Draft Resister
Part Two
Continued from the page: The
Military Draft Is Immoral
Nam Modeerf quit his job, because he would be too easy to
find there. He hadn't listed his address on any paperwork anywhere,
so the apartment seemed safe for the moment. Of course it would
have been safer to go to Canada, or some other country, but why
should he? It wasn't just that it was unfair - he liked it here.
This was his country.
Working for cash for a small construction company paid the
bills for the first two months. Eventually he would have to get
fake identification so he could more easily work and live. Of
course, it didn't surprise him that the "authorities"
(their word, not his) caught up with him before he did that.
"I guess I expected you to find me."
"Thanks to your father," the officer answered.
"Well, you know how it goes. The old always send their
young to fight their battles, and fathers try to live through
their sons."
"He seemed like a decent guy to me. He just though you
should do your duty."
"Oh, he is a decent guy. But good people send innocent
young men and women to their deaths all the time, don't they?
And those of us who believe in freedom and human rights are a
particular threat to the system too, aren't we?"
The officer didn't answer.
Nam filed for conscientious objector status, knowing he didn't
qualify. He was applying after he evaded the draft, for starters,
rather than when first notified. He also wasn't actually against
war in general, so his petition had no chance. It did buy time,
though, and the time he could manage to stay in the jail and
the courtroom might be most of what life he had left.
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Joe, one of his few friends, visited him.
"Mouth get you in trouble again?"
"Yes Joe, it did. But I was headed here regardless, unless
I wanted to leave the country."
"Maybe if you agreed to enlist, they would drop the charges.
It wouldn't be against your principles to comply with the man
with the gun, right?"
"That's true. A robber has no right to rob you, but you
still better pay up if he has the gun. Nothing wrong with that.
This is different though."
"How so?"
"Look, I may argue too much at times, but I don't need
to be right in this case as much as I need to be alive. People
are dying over there, and I like life. Hence, I am a draft resister."
"Well, how about if you enlisted, and waited to see where
they sent you. If you are headed for combat, you could find a
way to escape, but if you get a desk job you can ride out the
war safely."
"You are always the practical one, Joe, but you forgot
something. The penalties for desertion during war time are far
worse than what I'm facing. Men have been executed for desertion.
Better to take whatever they throw at me as a draft resister."
"Maybe so..." Joe didn't say anything for a while.
Then he sighed and added, "well, I'll be there in the courtroom
with you, if you want"
"I would like that."
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Continued here... Draft Dodger? |
