US Deserter reports for duty

[Vanhalen 0]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3645466.stm

 

A former American soldier accused of defecting to North Korea in 1965 has given himself up to the US military authorities in Japan.

Charles Jenkins, 64, snapped a salute and announced he was reporting for duty as he arrived at the army base near Tokyo with his family.

 

Mr Jenkins faces a possible court martial on charges of desertion.

 

But public sympathy for him in Japan has led to speculation that the US military may accept a plea bargain.

 

Mr Jenkins, his Japanese wife and two daughters are expected to stay at Camp Zama while he is questioned.

 

In the eyes of the US military, he is a deserter who is still on active duty - and as such, subject to army discipline.

 

He also faces charges of aiding the enemy for the role he played in North Korean propaganda films.

 

He could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is found guilty.

 

Sensitive case

 

Mr Jenkins has been receiving medical treatment in Tokyo since mid-July and was taken from the hospital to the base by mini-van.

 

Upon his arrival, he was met by the provost marshal Lt Col Paul Nigara and declared: "Sir, I'm Sergeant Jenkins and I'm reporting."

 

Lt Col Nigara responded, "You are now under the control of the US Army," before escorting him into a building on the base.

 

The BBC's Jonathan Head says Mr Jenkins will be given an army uniform to wear.

 

"He'll be treated with dignity and fairness, and he's innocent until proven guilty," said army spokesman Major John Amberg.

 

Mr Jenkins has never explained how he ended up in North Korea. His relatives say he was kidnapped.

 

But the fact that while in North Korea, Mr Jenkins married a Japanese woman - who was abducted by North Korean agents as a teenager - has made his case a sensitive one for US-Japanese relations, our correspondent adds.

 

His wife Hitomi Soga was allowed to return to Japan in 2002 and persuaded him to join her with their two daughters, despite the threat of prosecution by the American military.

 

The family held a dramatic reunion in Indonesia, which - unlike Japan - does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

 

His wife said earlier on Saturday: "I expect we have a lot more to face in the days to come but we hope that the four of us can live together as soon as possible."

 

Many in Japan have called for a deal that could keep Mr Jenkins out of prison.

 

Our correspondent says they hope he might tell the US authorities everything he learnt while living in the secret communist state to avoid a prison sentence.

 

But the US authorities have given no indication that they will treat Mr Jenkins him leniently.

[Guest MikeSC]

Tough crap for him. He should be charged, big-time, for this.

-=Mike

[Vanhalen 0]

Oh, I wasnt sympathetic to him or anything, just thought it was weird that after all that time, he suddenly decided to hand himself im

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

This story sounds familier. Something about somebody deserting. Hey, there he is giving a speech on TV! Hi Mr. President! <3

[Guest MikeSC]

This story sounds familier. Something about somebody deserting. Hey, there he is giving a speech on TV! Hi Mr. President! <3

Except, unlike your bloviating, this story is the truth.

-=Mike

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Says you and the rest of the conservative blowhards.

 

BTW, you owe Websters 10 fucking cents for use of the word "bloviating".

 

 

 

Yeah! "BLOVIATING"

 

 

 

"I'll RUE the day? Who talks like that?" - Real Genius

[Guest MikeSC]

Says you and the rest of the conservative blowhards.

 

BTW, you owe Websters 10 fucking cents for use of the word "bloviating".

 

 

 

Yeah! "BLOVIATING"

 

 

 

"I'll RUE the day? Who talks like that?" - Real Genius

Says me and the folks with common sense.

 

Hell, want hilarity --- Bush spent more time in the military than Kerry?

-=Mike

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

.

 

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Well, it only took three posts for a "Bush-never-served-lol" response.

 

And some of you liberals at this place bitch about the Conservative Brigade turning everything into a political bitchfest...

[Guest Nanks]

Precisely why should this old man be punished in any way?? Did he do anything that put fellow Americans in harm?? Did his wedding to the Japanese girl involve executing anybody?? I know "deserting" is considered worse than raping and slaughtering one's own mother in America, but look at it with a bit of sense. What did he do that hurt anyone else??

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

He left his military company and joined the enemy side during a war. How much more detrimental do you want him to get before he's punished? Does he have to shoot somebody?

 

Senior citizens have to obey the law as well.

[Guest MikeSC]

Precisely why should this old man be punished in any way?? Did he do anything that put fellow Americans in harm??

Siding with the N. Koreans is pretty sufficient, if you ask me.

