Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Originally posted by: Proletariat
Yo CK - heres what I think:
The current military is entirely voluntary. These people want to go and fight. And therein I see the problem. We basically have a bunch of people who either A) need the money/benefits or B) are out there to kill - I.E. they find war fun. Thats what I think is hurting us on the ground in Iraq and globally in a sense. If you have an army which is a cross section of American society you will get people like myself or yourself whom may have different ideals and may help change the peoples opinion on the ground - you know?
Hmm.. I can see your point, but I don't think it's as prevalent an issue as you want to believe. I'm sure many people are "gung-ho" about joining the military, and maybe a small few think that they will find killing "fun," but these are not the types of people who will be in any position to make policy. I have almost no day-to-day military exposure, other than a few friends and coworkers who have served, and customers I limited contact with, so this is all speculation. But I would imagine that these "I want to kill!" types, if they exist, are used only in situations that do not particularly call for tactical discrimination or discern. I doubt they rise up to the ranks of military advisors that whisper in the CiC's ear.
I don't think the people "on the ground" really
should be in position to influence and change the opinions of others. That power should lie with the higher-ups, the ones that have to answer to the citizens. The ones we elect, or who are appointed by those we elect. Hell, look at a jury pool. It's hard enough to get these people to come to a cohesive conclusion about whether the man on camera realy *did* rob that store. And they are in a decidedly non-hostile environment. You want to arm these same people and let them express their concern and differences in a combat zone?