Posted on 03/07/2008 7:10:56 AM PST by Pyro7480
SIMI VALLEY - 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...
The recruiters should let him sign the contract 1 second before he turns 18.
I did the same thing, as did many other of the guys with me who went to Army basic in 1990. The only problem is that the movie conditioned us to say "SIR" before and after every sentence. We didn't realize that was a Marine thing and that Army Drill Sergeants get quite offended when you call them "Sir". I got dropped more than a few times in the 1st couple days of basic for making that mistake.
Sounds like abuse of process to me.
holy crap!
Liberal men have no testosterone.
Exactly. I thought lawyers were all about the cash. There is no way there isn’t cash to be made standing up for what is right.
But then, there are a lot of ‘John Edwards’ out there sucking up all the legal oxygen...
Many did...and we owe them a debt of gratitude.
By Pamela Duffy
Dear Commissioner Mackel:
I am deeply offended by the sentiments you expressed during your recent decision in the matter of Shawn Sage. Your statements, as reported in the Los Angeles Daily News, were deplorable and far beneath what citizens should be able to expect of their court officers.
(...)
You reportedly stated that you denied this young man's request to enlist early in the Marine Corps because you did not support the Iraq War, did not trust military recruiters, and did not support the military...
You owe this young man, the recruiter, the Marine Corps, the people you serve, and the American people an apology...
Contact information for this poor excuse for a judge is as follows:
Marilyn Mackel, Commissioner
Edmund D. Edelman Children's Court (Dependency)
201 Centre Plaza Drive
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(323) 526-6402
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