Cartell wrote:Maybe saying there is not higher calling then the military is a little exaggerated, but by serving in the armed forces you give a couple of years of your life over to the government. Completely. So you are giving somthing back..
They do own you, as mentioned in that other thread by someone, I forget who, who was in the military. One of my bosses at work was on Riverboat patrol during Vietnam, he treats all of his employees like he owns them and we are in the military. Doesn't work out, but as I said in that thread...I work with a LOT of Vietnam vets. They have all said that the experience changed them, and they learned a lot from it. However, they will
not say anything good about the military in and of itself.
There is a big difference between that and the reality of the situation....life threatening situations change you. Discipline and hard work change you. If you want a "life changing" experience that will open your eyes to the cruelty of the world and force you to push yourself past all of the things you thought were your personal limits in life, there
are alternatives to the military. Finding physical challenges with risks and bringing discipline into your life does not mean you must sign your life away to a corporate run government bent on conquering other countries in order to get natural resources.
When I say I work with a lot of veterans, I do mean that. These aren't the guys that came back from war in a wheel chair, these guys are the men that came back and came out of their ordeals well. Each and every single one of them speak ill of the government, this country's response, and they have
nothing good to say about the military branch in and of itself that governed them during their tour of duty. They will say they met good friends, learned a lot about the world, life and themselves. They will say that it was an incredible, or terrible experience. However, never have I heard anyone I know that has been in the military say they were happy with their treatment by the people above their heads in the military.
The reality of the situation, is that the government sees the military branches as hmm, branches of a huge corporation that deal with protecting and securing valuable assets. The people within the branches are means to an end. Similar to how a mechanic views a screwdriver or a wrench. You use what you have to get the job done, and if it doesn't work, you get something else that works better. If it breaks while you are using it, it was a failure, and you need a replacement, ASAP.
The patriotism instilled in you right now is a product of brainwashing. From the mandate forcing you to say the pledge of allegiance, to the association of your parents getting time off from work and them rushing out to take you somewhere to watch fireworks on 4th of July, to celebrate the birth of this countries independance. This is so that you, as a US citizen will "do your duty to your country" when called upon. Including lay your life on the line when requested to, and hopefully, the filth you were taught in school was believed as truth instead of a biased accounting of history so you do not question the motives of your government. I mean, they don't want you to not respond to the call of arms to "defend the homeland" because you read that the American soldiers of old did horrible things to the natives here in order to secure this "homeland", but rather that they "cleansed the land of heathen savages" instead.
If you join up, you will be hammered with lies and propoganda to make you believe things the government wants you to believe. Why? So that you will do what they tell you to do without questioning their motives. One of my aunts is married to a retired army officer who returned from Iraq two years ago and then promptly retired. He was disgusted that he was lied to and had to follow his orders and order his troops to do what they did there. The locals did
not want his troops there. I'm not talking anti-american soldiers. I am talking mothers, fathers, children, school teachers, doctors, etc. All protesting and cursing at the soldiers. He was spit on and called a "greedy, capitalist butcher" by one of the teachers there, and suddenly wondered what he was doing there.
So, there are a lot of things you can do that I would consider more honourable that would help this country. Volunteer knitting blankets or ladling out soup for homeless people. It may not be a macho thing that makes you feel all strong and stuff, but it does help people in this country, directly.
Cartell wrote:It's Brilliant!:laugh: Lets do it Magrus. You supply the arms I'll recruit the soldiers..
Isn't it though? You aren't the first person to say that, and most of them have been deadly serious....