Just deserts

The United States will ask the Japanese government for custody of Charles Robert Jenkins if the former U.S. soldier charged with deserting to North Korea goes to Japan for medical care, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

"Our view is that Sgt. Jenkins ... is a deserter from the U.S. Army. He has been charged with extremely serious offenses," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Jenkins deserted in 1965. Hasn't the statute of limitations run out, or is there no statute for desertion?

But, hey, why not. Let's extradite him and have a big media circus about this old traitor. Then we can have further discussions about about avoiding service during the Vietnam War.