i fully understand the premise of the show is staged confrontational moments, much like most popular (and ultimatly trashy) current TV shows are. I'm just trying to say that some people will react badly to such techniques, as documented in the above video.

That said, of course the kid had hoped to make a name for himself, but once backed into a corner there was always going to only be one outcome.

Asking for a yes or no is ok. Asking for someone to belittle someone else is asking for them to be a prick. To be fair to GR, the guy should have said the names first time, then stopped at "im not willing to belittle these people" and left the show when GR decided to try the meat-head school of diplomacy.

There were many, many, better ways to deal with the situation from both sides. Sad thing is, it documents how badly things can go when both sides feel threatened. GR is highly aware that the situation has gone awol and the cameras are still running, what i'd like to have known is what would have happened if they switched the cameras off and GR was given the chance to act in a non hot-headed "good tv ratings" way.

>> ^MarineGunrock:
No. If he walked off the base, fuck that moron.


Well, some sort of reprimand is in order for going AWOL. But hoping the dumb kid gets himself killed seems harsh.

Honestly I think this Peters fellow is more angry that the soldier caused the army some embarrassment then anything. To him that's the unforgivable part.

Casualties of war; as I approach the barricade
Where's the enemy? Who do I invade?
Bullets of Teflon, bulletproof vest rip
Tear ya outta ya frame with a bag full of clips
Cause I got a family that waits for my return
To get back home is my main concern
I'ma get back to New York in one piece
but I'm bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets
Sky lights up like fireworks blind me
Bullets, whistlin over my head remind me...
President Bush said attack
Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back
Missile hits the area, screams wake me up
from a war of dreams, heat up the M-16
Basic training, trained for torture
Take no prisoners, and I just caught ya
Addicted to murder, send more bodybags
They can't identify em, leave the nametags
I get a rush when I see blood, dead bodies on the floor

Day divides the night and night divides the day
It's all hard work and no play
More than combat, it's far beyond that
Cause I got a kill or be killed kind of attack
Area's mapped out, there'll be no, Stratego
Me and my platoon make a boom wherever we go
But what are we here for? Who's on the other side of the wall?
Somebody give the President a call
But I hear warfare scream through the air
Back to the battlegrounds, it's war they declare
A Desert Storm: let's see who reigns supreme
Something like Monopoly: a government scheme
Go to the Army, be all you can be
Another dead soldier? Hell no, not me
So I start letting off ammunition in every direction
Allah is my only protection

But wait a minute, Saddam Hussein prays the same
and this is Asia, from where I came
I'm on the wrong side, so change the target
Shooting at the general; and where's the sergeant?
Blame it on John Hardy Hawkins for bringing me to America
Now it's mass hysteria
I get a rush when I see blood, dead bodies on the floor

The war is over, for now at least
Just because they lost it don't mean it's peace
It's a long way home, it's a lot to think about
Whole generation, left in doubt
Innocent families killed in the midst
It'll be more dead people after this
So I'm glad to be alive and walkin
Half of my platoon came home in coffins
Except the general, buried in the Storm
in bits and pieces no need to look for em
I played it slick and got away with it
Rigged it up so they would think they did it
Now I'm home on reserves and you can bet
when THEY call, I'm going AWOL
Cause it ain't no way I'm going back to war
when I don't know who or what I'm fighting for
So I wait for terrorists to attack
Every time a truck backfires I fire back
I look for shelter when a plane is over me
Remember Pearl Harbor? New York could be over, G
Kamikaze, strapped with bombs
No peace in the East, they want revenge for Saddam
Did I hear gunshots, or thunder?
No time to wonder, somebody's going under
Put on my fatigues and my camoflouge
Take control, cause I'm in charge
When I snapped out of it, it was blood, dead bodies on the floor

actually he is.


unfortunately, he's been AWOL for quite a number of years, along with wrecking his plane, and will be spending his life in military prison.

Looks like he was going AWOL to me.

Hmmmmm.. so.. he just decided to "quit" and just go home. If in the military and you don't follow orders then you're at serious risk of being put in jail for not following orders and would probably thow in AWOL as well as a few other charges and demotion. Do officers have the ability to just quit whenever they want? I wonder what the military tribunal has to say about all this.

Why didn't the military throw the book at him? I'll tell you why, it's becuase they know they are violating the Constitution of the United States and cannot force him to participate in that act legally. If this were to go to the military supreme court then this guy will win and Gitmo would be deemed a blatant violation of the law of the land. This isn't the America we were all taught about. With the president/government having the ability to lock up anyone they so desire indefinitely without the right to a fair and just trial then this amounts to a treasonous act. Whether many of the prisoners at Guantanamo are guilty or innocent they deserve such a trial.

Goddamnit!. I apologize myfifteenminutes-Thank you. in answering that complex question, Lemmme trail off and get jd's panties un-used as the are, un-knotted, since squeezin' and tying them doesn't seen to produce pussy- No Joe yer idea is like watching paint crust, by the way-

my fif teen, I created the wwshow at the goading of one AWOL user, raven-she tickled me and stroked me one night after I was dead set on letting EIA channel goto the worthy anfd enthusiastic, karaidl....., (kulpims) still wants it yah??!!, , offered here to the collective, and snapped.

