Canada may accept US refugee

The Article

TORONTO - Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board will hear Monday why Jeremy Hinzman, a former paratrooper with the U.S. army, should be granted refugee status in Canada.

Rather than serve in Iraq, Hinzman deserted the army and came to Canada in January seeking sanctuary in a Quaker hall outside Toronto.
Jeremy Hinzman

He considers the Iraq conflict immoral and illegal and while he refuses to speak his mind until his hearing is over, back in July, Hinzman, 25, put his position into perspective: "My life isn't that significant, but also it's not so worthless as to be killed or to go kill innocent people."

Canada has not granted refugee status to American citizens in the past, but Hinzman's supporters are counting on a precedent in international law to help the American.

Gerry Cordon, a Hinzman supporter, says a soldier who refused to fight in Saddam Hussein's army in the invasion of Kuwait, successfully sought refugee status.

To help his client, Hinzman's lawyer plans to present evidence of a systematic pattern of U.S. war crimes in Iraq, including attacks on civilian population centers, and the torture and murder of prisoners, at Monday's hearing.
Jimmy Massey

The board will also hear eyewitness testimony of the killing of Iraqi civilians from former Marine Sgt. Jimmy Massey.

Massey, who served in Iraq, says he's witnessed instances of civilians being shot – not as a mistake, but with cold deliberation.

Go Canada!

Respect for Canada +1

So that leaves Canada's total respect points to a grand total of...

1

That's cool what he thinks, and I agree with him.

Good move
Joining the forces is one thing, invading sovereign nations another. There needs to be some sort of heaven for deserters and men of conscience.
Good on Canada

If I get drafted, Maybe I will move....

I always love going to toronto. I woulnd't mind living there... Best Big City in the world...

It would also be nice to live in a country that:

Is respected by other nations.
Has a budget surplus
Gives its citizens Health care.

ttooddddyy said:

Good move
Joining the forces is one thing, invading sovereign nations another. There needs to be some sort of heaven for deserters and men of conscience.
Good on Canada

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Wasnt Canada the safe haven for some Nazi war criminals? Men of conscience indeed

Mr.Nemoperson said:

Wasnt Canada the safe haven for some Nazi war criminals? Men of conscience indeed

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Wasn't? IS.

Canada gives something like 86 refugees, military, political or other kinds of people in.

It's an odd number like that, 86 or something a YEAR. Even War Criminals and Political Tyrants and people like that.

DARK ANDY said:

Even War Criminals and Political Tyrants and people like that.

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To tell you the truth Canada has not yet allowed a single american in as a refugee but maybe in time that statement will be true.

kobylka68 said:

To tell you the truth Canada has not yet allowed a single american in as a refugee but maybe in time that statement will be true.

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I agree with that....

There is quite a bit of dissent in North Ammerica.

Iraq, Trade and Iraq.

If Martin's party wants to stay in power, They have to find some way to undermine the US's Forign opperations without causing to much a ruckus.

wait a minute? why is he seeking refugee status? didnt he enlist his own fucking self in the army? certainly he wasnt drafted?

oh i guess because he was in the army b4 all this shit started he is required to help out now? well if ur fucking stupid enough to try and take advantage of the benefits the army provides during PEACE TIME then you shouldnt be able to puss out during times of war.

fucking douche bag. all or nothing bitch, it was your decision.

I think Bush should answer for war crimes
because he started the war in the first
place. Many young soldier's are dying
because of Bush. A stupid
useless war. I say go Canada.
The man doesn't have to fight if
he thinks it's wrong to kill innocent
people. Were have to go after
Osama instead because i heard
they will try to attack New York
again if america won't change
are ways of thinking.
They can't tell us what to do.
God has nothing to do with the attack.
I hope Canada will lets the guy stay.

Man, what a fucking douche. He ENLISTED to serve his country and then bailed? It's his job to serve the mission, not to question it.

Typical fucking deserter bullshit. Enlist in the army, milk them for all they're worth, and then run away like a little girl when you're asked to do what you actually agreed to do, and blame it on ethical reasons. You're my hero, man - great job.

I guess some people think that every person in the army should be allowed to specify where we fight and what we fight for.

