BBC NEWS | Americas | US military recruits more ex-cons
I read this article and said to myself, “861 out of 180,000 who entered in 2007 actually isn’t that bad….”
And then I read further.
Oh boy.
In addition to these 861 felons, the armed forces had to make exemptions for a number of recruits with “serious misdemeanors”.
“What’s the number?”, you ask?
Try 27,671 of them.
So, if reading that 15% of our newly-minted soldiers are convicted criminals doesn’t jar you, try this other little nugget:
Only three in 10 Americans of military age meet the army’s medical, moral, aptitude, or administrative requirements, army officials point out.
You heard it here first, people — the Army is actually becoming an “elite organization”.
Setting aside the stunning fact that 180,000 kids thought it would be a good idea to enlist, it is becoming clear to me that the Canadians are looking over the border at us like the big, fat, greasy hamburgers that we have become. Come and get us, you Canuck horde — we won’t get up off the couch to put up a fight. I’m half-hoping that they’ll do it soon so I can get some health care going….
And, in the meantime, consider the long-term consequences of giving sex offenders military training.
Sleep tight, hamburgers.
These numbers are not surprising. For a lot of impoverished Americans, the lines are clearly drawn. You can either join a gang or join The Armed Services. They call it voluntary service, but if your other options are prison and certain death, it might as well be compulsory.
Coming from poor, broken homes, naturally a lot of these men and women would have records. Youthful misdemeanors should not disqualify a person from serving their country. People who have been convicted of crimes in the past should have the opportunity to redeem themselves in society. The army has a much better track record of reforming than our prison system.
Joining the service should be a means toward self-improvement. In the past, it has provided young men with structure, community, values, and skills they can put to use if they are fortunate enough to return to a peace time society. As these things all erode in our military, so too does our appreciation for the service of our brave soldiers and their justification for enlisting to begin with.
When a soldier can’t explain his mission, receives no social benefits from his government, and can expect to be treated with ambivalence by the general population when he returns…why not join a gang? The pay and the hours are better, the enemy is easily identifiable by bandana color, and unlike the military, you can get laid.
The irony, of course, is that our Armed Services are ultimately controlled by a gang. A rich, white gang.
I couldn’t agree more!
And your comment wins "The Smedley Butler Award" for today:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket
Perhaps it’s time for a new draft. Consider it a "National Physical Fitness Program"! When less than 1/3 of us *could serve* (voluntarily, or under socio-economic compulsion), it’s time to haul Gunnery Sergeant Hartman out of retirement to PT our sorry asses back into shape — and not time for us to lower our standards. Seems emblematic of the "New American Method": If you can’t pass the test, lower the bar to "success".
Best part of reinstating the draft? No more "undecided voters".