laden. Or so we did and “we let him go” but thats a whole other topic. The reason we went overseas was to fight a war on terror, not to help and aid other countries that need help after starting a war in thier land over FALSE PRETENSE —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.242.47.62 (talk) 23:09, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

All he should get is a firing squad. Over 4000 Good man and women die (by choice) for the Freedom of the Iraqi and Afghan People and this guy pussy out and find a age old reason not to fight (religion). He is a typical scum who took the Military benefits but dos not want to fight for his county. And Canada is showing it’s a haven for traitors and cowards yet again. –66.229.17.181 14:01, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Canada should hand these theses deserter back to USA before it is too late. How dare these people to leave the army. They should be given maximum punishment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.111.130.180 (talk) 16:20, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

during the vietnam war people moved to canada to avoid conscription. This soldier volunteered. He had signed a contract that was legally giving up his rights to the government. It seems real glamorous to sign up and be a hero but the truth is war is ugly. He has realized this but is still held by the contract. There should be a way to legally remove yourself from service without legal recourse. Thats the problem you see,its not that canada shouldn’t send him back. They should. Its that the the services should have a cancel contract clause. This of course can’t apply during tours in foreign countries. But barring a history of m.i.a. or you should be able to remove from service when stationed in a us base with viable transportation to a location attainable to there final destination. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.177.63.249 (talk) 17:15, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Please note, he did serve in Afganistan. This was going to be his second deployment. However, since the Iraq war was started illegally and under false pretenses he has moral objections. It is the duty of an officer to refuse to follow orders he feels are unlawful. I believe starting a war under a false guise would count. He is clearly not afraid to fight because he has already done for. Simply put, he doesn’t want to fight for the wrong reasons. And neither would I. 216.113.208.150 18:10, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

All these crazy jingoist idiots have no idea what war is really like. The contract between soliders and the state has been broken by the state. The regulations on the time length for deployment and troop rotations have been violated. I am glad this guy is safe now. All of the other allied soliders should be recalled. This war is a travesty to military planning and seves no legitimate national interests for anyone other than Israel. Let them fight it. 65.1.172.18 18:14, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

There’s no relevance between loving the country you’re in and agreeing with every decision it makes. There arises a problem when citizens of a nation do not question the decisions being made for them. I love the United States of America, and most of what it stands for. I’ve lived here all my life, but that is not to say that I love all the decisions being made for its citizens by its leaders. Those who oppose anyone that voices their [controversial] opinion, especially when the opinion is shared by nearly half the nation, do not deserve the label of faithful patriots. Rather, they should be known and should call themselves blind patriots. The foundation of this country is based primarily on opposition to misaligned or corrupt leadership that would’ve otherwise been blindly accepted by all.

If a man is opposed to an order given to him, which is followed by an outstanding percentage of the population, and takes the proper steps to avoid conflict, is he not exhibiting the same ideology as that of our founding fathers? After all, who knows whats better for you than yourself?

The simple fact is that desertion is a crime, in any country. This is not an issue of conscription, these people voluntarily signed on the dotted line, and agreed to fight; in that regard, they should face the consequences that coincide with breaking that oath. As a Canadian, I believe it isn’t our place to be deciding who is sent home to face crimes they have committed. Whether or not we as Canadians disagree with the Iraq War, or even the War in Afghanistan is a topic for another forum of discussion. The law is the law, these people agreed to abide by it, regardless of their personal views. That is military service; if you can’t handle it, don’t join. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.68.155.24 (talk) 20:40, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

While he did Sign on the Big red line, he realized what he was doing was wrong, and fled. Its not glamoruos, But it was -Probably- the right thing to do, Morally. Considering if this was truely against his consience, the guilt would drive him mad. 164.116.47.180 (talk) 15:57, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Canada has already had problems with draft dodgers. I used to visit Nelson, BC every summer, and you would think you are back in the 60s because of the number of them. They even wanted to have a monument for the dodgers. However, I would not like to be in their place… [1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.186.54.102 (talk) 00:01, 24 September 2008 (UTC)