Just when the war in Iraq seems like it can't get any worse, it spirals further into the vicious cycle of violence and death that has plagued the military effort from the start. Even more stressful for people in the military and their families is the debate over whether to increase troop levels or to bring our military men and women home.

One soldier has sidestepped the trip to Iraq by refusing to go, citing moral conflicts as a conscientious objector. A recent Washington Post article detailed the developing story of Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, who will likely be court-martialed on Feb. 5 and could face six years in military prison if he is convicted.

Like any caring mother would do, Watada's mother Carolyn Ho is making attempts to protect her son from what looks like prison time for his refusal to gear up and go with his brigade. On a recent visit to Washington D.C., she made rounds to the offices of senators and representatives to plead her son's case and try to rally their support and intervention in his impending court-martial.

Ho's motherly instincts are right on, but her son is a 28-year-old man who made the choice to enlist in the military, knowing he could be deployed to Iraq, and signed the papers giving his approval.

Whether or not Watada's mother supported the decision to enlist, it should not be her job to make congressional rounds on his behalf for backtracking on a decision he made, defending her son's irresponsibility. The choice between not going to Iraq and risking his life versus spending six years in prison is a difficult one, and Watada's prayer to get a free-pass while thousands of others like him go will probably be unanswered.

Conscientious objectors like Watada, however, should nevertheless have a proper course of action to take in situations where they feel it is necessary to do so. Not everyone belongs on the battlefield, and enlisting in the military should not automatically entail tossing out personal moral stances and suiting up in body armor. Since it appears that Watada's fate is all but sealed, mothers and families of people like him could make a bigger difference by trying to prevent another Watada case from happening since it looks like no end is near for Iraq.