The Deserters...

In the awful wake of World War II, the Nuremburg trials established that "just following orders" wasn't a justification for war crimes. Bush said the same thing to Iraq's soldiers on the eve of his invasion in 2003. Yet the US is so eager to prosecute the young men and women now deserting their forces, many of whom find the conduct of the war unconscionable. It's the same standard that was put to the Nazis and that Bush put to the Iraqis, "following orders" is no defence for committing war crimes. And war crimes is where the occupation is these days. The stories of torture, the proposal to set up death squads - there aren't any better words to describe these things. The Bush administration has got to own up to the reality that these are war crimes. And in the mean time I hope that the Canadian government grants the deserters here refugee status. They are refusing to be involved in war crimes, it's that simple.