All I know is that....

Once the draft starts, I'm filing Conciencous objector...

If that is denied, I'm filiing for Candain Refugee status....

If it was a war that I beleived in.... I'd go and fight. But not this shithole.

Wrong Country
Wrong Time
Worng Leadership.

Vietnam 04

Thank you! all 59,454,721 of you assholes.

galfordo said:

Typical fucking deserter bullshit.....

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Could be.

But you never know.

Maybe he actually signed up with the intent of kicking some terrorist ass....but instead ended up invading some other country unprovoked, stealing their oil, etc...

If a draft starts, and THEN some starts to bail, I'd be a bit more tolerant. I still think you should answer the call when your country calls, but I realize that there's a bit more grey area there.

But when you sign up, you're not signing up to go fight when YOU want to - you're signing up to fight when you're called. That's my main problem with this.

galfordo said:

If a draft starts, and THEN some starts to bail, I'd be a bit more tolerant. I still think you should answer the call when your country calls, but I realize that there's a bit more grey area there.

But when you sign up, you're not signing up to go fight when YOU want to - you're signing up to fight when you're called. That's my main problem with this.

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Even if you have to go and die for something you believe was wrong in the first place?

Big Shady said:

It's his job to serve the mission, not to question it.

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I see you have been playing MGS3

kobylka68 said:

Even if you have to go and die for something you believe was wrong in the first place?

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Once a person is sworn in under oath, to serve the Armed Forces of whatever the respective nation, not just the USA, at that point that person signed themselves into a contractual agreement for their hitch of 3 to 4 years. Within that time a person is no longer in a democracy, they are the "Protectors of a Democracy" meaning it's a dictatorship. When the command comes down the line, you jump when they tell you to jump, go where they tell you to go etc. *Most of the Vets I trained with from age 8-19 off and on wouldn't give a bucket of piss for a guy like that. It might sound callouse, but if you willingly signed into doing your duty, then THE MISSION is what you're loyal to, and that has nothing to do with MGS 3, Kojima just took the overall mentality of what it means to soldier and went overboard with it. It is not the place of the person to question whether it's good or bad, you do what you're ordered to do. Which is how I think civilian ran organizations should be ran as well, but it'll never happen, which is why you've got idiots like the ppl at BEST BUY running the floor. No mission specifics, and no pride and confidence.

...now being Drafted into something you don't believe in, that's a different story all together, because you didn't seek out the sacred vocation of being a solider, you were dragged into it. On those cases, if someone wants to run or protest while they're in the feild and manage not to get fragged... More power to them. *This guy is a fuckin' degenerate.

MERCENARY X99

I agree on some of what your saying but
if someone ordered me to shoot innocent
people on purpose which i will refuse to do
unless the person is hostile and trying to kill
me. I wouldn't hesitate in shooting them.

If a soldier dies in battle what good is it going
to do for his or her family, nothing at all.

norton9478 said:

All I know is that....

Once the draft starts, I'm filing Conciencous objector...

If that is denied, I'm filiing for Candain Refugee status....

If it was a war that I beleived in.... I'd go and fight. But not this shithole.

Wrong Country
Wrong Time
Worng Leadership.

Vietnam 04

Thank you! all 59,454,721 of you assholes.

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As per current draft laws, you can't be drafted... The cut off is January 1st of your 26th year.

I am really against the war, so it pains me to say this, but... if you are against killing innocent people, you should not enlist in the millitary under ANY circumstances. Over the the course of our military's history, countless innocent people have been killed. By enlisting -- whether in peacetime or during war -- you are accepting the possibility you may be put in a situation where you cause the death of an innocent. If that is not something you can stand (and for me, it isn't), you have no business enlisting. Once you enlist, you lose your right to complain, imo. Still, it will be very interesting to see what happens here.

"My life isn't that significant, but also it's not so worthless as to be killed or to go kill innocent people." This is a great statement, and one that I agree with completely. But why, then, did this guy hire himself out to the US government as a killer in the first place?

SouthtownKid said:

But why, then, did this guy hire himself out to the US government as a killer in the first place?

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I definitely agree with this statement. Why did he even volunteer himself in the beginning?