03.07.08
Anti-war uses personal bias to deny recruit his dream
Where else would you expect this kind of naked judicial activism other than Californiastan? From LA’s Daily News:
Shawn Sage long dreamed of joining the military, and watching “Full Metal Jacket” last year really sold him on becoming a Marine.
But last fall, a Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner dashed the foster teen’s hopes of early enlistment for Marine sniper duty, plus a potential $10,000 signing bonus.
In denying the Royal High School student delayed entry into the Marine Corps, Children’s Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel reportedly told Sage and a recruiter that she didn’t approve of the Iraq war, didn’t trust recruiters and didn’t support the military.
“The judge said she didn’t support the Iraq war for any reason why we’re over there,” said Marine recruiter Sgt. Guillermo Medrano of the Simi Valley USMC recruiting office.
“She just said all recruiters were the same - that they `all tap dance and tell me what I want to hear.’ She said she didn’t want him to fight in it.”
Sage, 17, said he begged for Mackel’s permission.
“Foster children shouldn’t be denied (an) ability to enlist in the service just because they’re foster kids,” he said. “Foster kids shouldn’t have to go to court to gain approval to serve one’s country.”
Mackel, a juvenile dependency commissioner at the Children’s Court in Monterey Park, declined through a clerk to speak about any court case or comments she may have made in court.
Transcripts of juvenile court hearings require a special release from a judge. Court officials said a transcript of the Sage hearing, if released, would not be available for a week or more.
After Sage submitted a winning entry to the lawmaker’s Write a Bill Challenge, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth introduced legislation last month that would allow foster teens to enlist in the service without express permission from a judge.
Instead, AB2238 would allow foster children 17 or older to sign up with the consent of a foster parent or social worker.
“Here is one impressive young man who somehow made it through the challenge of the foster system, had a clear sense of a career path and was denied that opportunity by a judge basically because of her personal bias,” said Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, who will honor Sage today at a Royal High assembly.
“I find that to be a horrific abuse of her power.” …
Did the judge say that a law was unconstitutional? Nope. The wench just said “I hate the war and the military, and so does my bailiff, so that’s all that matters. Up yours, kid!” I don’t know if her position is an elected one or not, but I sure hope so.
Submariner said,
March 8, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Interesting discourse this morning on Fox and Friends over this story. Greg (fromer Marine) actually backed the judge on the ruling, just not for the reasons stated which all three acknowledged they didn’t have all the facts on at that time). Greg’s point was that the court must act in the role of the parent for all foster kids, and that a parent doesn;t have to have a reason to refuse to sign and allow a kid to enter the armed forced before 18, either. I’m torn on this, having spent 21 years in the service and also having a son currently on active duty that has already spent one tour in Bagdad. If he would have come to me, during an armed conflict, WOULD I have signed and allowed him to enlist early? I don’t think so. I would have told him to wait until he was legally able to make the decision himself so that if the unthinkable happened, I wouldn’t have to deal with the additional grief that I could have prevented it but didn’t, only that it had happened.
All that said, the b!tch should be strung up by her thumbs for the reasoning that she used.
steve said,
March 8, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Unfortunately, the b!tch has the authority to make that decision. That is the law, despite her reasoning. I agree she should be tossed out on her anti-war butt…
The ironic thing is that this kid is still going to join the Marine Corps in a year, and will fight to protect that b!tch’s way of life. I don’t suppose that she will thank him for it though.
TheBad said,
March 10, 2008 at 10:43 am
“I don’t know if her position is an elected one or not, but I sure hope so.”
Considering the electorate, I’m sure she would tout this decision when running for re-election. It would ensure her victory.