Did his wedding to the Japanese girl involve executing anybody??

You are aware he LEFT his troops to side with the ENEMY, right?

I know "deserting" is considered worse than raping and slaughtering one's own mother in America, but look at it with a bit of sense.

Let's say an Australian troop left his troops and sided with the terrorists giving you problem?

 

Would you be so flippant about it?

What did he do that hurt anyone else??

That whole "defecting to the enemy" is pretty big.

-=Mike

...Even better, his crimes are capital offenses...

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Well, it only took three posts for a "Bush-never-served-lol" response.

 

And some of you liberals at this place bitch about the Conservative Brigade turning everything into a political bitchfest...

Not THIS "liberal". No matter, your cute little brigade can bitch about whatever you like.

 

 

Back to the topic of the deserter guy. This is old news. Sorta like Iran/Contra. It was years AGO! Drop it already! Right? RIGHT?

 

Dosen't the military have BETTER things to do with its time? "Operation: The Rest of the Brown Ones" isn't getting done any quicker this way. Come ON!

[Justice 0]

Well, it only took three posts for a "Bush-never-served-lol" response.

 

And some of you liberals at this place bitch about the Conservative Brigade turning everything into a political bitchfest...

Not THIS "liberal". No matter, your cute little brigade can bitch about whatever you like.

 

 

Back to the topic of the deserter guy. This is old news. Sorta like Iran/Contra. It was years AGO! Drop it already! Right? RIGHT?

 

Dosen't the military have BETTER things to do with its time? "Operation: The Rest of the Brown Ones" isn't getting done any quicker this way. Come ON!

INXS has competition for "Stupidest CE Poster" right now...

[Guest MikeSC]

Well, it only took three posts for a "Bush-never-served-lol" response.

 

And some of you liberals at this place bitch about the Conservative Brigade turning everything into a political bitchfest...

Back to the topic of the deserter guy. This is old news. Sorta like Iran/Contra. It was years AGO! Drop it already! Right? RIGHT?

 

Just checking --- there is a relevant point, right?

Dosen't the military have BETTER things to do with its time? "Operation: The Rest of the Brown Ones" isn't getting done any quicker this way. Come ON!

Forgot --- liberating 50M Muslims makes us incessantly racist. My bad.

-=Mike

...Giving a shit about Sudan? Makes us racist.

Stopping the Balkan genocide? Makes us racist.

That whole money for AIDS in Africa? Makes us racist...

[Gert T 0]

Dosen't the military have BETTER things to do with its time? "Operation: The Rest of the Brown Ones" isn't getting done any quicker this way. Come ON!

He has to be punished, you cannot set a precedent for future conflicts and incidents.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

...Giving a shit about Sudan? Makes us racist.

 

Since when have we given a shit about Sudan?

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I'd imagine he'll get a light sentence, or he'll be sent to Iraq.

 

The weird thing is that Jenkins' relatives dispite the letters that he wrote about defecting and they claim he was abducted.

[Guest Suicide King]

He also faces charges of aiding the enemy for the role he played in North Korean propaganda films.

 

I think some of you might be missing that little point there. It isn't like he deserted to Canada. He went over to the enemy (which in some alternate world could be forgivable I suppose) but then he ACTIVELY AIDED them in their war efforts against his fellow troops! That's not good. It's pretty bad, in fact.

[Guest MikeSC]

...Giving a shit about Sudan? Makes us racist.

 

Since when have we given a shit about Sudan?

We're the only ones. Our "allies, such as the French, refused to even hit them with sanctions over the genocide.

 

Of course, the French have oil interests there.

 

The US is the one who is worried about the genocide.

-=Mike

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

We sure as hell aren't SHOWING that we care about it. Colin Powell FINALLY referred to it as genocide, but what are we doing about it?

 

Nothing.

 

So please, don't try to spin off rhetoric as anything significant.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

He also faces charges of aiding the enemy for the role he played in North Korean propaganda films.

 

I think some of you might be missing that little point there. It isn't like he deserted to Canada. He went over to the enemy (which in some alternate world could be forgivable I suppose) but then he ACTIVELY AIDED them in their war efforts against his fellow troops! That's not good. It's pretty bad, in fact.

I don't think we've been at war with North Korea for about 50 years.

 

The charges about his movie role depend on how widely seen the movie was.

 

Anyways, he's useful if he has any good information on North Korea

[Justice 0]

We sure as hell aren't SHOWING that we care about it. Colin Powell FINALLY referred to it as genocide, but what are we doing about it?