Leaves me without a godddamn channel, and I still am without one, so gimme gimme gmme , either reasons why or what for, why "YOU THINK" (good christ on bad drugs must we all suffer it??!!), or the keys to the goddamn kingdom of my creation...and joe get laid fer crissakes.....

MG, I entirely respect your viewpoint, but I do recall a post not terribly long ago where you yourself said that if the government ordered the armed forces (Marines/Army etc, not just Nat. Guard) against the populace illegally, you would check out your weapon and armour and go AWOL, as would many of your fellows.

So I respectfully put it to you that the difference between you and the protesters is that your threshhold of intolerance towards and increasingly fascist government has not been met yet.

We all have limits on what we would accept. The problem is that if you give enough away, one day you will turn around and no longer have the option of CD, you will need to arm yourself for your own safety and liberty.

As I said earlier, this entire issue was a self fulfilling prophecy that the Gov. has, either deliberately or through continued ineptitude, brought to fruition.

If deliberately, what will they actually baulk at? Do they even deserve to govern at this point?

If inadvertantly, do they not deserve to be put on notice that they're the problem, not the protestors..?

>> ^NetRunner:
>> ^MarineGunrock:
If it's such a "lawful" refusal, then why the hell would you be fearing charges?
Because he will almost certainly be embroiled in a legal battle.
Based on the summary saying he's been honorably discharged, my guess is that he got hit with a "stop loss" letter, telling him that even though he's fulfilled his commitment to the Army, they're extending his contract because they need him.
Technically, refusal to serve would make you AWOL, and I don't know if there's still an opportunity for him to get some sort of conscientious objector status. The Wikipedia article on the topic suggests he won't qualify since he's already served at least 1 tour, therefore he's not opposed to war in general.
I hope he gets and holds the press's attention with this, since it's his only shot of winning this dispute.


Here's a little update on this guy from July. The Army commented on his refusal to redeploy.

"As he put his studies on hold to spend several months speaking to members of Congress in Washington about his plight, Chiroux's second deployment date came and went. Technically, he said, he's not AWOL because he feels he's essentially a civilian, and he's heard nothing from the Army since he failed to report.

The Army sees it differently, though. "The way he's going about it by not showing up puts him as a deserter and someone who is AWOL," Army spokesperson Major Nathan Banks said. "We won't go after him, but if he applies for a federal grant or school loans, certain jobs or gets a traffic ticket, he will be arrested and processed for being a deserter, and he will probably get a dishonorable discharge. He's digging his own hole." Banks said Chiroux's best bet is to file as a conscientious objector and explain his reasons for not wanting to serve. Quon added that if a soldier wishes to claim conscientious objector status, they must first report to their mobilization site and submit an application, which is then reviewed by a General Court Martial."

This came from the article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1590339/20080702/id_0.jhtml which was linked through Iraq vets against the war. So, the ultimate outcome of this is that one day it will catch up to him and he will receive a dishonorable discharge (which he can have removed after a specified time limit). He essentially just disqualified himself from veteran's benefits. Thats it. The Army doesn't waste resources chasing after everyone that reneges on their obligations. When he looks for government assistance in the future he will be declined.

it's all fun and games until someone loses an...i mean, goes AWOL!

yeah well, science created the thing, dumbasses....and the science channel guy is AWOL....

>> ^Eklek:
We did a channel roll call recently:
http://www.videosift.com/talk/Channel-Roll-Call
We should think about what would be the allowed maximum period of leader absence..


You sure? I checked his things out and the guy has been AWOL(sp) for the last three months... I consider that an absence, not even a new video submited or comment posted...

Send a message to either Dag or Lucky if you want a channel that has a AWOL owner.

In reply to this comment by NetRunner:
Who do we talk to about taking one over?

Well I'd have to say you need about 142 more star points before you need to worry about owning a new channel. But a Robot channel might be nice, however small it may be.

Of course a lot of channel owners are AWOL and there just aren't enough diamonds to run them all. If VS decides that some Gold 100's need to step up, I'm sure you and I (as well as a few others) would be willing to step up and take over if need be.

My names David but i think of it as Dave and sometimes even Thylan. it's a net/game avatar moniker ive had for half my life atleast. Im 30, write software, live on the Cornish coast (uk), and due to recently buying my first house im AWOL from the sift. I'm redecorating it after work before i move in (currently living with my mom, as she looked after me when i had cancer).

I'll probably return to the sift one day, but my back log of unwatched videos is going to be horrific. Maybe oneday i'll manage to even sift a bit again, and make it to 100 so i can promote some great oldies that i love but have been missed. I'm about to go on holiday till july, and visit lots of friends who ahvent seen me since i got ill, so that will be great, but will mean im even more absent.

Have fun without me, and stay *happy