You Are Known By The Company You Keep

I have always opposed giving refuge to this current group of deserters and the reason is that they joined the armed forces voluntarily. I object that my tax dollars are being spent dealing with the legal ramifications of deserters, and their supporters, appealing their status in Canada.

B.C. town not keen to be known as 'Resisterville'
OLIVER MOORE
From Friday's Globe and Mail

Some residents of a small British Columbia community -- which faced a torrent of criticism several years ago over the idea of a statue to draft dodgers from the Vietnam era -- are now unhappy about their town being characterized as a haven for soldiers fleeing the war in Iraq.

A CNN program aired on Monday described Nelson as an "anti-war refuge" and dubbed it "Resisterville." Although some residents will admit privately that any publicity is welcome, the show seems to have stuck in the craw of many in the Kootenays town.

"My feeling was it was a bit over the top," said chamber of commerce executive director Tom Thomson. "It was quite obvious they were trying to build this as an anti-war piece."

The show included a look at ex-combat engineer Kyle Snyder, who refused to serve a second term in Iraq.

The 23-year-old is viewed as a war resister by his supporters but is being treated as a deserter by U.S. military authorities. It's a key distinction, says Nelson Mayor John Dooley.

"These characters were volunteers to the military and they didn't like what they saw when they got there," he said. "I think the key thing here is [the word] deserter, these people are deserters. The word resister tends to soften it. They're deserters from the U.S. military.

How Far From Nelson Is Vancouver

War resist tour
Vancouver - The War Resisters Support Campaign presents: War Resist Tour featuring Toronto Hip Hop Artist Mohammad Ali, a benefit to support U.S. war resisters seeking refuge in Canada.