 

Nothing.

 

So please, don't try to spin off rhetoric as anything significant.

I thought we had to wait for UN approval to do stuff...

 

Perhaps we should give inspect- I mean, the general council some more time.

 

I don't think we've been at war with North Korea for about 50 years.

 

The charges about his movie role depend on how widely seen the movie was.

 

Anyways, he's useful if he has any good information on North Korea

 

Technically, we've never truly been at peace with them, either. We just have a cease-fire with them that's managed to last for 50 years. And frankly, it doesn't matter how widely circulated the video is, it's that he aided in making it that makes it treason. Murder is murder, even if only a few people know about it, and robbery is robbery even if only a few people saw it.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Straw man. The administration hasn't played by the UN's rules before, so they damned sure better not use that justification now.

[Justice 0]

Straw man. The administration hasn't played by the UN's rules before, so they damned sure better not use that justification now.

Bullshit it is. The Administration needs not any more heat from the media and public about "Not working with the international community" so they're gonna play by the Dem's rulebook.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

That doesn't fly and you know it. That's pussy footed rhetoric to justify not going into a country that they couldn't give two shits about, and you know it. However, you'll spout the party line about "now we have to work with the international community!!!!" and it's bullshit. And you know it.

 

The administration didn't care about the public's willingness to stay with the international community before, so why would they care about it now? They use that justification as an excuse, nothing more and nothing less. They couldn't care less about the international community. They just don't give a shit about Sudan.

 

And you know it.

[Justice 0]

That doesn't fly and you know it. That's pussy footed rhetoric to justify not going into a country that they couldn't give two shits about, and you know it. However, you'll spout the party line about "now we have to work with the international community!!!!" and it's bullshit. And you know it.

YOUR view doesn't fly. The entire Democratic party bitched about not going into Iraq without UN support (We had international support). If your view were more widespread, why do we not have the entire Democratic party pushing for Bush to go in despite the UN? Or would that be a renig on the entire "Bush didn't have UN approval on Iraq" view? If Bush is playing politics and being a hypocrit, then you are just as much as he.

 

The administration didn't care about the public's willingness to stay with the international community before, so why would they care about it now? They use that justification as an excuse, nothing more and nothing less. They couldn't care less about the international community. They just don't give a shit about Sudan.

 

They are playing by your rules now. You wanted international coalitions, now you got one: It's just not doing anything right now.

 

Why shouldn't they use that justification? It's been your throughout the Iraqi Conflict. They don't want to give Kerry anything to fire at him ("We are getting into another war without any international support, American Imperialism, etc..."), so they've decided to use your playbook. I mean, seriously, if you can't recognize that your party would absolutely blast him for going in without UN approval again, you are just naive.

 

And saying 'He doesn't give a shit about Sudan' when it's been the US in the UN trying to put forth SOMETHING to help out is pretty funny, actually.

 

And you know it.

 

This reminds me so much of my brother when he's cornered in an argument.

 

"You're wrong and you know it, so just admit it!"

 

It's pretty laughable, man. Frankly, Sudan has become more of a straw man for you than for me.

[Guest MikeSC]

That doesn't fly and you know it. That's pussy footed rhetoric to justify not going into a country that they couldn't give two shits about, and you know it.

Are you NUTS? Do you realize that fixing Sudan makes rebuilding Iraq look like the easiest job on Earth?

 

You want us to go into Sudan and rebuild that unmitigated shithole alone? I think not.

 

Besides, after the incessant bitching about Iraq, you really are stretching to criticize us about Sudan, since we're the ONLY people in the UN trying to bring this to the group's attention. Lord knows we can't "justify" going into Sudan, compared to the Iraqi war.

However, you'll spout the party line about "now we have to work with the international community!!!!" and it's bullshit. And you know it.

No, it's a realization of how utterly overwhelming a job rebuilding Sudan into less than a shithole requires. We remember how well our last purely humanitarian mission in Africa went.

 

Watch "Black Hawk Down" if you don't remember.

The administration didn't care about the public's willingness to stay with the international community before, so why would they care about it now?

Because they could justify it on the basis of Iraq being a threat. Sudan is not, nor will it ever be, a threat.

They use that justification as an excuse, nothing more and nothing less. They couldn't care less about the international community. They just don't give a shit about Sudan.

