Another Shot at Military Exemption?
linked to in Castro's minutiae, here's the full story.
almost 2 years ago
westbrook
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so if he plays in that tournament, after his birthday, does he risk anything? obviously he’d have permission at that point so i guess it’s not like they’d arrest him at the border.
I remember someone from the team being asked about this and they confidently dismissed it as a potential problem
of course. he’s being pro-actaive
by clusterchuck on Feb 22, 2010 8:52 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Neyer today blogs about Choo’s military service and wonders what we’d think if an American player was in the same situation.
How I’d feel if we were in a cease fire with a country that barely has enough resources to support itself, let alone legitimately attack us while we are very tightly allied with one of the world’s superpowers and there is a conscription requirement that goes by year after year with no regular military action necessary? I’d say let the man play ball.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
by USSChoo on Feb 24, 2010 1:39 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, Neyer kind of loses the plot when he starts comparing the situation to Americans being drafted in 1943. Social commentary always trips him up pretty good, but he just can’t help himself.
I don’t think he’s doing that. He acknowledges that was different and he said many times that he thinks Choo should stay in America and play baseball. I think his point was how would Americans react if an athlete chose to keep playing his sport over fighting for his country.
by Buckeye Brad on Feb 24, 2010 1:36 PM EST up reply actions
And I’m saying, it’s just a cheap question that pretends to be though-provoking.
First you have to institute the draft in America and whatever reasons would be surrounding that development. Based on the situation in South Korea, our citizens would not tolerate the instituting of a draft. If we had a more dire situation, a la 1943, necessitating a draft, then it would be a different situation.
So what, ultimately, is Neyer asking? If we’d tolerate a citizen dodging the draft in wartime, which Choo is not doing? If we’d tolerate a pro athlete declining to be in the military at a time when there is no mandatory conscription, which thousands of American pro athletes are doing and Choo is not doing? Or if we’d tolerate a pro athlete dodging service at a time when there was a draft but no good reason for it, which is what Choo is doing but is rather unthinkable in America?
I think it’s chauvinistic to think someone born and raised in a country would be so wiling to throw it all away, and live the rest of his life in exile, even if the country he were exiled to is the U.S. of A.
I won’t name those who think it’s a no-brainer, something he needn’t give any thought to, but it has been expressed on this site that there’s nothing to worry about because Choo can just become an American. Like, duh—who wouldn’t rather live in the U.S. than in some stupid country like South Korea? But it’s a hard decision to give up on the land of your father and mother and grandparents and siblings. If you had a choice of accomplishing something professionally and remaining in your native land, what would you do?
That’s how I interpreted Neyer’s ambiguous comment.
Wow. Do you ever stop to listen to yourself? The problem with the question of achieving your goal or remaining in your homeland is flawed for one very large reason. It’s called US Citizenship. Guess what Choo can do if is granted that; he can return to South Korea anytime he wants.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
Also for reference, from the U.S. State Department site:
There have been several instances in which young U.S. citizen men of Korean descent — who were born in and lived all of their lives in the United States — arrived in Korea as tourists only to be drafted into the Republic of Korea army. At least two of these cases involved individuals whose names had been recorded on the Korean Family Relations Certificate without their knowledge. Special permission to visit Korea should be obtained in this instance; please contact the Korean Embassy or a consulate to receive more information before traveling to Korea.
Hahaha, turncoat? You do realize who South Korea’s strongest ally is, right?
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
Have you ever stopped to consider the possibility that a person can love his own country—even if it is South Korea—just as much as Americans love their own country? If he becomes an American citizen, Choo can go back home but not as a citizen of South Korea. That might matter to some people. Becoming a citizen of a foreign country may also ostracize him in his native land. It could matter greatly to him.
I don’t know the citizenship status of his wife, but it might also mean that Choo’s children might not become Korean citizens.
You clearly think this is a trivial issue, but it does matter to some people. It’s not a no-brainer.
You’re posturing about something you have no idea about, only to make yourself look like the smarter person here. Have YOU considered, that what might be most important to Choo is to achieve the goal he has spent his entire life striving towards? Of course you haven’t because that would make you wrong.
The matter is a no-brainer if Choo’s priorities lie where they appear to have for the last 10 years – baseball and earning a living for himself and his family. A living that far surpasses what he could achieve by remaining in Korea.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
Realistically, you have no idea whether I’m posturing or not. I think you’re being chauvinistic, and you think anyone would jump at a chance to play ball and make lots of money in the U.S. I bet he could make a pretty good living playing ball in Korea. Not as good, but okay.
You can’t concede the fact that a person might prefer to remain in their native land. Unthinkable!
I’m sorry, yes, I do think that anyone would jump at the change to PLAY A GAME FOR MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. If you had the ability to do so and said no, you would either already be rich or complete and total moron. This has nothing to do with it happening in the United States, you’re the one who made that part up. It just so happens that the opportunity is here. He has the chance to play ball for millions of dollars in the US, not move to the US then hope for a chance to do so. This isn’t some grandiose, American ideal, stop trying to make it into that.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
It’s possible, even likely, that Choo will renounce his citizenship for the right to remain in the U.S. playing ball. And, yes, most people would sell out their citizenship to make lots of money.
But it’s also possible a person might have second thoughts about such a move.
Ok, no-brainer might be a bit of a harsh term, but it’s not that harsh. Obviously it’s not a light decision or it would have been made by now. Clearly Choo wants his government to make the decision for him for obvious reasons. And nobody here, to my knowledge, has ever made the claim that it should be a no-brainer because “it’s America, who wouldn’t want to be here?” It is a baseball no-brainer, I think even you would admit to that.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
Sure. If I were a professional baseball player, I’d rather play in the big leagues than in the Korean Baseball Organization.
Koreans strike me as a particularly nationalistic people. They would look no more kindly at an athlete—a national celebrity, no less—renouncing his citizenship to avoid military duty than Americans would if Tiger Woods decided to become a citizen of Cuba to avoid having to apologize anymore. Choo’s decision will be a big deal in Korea.
You are also, in my opinion, demonstrating a remarkable naivete about the attitudes of Koreans toward the U.S.
Koreans are also proud when their athletes become internationally known, and Choo leaving baseball for military service would hurt his chances for gaining stardom and bringing glory to the motherland.
by cleveland teamer on Feb 25, 2010 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
I missed the part where anyone in this thread suggested that South Korea is stupid and the US rocks.
Not here. It’s in that other thread where people suggested that Kelly Shoppach deserved the MVP in 2008 and others predicted a championship for this year’s team.
by dgcambridge on Feb 25, 2010 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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