This has not received the media coverage it deserves. Nathan Blanc, an Isreali teenager, faces his eighth jail sentencefor refusing to join the Isreali military on ideological grounds. This, to me, is courage comparable to the Tiananmen Square tank man If you do not think that the Isreali government deserves that type of comparrison, ask Rachel Corrie.
A bit more about Nathan Blanc from the link:
Following his refusal to enlist, Blanc expects to be arrested and sentenced to between 10 and 20 days in jail. He will then be taken to Military Prison Number 6 to serve his time. And then, following his release, the cycle will begin over again.
The reason why Blanc knows what to expect is that this will be the eighth time the teenage conscientious objector has been jailed in the past 19 weeks. Since the date of his original call-up for military service, Blanc has spent more than 100 days in prison;
And trying not to press my luck on fair use but:
Blanc rejected the option taken by some objectors of claiming a medical condition that would exempt him from military service. "I didn't want to lie. This is a point of principle."
Peacefully standing up to your own government, inspite of the consequences, is the true work of heroes that give me hope for the future. I know soldiers risk their lives for their country but once you enlist, you are basically just following orders and hoping that you and your friends don't get killed. I'm not trying to disrespect soldiers but true heroism is doing what is right regadless of what your orders say or what the law is or whether it may cause you great harm (either physically, emotionally or finacially). There are true heroes who wear their country's uniform with integrity and make us all proud for their selfless acts of courage and humanitarian relief. However, in my opinion, there are just as many,
if not more, that fight for freedom everyday, in their own way, like Nathan Blanc. In my eyes, he is a real hero and an inspiration to the entire world.
Keep on fighting for peace!