A healthy sign that morality is still alive in an American establishment that now endorses torture as a matter of policy:
Peter Jemley is unique among the growing ranks of war resisters who have sought refuge in Canada.
For one thing, he’s old by military standards. The only reason the army considered the 38-year-old recruit three years ago was because the age cap had been raised to fill the U.S. military’s growing void.
The Tacoma, Wash., father of two young children also bucks the soldier stereotype. Jemley is a college history major, both quiet and fervently independent. If describing a bad situation he’s likely to say it “sucked,” then apologize for his profanity.
Now Jemley’s reasons for deserting set him apart too, and make his case a historic first.
He wants Canada to accept him as a refugee because he’s opposed to torture.