93henfan wrote:Cluck U wrote:They already have enough dolts that can push a button or get shot up for other people's monetary gain.

Dolts huh? Tell us how you really feel about the people leaving their families to go to some shithole for five pumps in the last ten years. Lot of lives and blood shed to be calling them dolts, but that's easy to do from inside your cozy borders.

Cry me a river. I traveled all over this g'damned country, away from my family for weeks, for several previous jobs and don't expect anyone to loose sleep or call me a hero because I chose a certain occupation with costs associated with it.
Anyone who signs up for our military is nuts.
Seriously.
There is NO reason for anyone to go into the armed services at this point in time. You might think that is stupid, but anyone who goes into the military is NOT protecting the United States of America from any foreign power. We are not under any threat from any country...and haven't been for decades. The people of Egypt aren't going to rise up to attack 'Merica. Russia? Nope. Korea? Not a chance.
Who is going to invade the United States?
If you suggest we should defend Europe...why the fvck should our troops be stationed in Europe? Who is going to invade Europe? Not Russia (Don't...don't...don't believe the hype). And, if someone invades Europe, the Europeans should be adequately able to defend themselves from this mysterious attacker.
So really, who is a military threat to the United States of America? Godzilla? Martians?
Now, some of you are going to insert Al Qaeda...and I am going to have to laugh.

AQ would have NOTHING to do with the U.S. if we weren't farting around the world propping up oppressive dictators who are letting their people get educated by imams in tents.
We don't need a huge standing military. We just don't. Our top general, who gets paid to make such decisions, wants to cut our military back to pre-WWII levels. And heck, we don't even need that if we decide that we don't need to be involved in, or cause of, every single flare up on this planet...and we could go down even farther if we tell Europe to fund their own defense forces.
Instead, we have a huge standing military that gets sent to do the bidding of our corporations...at the expense of our taxpayers. In the meantime, the big wigs and MIC companies make a ton of money off the latest overly expensive and redundant gadgets, many that don't work as advertised, and few that we really need.
We simply don't need such a military.
Currently, we have a bunch of our boys, girls, and transgendered suckers getting shot at in places they shouldn't be...all in the name of....what? Democracy? No way. Fair trade? No way. Freedom? You're fvcking with me. Saving the helpless from tyrants? Puhlease. Defending our "strategic" interests? Huh? Who's interests?
Goat herders around the world don't want America dead...they are too busy trying to scrape out a living to care about us. Cripes, we don't even care about us, so why should they? But, we're dropping bombs and killing their people...for what? BTW, I'm not crying about it...people die all the time...but we don't need to be there and anyone who signs up for that shvt is stupid. They've bought into a lie.
You want a force for protection? OK, I get that. Someone hits us, we hit them back. Defending our country...something I can believe in and appreciate.
But that isn't what we have.
We have a bunch of people who join the military for a paycheck (often, not having many other choices), and then they get ordered to go into places where we have no business. Shooting up people in Afghanistan really isn't defending my country, no matter how anyone tries to sell that story.
And don't give me the garbage about their dedication and bravery going into battle. Soldiers follow those orders because they are brainwashed about loyalty, courage, and the great defense of this country (and the fact that they will be thrown into the brig if they don't). Would you expect me to respect an Iraqi soldier because they think they are doing something for their country? Or maybe only the ones on our current list of good guys?
Oh, and soldiers are trained to follow orders...rather than think. They aren't sacrificing for me...they are doing their job (a choice they most likely made for their own well being). They know the risks, and, if they've been paying attention to the world, they know (but probably don't bother to try to understand) that they are going to be sent to get shot at, and shoot back at, some people who don't want them where they are going. Why are they being shot at? Well, if you ask, "why" then the military doesn't want you (or you get thrown into the brig), at least not on the front lines. So, there really isn't any choice...our soldiers just do what they are told. And they knew that was the deal when they signed up. BTW, why does every military movie have some clown that screams, "I didn't sign up for this shit!", when in fact, they signed up for that shit?
You've probably already lost it at that point, but you can put your gun back in its holster...I'm not the enemy. I just don't think anyone should respect a soldier simply because those folks have chosen to put on a uniform because no one really believes they are going into the military to defend our country from bad guys, do they?
Let the politician's children sign up for the military...and the politicians themselves. If we did that, we'd really see what size military we'd need...and what military actions we deemed were "necessary." My bet is that we'd have a really different attitude towards our "conflicts."
Heck, there used to be a time when leader LED their troops into battle. When is the last time that happened in a "civilized" (now that is funny) nation? Well, we know who the smart ones are now, don't we...and they ain't wearing a dirty uniform.
