U.S. military deserter seeks refuge in Ottawa

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News

A U.S. soldier injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq has fled to Ottawa and is seeking refugee status.

James Burmeister, 22, deserted the army while recovering from his injuries in Germany and flew to Canada with his wife and two-year-old daughter.

Now he is playing bass with other musicians in Ottawa while waiting for his refugee claim to be processed.

Burmeister, who is from Eugene, Ore., said he joined the army in 2005 after being told that as a soldier he would be doing humanitarian work to help Iraqis rebuild their country.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/06/29/deserter-070629.html

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U.S. military deserter seeks refuge in Ottawa
Last Updated: Friday, June 29, 2007 | 4:33 PM ET
CBC News

[bluestateguy]

1. So far Canada has not been accommodating of asylum claims

Jeremy Hinzman's claims have all been denied so far, and I think it's only a matter of time before his appeals run out and he has to come home and face the music.

I do have to say, however, that this guy was very naive if in 2005, two years after the war was initiated, and long after it was known that the war was sold to us on the basis of lies, he enlisted on the pretense that he would be "doing humanitarian work to help Iraqis rebuild their country". The military's job is to kill people and break things above all else, while the humanitarian work is best left to other people.

[daleo]

4. Naive and probably lied to by recruiters

I have heard they will say just about anything.

[Megahurtz]

2. Good Luck To Him.

I hope he makes it!

[emilyg]

3. I do, too.