looking at recruitment numbers now and the lowering of standards, can you really say that, "the best of" blah blah with a straight face?
I see them as people, just like everyone else, no better or worse than everyone trying to get by. In the old day these guys would get a lot of respect, and I suppose that in order to do the things they are asked to do they need some sense of pride and righteousness otherwise they'll always be questioning their orders. It's in the command chain's best interest if they perpetuate this feeling of being the "best of the best". They may have freed our country long ago but we have not fought in a defensive war since the American revolution (which, according to some, was sparked by outrage against the central bank of England).
