This is nothing. There’s currently a thread about the legality of conversion therapy and minors. The first post on the second page is about penguins.
Tell me, do you actually believe that statement?
Just for the record, I don’t believe in dowsing. What I believe is that James Randi keeps losing his challenge through his own stupidity, then lies about the results. The lies are transparent, everyone can see through them, and they cause considerable harm to skeptics.
Is that clear?
This is totally off topic and it is a personal attack that is neither pertinent nor allowed.
Take it to The BBQ Pit if you need to make these sort of attacks.
Yet, here you are.
Knock it off.
[ /Moderating ]
My wife is of an age where, had she joined up when she was young, that would not be true. I rib her that today even the Coast Guard might let her play with a .50 cal machine gun and if she were Army in Afghanistan she could ride on an APC with a machine gun of her very own. She cries a bit.
My two cents:
Revolution - justified
War of 1812 - not justified
Mexican-American War - justified
Civil War - justified
Spanish-American War - justified
Philippines - not justified
WWI - justified
WWII - justified
Korea - justified
Vietnam - not justified
Grenada - justified
Panama - justified
Gulf 1 - justified
Bosnia/Kosovo - justified
Afghanistan - justified
Gulf 2 - not justified
Libya- justified
Middle East/Southwest Asia/North Africa (since 2001)*- justified
*-I refer to the various miscellaneous military actions in the War on Terror in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia etc.
A friend of mine thought that until he visited the Naval Museum in Philadelphia, which has a lot of information on the propaganda with which the American press built that war up. If you ever get a chance to visit it, please do (I loved all three ship visits, personally).
The list of military actions shouldn’t be limited to wars. I was with the deployment of a MASH unit to help the victims of earthquakes in Pakistan, and had friends that joined military medical professionals bringing much needed care to very poor parts of Africa and Asia. I have friends that deployed to Haiti to help with brining in supplies, medical care, and keeping the peace. And when civilian authority broke down in New Orleans, who did we count on to restore the peace? US men and women in uniform. We do more than invade other countries.
I think if you asked most people why they joined the military, you would get answers like a steady job, money for college, a chance to see the world or whatever. But I also believe there are easier ways to get those things. I think, deep down, most people who join have a certain sense of service that they may not talk about.
I grew up in a small town and wanted to see the world, and maybe get money for college. I did both. I was stationed in Italy, Spain, the Philippines, Turkey, Japan and had temporary duty or deployments in other places. I met and married the love of my life, who was also in the military. Like I said, there are easier ways of life. We did both stay in once we married, but we spent about 4 years apart for assignments or deployments after we were married. (The military tries to station married couples together and the Air Force especially does a pretty good job, but the needs of the military come first.)
Like others have said, the benefits really are pretty good in the service. If you stay 20 years, as both my wife and I did, you have a paycheck for life and pretty good medical service. While you’re in, it’s possible to get money for college, if you don’t mind going while doing a full-time job. Most people I know have pursued college degrees and many have gone on to graduate degrees. Most of my friend are enlisted folks, not officers. I think I read somewhere that 40% of enlisted folks now have a college degrees.
For a guy like me, who had nothing but a high school diploma, the military was a great chance to gain job skills, get a degree, see the world…all while serving my country. It’s not necessarily for everyone, because, yes, you can’t choose where they send you. And, yes, you sometimes have to follow the orders of butt-heads. But you also get a chance to meet some pretty wonderful people and make friends for life. The military also does a pretty goodjob of integrating people of different races and sexes; better, I think, than society as a whole. You do spend a lot of time away from your family, at times, but do get to see some things you would not have had the chance to see. All in all, it was a great experience. I’m very glad I served.
This whole thread reminds me of the dicks, pussies and assholes speech from Team America: World Police.
If you know so little about the American military that you think it’s easy to join and takes just 15 minutes at a recruiter’s office, then you really ought to educate yourself more before making such extreme statements.
see post #105
It’s been a while since I spoke with someone who felt that everyone who served in the German military during WWII, regardless of their capacity was a war criminal the same as Eichmann.
At least that is the logical extension of your argument.
Anyway, then, if you don’t mind my asking, following the end of WWII should we then have executed every person who served in Germany military for war crimes, or do you think we were wrong to execute people like Eichmann, Goering etc. and they should have been jailed instead.
If you feel that Goering and every person who served in the German military didn’t deserve to be executed how long should they have been put in prison for, or do you feel they shouldn’t have been put in prison?
Thank.
In GD there is a specific rule against calling someone a liar. In other forums you might get away with it, if you are polite and can justify the accusation.