NEWSFLASH: Bernie Sanders was NOT a Conscientious Objector during Vietnam.

[MineralMan]

19. It's an interesting question, and one I hope will be asked.

I'd like to hear his explanation. Now, many people change their views on such things as they get older, so it would also be important to get a clear explanation of his current thinking about warfare.

Many people do not understand what being a Conscientious Objector requires. It's a very specific set of beliefs, and has been tested in the SCOTUS. Perhaps Bernie Sanders understood the requirement for CO status at the time. If so, it would be interesting to hear how and why his positions on warfare have changed since then.

On the other hand, I knew several people who applied for CO status during the VN War. Only one of those was an actual pacifist, as far as I was able to tell. The others were only pretending to be. They were attempting to avoid military service through a ruse. I could not do such a thing, nor could I flee to Canada. So, I enlisted in the Air Force when my draft notice was imminent. I was not alone in taking that option, either.

I remember being called a "draft dodger" once by an Army guy in a bar. He also said, "Air Force Sucks." I agreed with him on both counts. I'm an honest guy. I enlisted in the USAF to avoid being drafted into the Army. There was also much about the USAF that did, indeed, suck, too. The Army guy was puzzled by my response, so I bought him a beer and we talked about his family.

It would be interesting to hear where Bernie's thinking was at that time. There were many approaches to an unjust and useless war in Viet Nam. I'd like to hear his.