It's election season, time for another military deserter "profile in courage" from the media...

On July 15, the United States needs to toss this cowardly traitor in jail and lock up the key (emphasis mine):

Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love.

"I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP.

"I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added.

Chiroux joined the US army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant.

He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines and was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.

On Thursday, he refused to go, saying he considers Iraq an illegal war.

"I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq," Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington.

I won't waste any more space on this blog to discuss this man's crime, other than to say that I hope he realizes that as soon as the anti-war left s done using his sorry ass he'll be just another poor, Southern, white man.

I like the spin here from the Agence France-Presse. Before this, I assumed that military recruiters sought out people who felt the call to serve their country, whether they be rich, poor, or middle class. And, even if they did seek him out, where is the problem with that? The military could have given this man opportunities that he might have never gotten without them. Experience. An education. Self-respect. Also, if the man didn't want to join, why did he sign?