The Real Reason for Don't Ask, Don't tell

[Guest PWIT]

>I frankly cannot for the life of me, understand why anyone

>would want to serve in the military. Put your ass on the line

>and fight under excruciating circumstances because some

>swaggering Texas Blowhard and his band of merry men have to

>scratch their testosterone itch?

 

And before the current president, did you serve? If your candidate wins, will you enlist? Do you really think people join the military based on who is in office? I have never met someone that joined based on who was commander in chief.

 

>When the Arabs are marching up 5th Ave, perhaps.... but until

>then let those oh so butch hetro's fill the gap. They deserve

>it.

>

>I've always had the attitude - If you don't want me at your

>party then I don't want to be there, thank you very much.

 

If they welcomed gays with open arms tomorrow, will you be in line then?

[Guest zipperzone]

>And before the current president, did you serve?

 

No - I'm not American so the question doesn't really apply.

 

>If your

>candidate wins, will you enlist?

 

See above

 

>Do you really think people

>join the military based on who is in office? I have never met

>someone that joined based on who was commander in chief.

 

My point was that I wouldn't enlist because I wouldn't want to get my ass blown off fighting a war that shouldn't have been started in the first place.

 

As I am a pasifist I wouldn't go to war - period.

 

>>I've always had the attitude - If you don't want me at your

>>party then I don't want to be there, thank you very much.

>

>If they welcomed gays with open arms tomorrow, will you be in

>line then?

 

No - see above.

 

The only way I would serve is if my country (Canada) was invaded and the threat to my continued freedom was real. But to go half way around the world to fight some war started by a megaomaniac? No way!

 

However as you sound as if you would volunteer to go to war - I'd gladly wave you goodbye and hope I didn't have to greet you on your return in a box.

[Guest alanm]

>The only way I would serve is if my country (Canada) was

>invaded and the threat to my continued freedom was real. But

>to go half way around the world to fight some war started by a

>megaomaniac? No way!

 

I was drafted in 1967 and received orders for Vietnam in 1968, so I had to make that very decision. It was rough and comic at the same time. I kept expecting a little light bulb to appear above my head to tell me what to do. I wish I had your guts and just said there's no way I'm going. On the other hand, I would be a very different person today if I hadn't spent that year in an abandoned fishnet factory in a light infanty brigade between Saigon and Cambodia. I'll never know whether the difference is better or worse than I would have turned out otherwise.

 

(Only my very dumb pride has kept me from applying to the VA for post tramatic stress disability.)

[Guest zipperzone]

>I would be a very different person today if I hadn't spent that

>year in an abandoned fishnet factory in a light infanty

>brigade between Saigon and Cambodia. I'll never know whether

>the difference is better or worse than I would have turned out

>otherwise.

 

Sometimes "different" is just different - not necessarily better or worse.

 

>(Only my very dumb pride has kept me from applying to the VA

>for post tramatic stress disability.)

 

Is it too late to apply for it now? If not, do so. If there is any money available to you, don't let pride stand in your way. The IRS sucks every possible penny it can out of you (Revenue Canada is no different) so if you can beat them at their own game - go for it.

 

Consider this example - I heard a discussion yesterday about what was happening to people who lost their homes in the U.S. due to the current meltdown in the mortgage business. Let's say you have a home with a $100,000 mortgage. It is foreclosed on. The lender sells the house and only recovers 90K. They make the decision to forgive the 10K shortfall as they think their chance of recovery is slim. The IRS is then assessing the owner who was in default, income tax on the forgiven 10K. Is that fair? I wouldn't say so. Talk about greed!

 

So, I say again - go for it and don't look back. Pride or fairness never got in the way of the IRS so it shouldn't for you either.

>

>

[Rick Munroe]

>Do you really think people

>join the military based on who is in office?

 

Why do you think recruitment is so abysmally low now? It has a lot to do with Bush's foreign (non) policy and unnecessary war with no plan or strategy. Once we get a sane (Democratic) president in office, I'll bet more people will sign up.

[+ purplekow]

>>Do you really think people

>>join the military based on who is in office?

>

>Why do you think recruitment is so abysmally low now? It has

>a lot to do with Bush's foreign (non) policy and unnecessary

>war with no plan or strategy. Once we get a sane (Democratic)

>president in office, I'll bet more people will sign up.

>

Rick I am profoundly disappointed, AlanM made a post stating that he was in an abandoned fishnet factory and I read your post and not a mention of stockings. I was expecting perhaps, I was wondering why those Vietnamese stockings I loved so much became so hard to find. Or, perhaps a reference to Rocky Horror. It is tough to meet the comedy demands of a ravenous public, but Rick, we are starving for entertainment here in the Forum.

 

I have never seen a purplekow;

I never hope to see one;

I can tell you anyhow;

I'd rather see than be one

 

Help there is a purplekow in my mirror

[Guest PWIT]

>>Do you really think people

>>join the military based on who is in office?

>

>Why do you think recruitment is so abysmally low now? It has

>a lot to do with Bush's foreign (non) policy and unnecessary

>war with no plan or strategy. Once we get a sane (Democratic)

>president in office, I'll bet more people will sign up.

>

 

Is it the person or the policy then? There seems to be a counter argument in your statement. Dig into recruitment stats, it doesn't matter who or what party is in office, a double digit deviation is very rare. Assuming abysmal is at least 10%, based on historical trends of a presidents whole term in office, I would take that bet. Historically, it has been events (i.e. 9/11), not elections, that have caused surges in applications. Long term analysis is difficult since you would need to exclude years the draft was in effect, so you really only have a half dozen presidents to draw on.

 

Now, if instead of recruitment you were talking retention, you can find some correlation to who (or what party) is in office. But it also doesn't reach double digits (excluding periods when there was a reduction in force).

[Rick Munroe]

All I know about the military is that M*A*S*H already has all eleven seasons on DVD. :o

[Guest PWIT]

>All I know about the military is that M*A*S*H already has all

>eleven seasons on DVD. :o

 

now didn't I read about a little role play where.....

[Rick Munroe]

Oh, yeah!! Review # 21 (I just looked it up). If they did stuff like that in the army, I'd consider enlisting... }(

[+ deej]

Polite suggestion: put it back in your pants before this thread gets moved.

[Rick Munroe]

Iraq vet kicked out of the Army as part of DADT:

 

http://freedomtoserve.blogspot.com/2007/08/injured-iraq-vet-booted-under-da-dt.html

[Louis]

He joined the military to protect a country that won't protect his rights.