Sentenced to 10 years in Prison

I can't feel especially sorry for this guy. He should have had the fortitude to say no to his commander and do the right thing. To blame this on little sleep and heat is stretching it, in my opinion.

...but not really.

I had a friend sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling 1/4 once of marijuana to a friend. The friend was underage, but she sold LSD and other more illicit drugs, and was just looking for some smoke.

Due to the mandatory minimum sentences in the state of AL, he was convicted of selling marijuana within 2 miles of a school zone (which is ridiculous because in the county he lived in, there is NO place that's not within 2 miles of a school)....and was therefore sentenced to 10 years.

This man is not a drug dealer, and refused to rat out people he knew who were. He had some extra personal smoke, and he sold it to the girl as a favor... a one-time deal.

It just goes to show you how f'd up our system is.

Exhaustion, battle fatigue have their effects. But, the argument that "I was just following orders" is false.

I thought our soldiers had all kinds of "tie-wraps" for handcuffs and such. They could've gagged the man.

It was murder. That Iraqi was a father and because of that soldier he leaves a widow and fatherless children and gives America a worse name. That he got 10 years shows how much we value people- kill someone and what do you get? 10 years in jail.

I have NO sympathy with Vela. He's the same kind of man that would shoot his own people if ordered to do so.

I am active military and have always be told to follow through with an order and ask questions after the fact. Would I do that if I thought it was unlawful? Absolutely NOT!

''Sgt. Vega will spend ten years in jail for the death of a single unarmed civilian while the Commander-in-chief of the military that gave the orders that lead to him serving in Iraq remains in office to finish his term. President Bush is ultimately responsible for thousands of “collateral damage” deaths of innocent Iraqi civilians, yet he will never spend a single night in prison.''

i have showed this stuff to my 19 yearold son and told him.. unless Ron Paul is President.. you don't join the military.. all you are is thug for the one world order jerkoffs and they don't give a flying rats tail about you!

935 lies were told to start this war, Bush remains unchallenged and the war rages on. I consider every soldier convicted of a crime ABSOLVED. They should NEVER have been in Iraq. Impeach Cheney and Bush, set our sons and daughters free.

You are ultimately and individually accountable for what you do. You cannot take the out of, "My superior told me to do it". Especially with regards to an unlawful order. You learn about unlawful orders and not to follow them in boot camp. It isn't rocket science, you follow the articles of war, you deviate from them at your own peril.

Courage isn't the absence of fear, it is action in spite of fear.
Honor is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

As an individual, as an adult, as a human being, you know what is right and what is wrong. As a member of the US Armed forces, you know what is right or wrong.

___________________________
There's no sheep here, there's wolves here, questioning our nation's government.

Former United States Marine
Patriot
For Ron Paul