Nonviolence Event
For my Social Justice and Peace course, we're required to make up 8 hours by going to educational events to do with SJP. Well I went to my first one last night, which was about nonviolence as a means to basically speak out. You know, against the war in Iraq and other violent attempts to achieve peace.
First, they had this 18 year old guy from Texas named Brandon (yes, he had a funny accent) speak about his experience with nonviolence, as well as violence. He had been drafted into the United States army in the beginning of 2003. He signed a contract saying that he would receive a college education and a $5000 bonus at the end of his basic training. He finished his basic training the November of 2003 and thus, wanted his $5000. Who wouldn't, eh? So, when he asked for it, they simply said that it should be about the duty to your country, not the money. Everytime Brandon confronted them, he'd receive the same answer. All this time during basic training, the soldiers are cut off from the outside world. Brandon said that when they were doing training, he had no idea what the situation of Iraq was. He said that when he had completed the training, he found out there was no weapons of mass destruction, etc. I also thought it was cool (well, interesting) the tactics the army uses to train their soldiers to kill. (See, I'm not very informed when it comes to things like this, so I think it's interesting). Brandon said that it's basically a training of conformity. When one person screws up, you all get punished. That way, the group ends up turning against the people who cause their punishment. The army, obviously, trains the soldiers to basically forget their inhibition not to kill. Therefore, it's easier to kill in groups, right (you know, the whole conformity thing), so whenever someone is to be killed, they send several people to do it.
Anyways, once Brandon finished his basic training, he decided that he didn't agree with the war in Iraq, so he requested a discharge. He didn't receive it, because they said if they did grant him this, he would be blacklisted and sent to jail for some amount of years, and therefore, would have a difficult time finding a decent job. So, he has since sought refugee status in Canada. He has been staying with this family for 7 and a half months and is still trying to be allowed to stay here.
Do you think that soldiers who don't agree with the war, or violence in itself, should be allowed to seek refuge in Canada?
First, they had this 18 year old guy from Texas named Brandon (yes, he had a funny accent) speak about his experience with nonviolence, as well as violence. He had been drafted into the United States army in the beginning of 2003. He signed a contract saying that he would receive a college education and a $5000 bonus at the end of his basic training. He finished his basic training the November of 2003 and thus, wanted his $5000. Who wouldn't, eh? So, when he asked for it, they simply said that it should be about the duty to your country, not the money. Everytime Brandon confronted them, he'd receive the same answer. All this time during basic training, the soldiers are cut off from the outside world. Brandon said that when they were doing training, he had no idea what the situation of Iraq was. He said that when he had completed the training, he found out there was no weapons of mass destruction, etc. I also thought it was cool (well, interesting) the tactics the army uses to train their soldiers to kill. (See, I'm not very informed when it comes to things like this, so I think it's interesting). Brandon said that it's basically a training of conformity. When one person screws up, you all get punished. That way, the group ends up turning against the people who cause their punishment. The army, obviously, trains the soldiers to basically forget their inhibition not to kill. Therefore, it's easier to kill in groups, right (you know, the whole conformity thing), so whenever someone is to be killed, they send several people to do it.
Anyways, once Brandon finished his basic training, he decided that he didn't agree with the war in Iraq, so he requested a discharge. He didn't receive it, because they said if they did grant him this, he would be blacklisted and sent to jail for some amount of years, and therefore, would have a difficult time finding a decent job. So, he has since sought refugee status in Canada. He has been staying with this family for 7 and a half months and is still trying to be allowed to stay here.
Do you think that soldiers who don't agree with the war, or violence in itself, should be allowed to seek refuge in Canada?
3 Comments:
At 5:53 p.m.,
Titus said…
Yo,
I know this is an old post but I just read it.
Brendon was NOT drafted. He joined the army willingly. This is where people like him start to lose my sympathy. No one made him join the army. He joined of his own free will - yes he was tempted with money- but he should have known what he was getting into.
Anyone who deserts the army should not be granted asylum in Canada, they should be sent back to the States to face military prosecution.
At 5:03 p.m.,
Aleah said…
Sorry, he used the word drafted in his little speech thing, so I copied it in here. See, I have to disagree with you there, Titus. Sure, the money was an incentive and everything, but I don't think he really did know what he was getting into. He stated that he was exactly like everyone else in the fact that we don't really know what it's like to be a soldier, but once you are one, the perspective is completely different.
At 2:00 p.m.,
Titus said…
He should have thought a little harder about joining the army then. Not knowing what you were getting into is no excuse to just leave. The army is built on discipline and comradiship (sp?) it cannot allow people to take off.
Post a Comment
<< Home