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Badtux the Snarky PenguinIn a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. Religious fundamentalists are motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun -- and that this must be stopped. |
Thursday, June 08, 2006Jail or Iraq...Iraq or jail...One soldier is choosing jail, saying that he cannot morally justify killing more Iraqis in a war that serves no purpose in defending America and Americans. 1st Lt. Ehren Watada is going to jail, have no delusions about that -- I doubt he has any delusions, either. Even if he is morally justified, the entire military discipline system would collapse if people could simply refuse to obey orders without repercussion. Then he will have a dishonorable discharge on his record and be barred from life from receiving student aid, getting a government job, and anything else that The Machine can use in their goal of punishing Lt. Watada forever. If Lt. Watada doesn't know this, he's a moron. And from what I've seen of his statement, a moron he ain't. Yet he is choosing to go to jail rather than kill more Iraqis. The right wingnuts, of course, are going crazy. "He's a traitor!" they shout. "He's not living up to his commitment!" they shout. Nevermind that he signed up to defend America and Americans, and instead found himself defending Halliburton's profits. He's a traitor because he doesn't want to kill more Iraqi women and children for a war that, if it ever served any useful purpose, no longer does. Alrighty, then! Guess that makes the cheeto-fingered warbloggers of the 101st Fighting Keyboarders even bigger traitors, since they, too, don't want to kill Iraqi women and children! Of course, they have servants to do that. Servants like Lt. Watada. And God forbid that their servants refuse to serve... those uppity darkies like Lt. Watada ought to know their place! - Badtux the Snarky Penguin
Comments:You just nailed the warbloggers where they live, BT. Mighty big hop for you in my capacity as a part-time roo. (Mockingbirds simply don't hop all that high.)Bit I can't help wondering, what would I do in this situation? I don't want to kill a bunch of civilians who never did a thing to harm me, but I don't want to go to jail, either. I hope I would opt for jail. It seems like the rational choice, but only because I'm not forced to decide. I really don't know what I'd do... # posted by Mimus Pauly : 9/6/06 12:49 AM
Watada is the smart one. While his brothers are in Iraq defending his freedom of speech, living in extreme conditions, and worrying about whether or not they'll make it through another patrol, he will probably be living in relatively cozy conditions, being fed three meals a day, and not have to worry about walking into an IED on his way to the mess hall. Watada's the smart one.
Hardly. People with criminal convictions on their record don't have a good life here in the United States. For example, my employer does a criminal backgorund check on new hires. Criminal conviction = no job. Criminal conviction=no student aid. Criminal conviction=no right to vote. Criminal conviction stays with you the rest of your life. |
About Me
I am a black and white and yellow multicolored penguin making his way as best he can in a world of monochromic monkeys. ArchivesApril 2004 / December 2004 / January 2005 / February 2005 / March 2005 / April 2005 / May 2005 / June 2005 / July 2005 / August 2005 / September 2005 / October 2005 / November 2005 / December 2005 / January 2006 / February 2006 / March 2006 / April 2006 / May 2006 / June 2006 / July 2006 / August 2006 / September 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / February 2007 / March 2007 / April 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / July 2007 / August 2007 /
Cost of the War in Iraq
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"Keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce." -- Molly Ivins, 1944-2007
"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
-- Plato
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