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From: scw@ollie.SEAS.UCLA.EDU
Newsgroups: trial.talk.politics.peace,alt.activism.d,talk.politics.misc,soc.men,soc.veterans
Subject: Re: Conscience and Cowardice
Message-ID: <2919@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 29 May 91 17:18:34 GMT
References: <9105181851.6056@mydog.UUCP> <1991May28.143655.18701@dg-rtp.dg.com>
Sender: news@SEAS.UCLA.EDU
Reply-To: scw@ollie.SEAS.UCLA.EDU (Stephen C. Woods)
Followup-To: trial.talk.politics.peace
Organization: UCLA School Of Engineering & Applied Science
Lines: 44

In article <1991May29.055718.25895@cs.umn.edu> alberti@donald.cs.umn.edu (Timothy Fay) writes:
>grossg@patriot.rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) writes:
>
>I'll leave [...] behavior of the U.S. Military
>(and its supporters) toward the handful of "cowards" who refused to
>kill on command?  Some resisters, still in shackles, were believed
>to have drowned when a Navy boat sank in the Persian Gulf shortly
>before the war with Iraq started.

BULLSHIT.  You don't carry prisoners (of that sort) on a Liberty boat, PERIOD.

This is typical of the bald face lies that you folks continually trot out
to support you unsupportable position.  Why don't you try the truth for a
change.  I would have more respect for you (general alt.activism folks) if
you were supporting those poor deluded swabbies that are up on muntiny
charges.  At least they have the courage of their convictions.


>                               ...]Would Thoreau, King, or Gandhi
>have approved of something like that?  I doubt it.  If this nation's
>military was as great as some claim, it would understand that the
>resisters made a mistake when they signed up, and the military made
>a mistake by accepting them.  It should not compound that mistake by
>needlessly punishing these people.

No, it IS important to punish those people, lest we waste further resources
(limited, and growing more so) on training people to be good infantry, tankers
and arty types (did you know that it takes about a year to produce a reasonably
well trained infantryman?) and then have them say.  Opps sorry, I don't want
to fight in this war, I just joined for the bennies.  Those people didn't
just make a mistake, they lied, repeatedly.  They took an oath, on their
'sacred honor' to 'protect ond defend the Constitution, from all enemies,
both foregin and domestic...and to obey all lawfull orders of those appointed
over me...so help me God'.   In so doing they gave up some of their rights,
they deligated their authority to decide which wars to fight to Congress and
the Executive branch.  I suspect that they will be convicted of Missing
Movement and AWOL (Absent With Out Leave), their sentence will almost
assuredly be 6/6 and a kick (6 months detention, at hard labor; 6 months
loss of all pay and allowences; and a Bad Conduct Discharge).  This is no more
or less than they deserve.  I also suspect that the 6 months detention will
be waived, and that they will be discharged quickly.
-----
Stephen C. Woods; UCLA SEASNET; 2567 BH;LA CA 90024; (213)-825-8614
UUCP: ...{ibmsupt,hao!cepu}!ollie}!scw  Internet:scw@SEAS.UCLA.EDU