And that's bullshit. France OPENLY fought even giving SANCTIONS --- because those wine-swilling shits care more about oil than friggin' GENOCIDE.

-=Mike

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

YOUR view doesn't fly. The entire Democratic party bitched about not going into Iraq without UN support (We had international support). If your view were more widespread, why do we not have the entire Democratic party pushing for Bush to go in despite the UN? Or would that be a renig on the entire "Bush didn't have UN approval on Iraq" view? If Bush is playing politics and being a hypocrit, then you are just as much as he.

 

This is retarded. You can't choose if and when and under which circumstances to play in the sandbox; you fucking beat up on all of the kids in the sandbox, stole their toys, and then fucked their sisters. You don't just pretend that everything is hunky dory and go back and pretend that everything is ho hum after that. We've already established that the administration doesn't give a shit about international coalitions, and the only reason they're worrying about it now is because it's an election year.

 

Here, we have a perfect CLEAR example of a nation who has unquestionably supported, harbored, and had sex with al Qaida. It's a human rights nightmare, far far far far far worse than Saddam's Iraq. And now we're pretending to be the subordinate? Now we're going through the UN?

 

It's horrible, pathetic politics. This administration doesn't give a shit about international coalitions beyond what it matters come election time. Unless we intervene and stop this genocide in Sudan, the Bush administration's moral imperitive argument about Iraq is completely fucking shot.

 

Out of everyone on this board who spews the standard righty talking points about how "Well, you guys wanted this LOL2004", you're the last one I expected to do that. This is a moral travesty that the administration is choosing to play politics with the lives of 1.4 million people, ESPECIALLY when they've shown a complete willingness to declare the UN obsolete when it comes to wars that their opinion polls support.

[Guest MikeSC]

YOUR view doesn't fly. The entire Democratic party bitched about not going into Iraq without UN support (We had international support). If your view were more widespread, why do we not have the entire Democratic party pushing for Bush to go in despite the UN? Or would that be a renig on the entire "Bush didn't have UN approval on Iraq" view? If Bush is playing politics and being a hypocrit, then you are just as much as he.

 

This is retarded. You can't choose if and when and under which circumstances to play in the sandbox; you fucking beat up on all of the kids in the sandbox, stole their toys, and then fucked their sisters.

 

 

 

 

 

We had, what, 13 years of UN resolutions against Iraq? We had Iraq with a history of using WMD. We had Iraq, whose neighbors were and are quite convinced he had WMD.

You don't just pretend that everything is hunky dory and go back and pretend that everything is ho hum after that. We've already established that the administration doesn't give a shit about international coalitions, and the only reason they're worrying about it now is because it's an election year.

No, they see an overwhelming task in making a country with absolutely no history of actually being a gov't become a state that doesn't allow the outright butchery of its citizens.

Here, we have a perfect CLEAR example of a nation who has unquestionably supported, harbored, and had sex with al Qaida.

As did Iraq, hate to tell you. And the ties are no more clear than the Iraqi ties.

It's a human rights nightmare, far far far far far worse than Saddam's Iraq.

Yup --- it's also a brutally difficult country to make into anything worthwhile. You seem to ignore tha brutal task that stopping all of this will entail --- and we'll have the fucking French bitch about it because, dammit, it is affecting their oil deals.

And now we're pretending to be the subordinate? Now we're going through the UN?

Is it worth several times more deaths and several times more money, paid over many more years, to take care of the problem?

It's horrible, pathetic politics. This administration doesn't give a shit about international coalitions beyond what it matters come election time.

Apparently, you only do after-the-fact.

Unless we intervene and stop this genocide in Sudan, the Bush administration's moral imperitive argument about Iraq is completely fucking shot.

Oh that is pure bullshit. Bush has done FAR more Sudan than Clinton EVER considered doing for Rwanda.

Out of everyone on this board who spews the standard righty talking points about how "Well, you guys wanted this LOL2004", you're the last one I expected to do that. This is a moral travesty that the administration is choosing to play politics with the lives of 1.4 million people, ESPECIALLY when they've shown a complete willingness to declare the UN obsolete when it comes to wars that their opinion polls support.

Fine. You tell the families of the dead soldiers how vital to the US interests that we go into Sudan, alone (because, darn it, the rest of the world lost any semblance of a moral view).

 

Hell, I'm FULLY supportive of going into Sudan and kicking ass --- but I can guarantee if we do, you won't stop bitching.

 

Well, unless a Dem does it.

-=Mike