A volunteers they signed a contract which the Govt. has violated in spirit if not fact.

This war is being staffed largely by National Guard troops many of whom signed up under vastly different conditions. Dodging IED as part of an occupation force is a hell of a lot different than plucking the unlucky off the side of a mountain or a roof.

People grow. The ignorance of youth quickly disappears when getting shot at, getting shot, or having buddies die.

And last, the war in Iraq is unjust, immoral, and illegal. Read Arron Owada's legal briefs for a much more cogent discussion of the issues.

Hope this helps

So, a disillusioned soldier, who once voluntarily signed up for service, can still be forced to fight against his/her will and best interests.

We need to support these courageous and heroic resisters. When the military is engaged in illegal and immoral acts of aggression, the right thing to do is refuse service.

 I appreciate it.  The problem as I understand it, is once you enlist in any branch of the armed services your butt is Uncle Sam's for as long as he needs you.  National Guard is not about plucking people from rooftops, it is an odd attempt at bypassing the State Militia systems, and making sure the federal government has control over nearly all troops in this country.  A few states like Texas still have a small "home guard" but they are small and few and far between.  The National Guard should never exist.

If the miliitia system still functioned (the laws are on the books BTW) Washington State would not be sending any local troops to Iraq.

I agree with some of what you guys are saying about changing minds, etc...  but to me that is the risk one runs when they sign the enlistment documents...  

Thanks for the well thought replies and arguments.  It helps me see the other side of the coin.  

I should add I nearly enlisted back in 2000, but chose not to due to some "gut feeling" and the fact that I had a couple of disagreements on minor issues with the recruiter.  Honestly I'm glad I didn't.  I choose to support the country now in a different fashion, and have nothing but the utmost regard for the uniformed service members.

Were there a true State Guard in Washington I may consider joining that.  Probably the closest thing today would be a Sheriff's reserve unit, or similar.

Dodging IED as part of an occupation force is a hell of a lot different than plucking the unlucky off the side of a mountain or a roof.

Then they should have signed up for the local search and rescue organization, not the military.

People grow. The ignorance of youth quickly disappears when getting shot at, getting shot, or having buddies die.

What? If you become a firefighter and decide, You know what? I don't think it's safe to go into that burning building after all you'll get fired, if not face legal action. In 2005 a New York police officer ran away for minutes after his partner had been shot three times.

Officer Marrero, a 12-year veteran, could face dismissal if the board concludes that he did flee while his partner was under fire and the department brings charges against him for dereliction of duty, the official said.

As for the officer who was shot three times?

Officer Caprice was able to rise on one knee and return fire, emptying his Glock 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, striking the car and hitting Mr. Redden in the hip and arm, the police said. Mr. Redden then drove off.

All of these professions - to include the military - are being paid to take irrational actions. By instinct people don't run into burning buildings. They don't walk through the dark parts of town, the rough areas of Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

So yes, you definitely grow. People react to their growth differently. Some quit, others want to charge harder.

A coward dies a thousand times before his death. The valiant tastes of death but once.

Sanctuary city is just what the doctor ordered. The city can protect those honorable soldiers who know right from wrong and are willing and courageous enough to resist the illegal war. Imagine the peer pressure that beckons them to just go with the flow. It takes a lot of braking power to refuse illegal / immoral war making.

It takes courage to stand up within an oppressive military culture. But it is the honorable thing to do. Iraq did not attack the USA. Iraq did not threaten to attack the USA. Iraq did not threaten the USA. The USA occupies Iraq because of the power-lust of powerful decision makers - a power-lust for economic dominance. The goal is to make Iraq governmentally favorable to the supposed "interests" of the West (most specifically USA and UK.) But in reality, and in truth, it's as false dichotomy, because global dominance and exploitation of the oil resource in Iraq is not in our best interests (though it is in the interests of the oil companies - and by proxy members of the bush admin, who are all heavily invested in the oil industry.) It is not in our best interest to spend trillions of dollars to control the last great oil reserves. It not in our best interest to invest so wastefully in an industry that is ultimately fated to extinction - an industry that is responsible for vast waste and pollution.

Simply put, we would be wise to stop supporting the military and petroleum industries, and instead, to invest in truly sustainable technologies and a social system that is truly life-sustaining.