- This topic has 64 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 6 months ago by
scaredyclassic.
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June 16, 2014 at 7:42 AM #775216June 16, 2014 at 8:45 AM #775220
all
Participant[quote=scaredyclassic]
if you were drafted and unpaid…what would such a military look like?[/quote]Feels like a good setup for another ‘in Soviet Russia’ joke.
June 16, 2014 at 8:52 PM #775233paramount
ParticipantThanks for taking this topic on scaredy…
June 16, 2014 at 9:54 PM #775238scaredyclassic
Participantthe military has become an object of quasiworship. its primary article of faith is that we owe everything we are, everything we have and all of our future to our military. our very freedom and life depend ont he willingness of brave men adn women to don the uniform and protect us.
to have this discussion in public, that perhaps the military has nothing to do wtih protecting us, the nation, our freedoms, out constitution, even amongst purported friends, to contradict this, would to invite ostracism, hatred and perhaps a sound beating. so much for freedom of speech. you technically have the right, and the govt wont shut you down, but everyone’s so inculcated and persuaded and on the same page the govt doesn’t have to.
this, ultimately, is why i voted for vermin Supreme for President. He was focussed on getting ponies for all citizens, not illegal warfare.
June 16, 2014 at 9:58 PM #775241ParticipantA constant stream of broken promises, ubiquitous in political campaigning, continues to fool many voters in every election. While such promises tend to increase voter apathy, this in turn leads candidates to adopt more sophisticated strategies in making promises which they may lack any ability to implement once in office. Political satire makes an easy target of this cliché problem in political discourse. In the candidacy of Vermin Supreme, he promises if elected that he will provide free ponies for all Americans (Walker). This satirical promise developed in a spontaneous moment of inspiration during Senator John Kerry’s campaign to win the Democratic Party primary in New Hampshire. During an anti-war rally, a call-and-response chant repeatedly asked “What do we want?” To this, activists predictably responded, “Peace!” After a few repetitions of this chant, Vermin Supreme interjected his own response: “A pony!” This quickly spread through the rally, and Supreme had a new campaign platform (Kennedy 114-115). Since that inspired moment, Supreme’s promise of free ponies for all Americans has become more elaborate, and he now promises free pony healthcare and subsidized pony housing (Steer 11). With the original ridiculous promise, Supreme mocks the promises of all politicians and moreover draws attention to the way that politicians easily shift the focus from ideal outcomes, such as peace, to material wishes. Over time, Supreme has built upon this to directly criticize campaigns which appeal to the American dream of home ownership and the promise of universal healthcare.
June 16, 2014 at 10:00 PM #775243Participantvermin supreme is running again in 2016 ad I am definitely going to try to get the vote out for him then!
all politicians are vermin; but he is Vermin Supreme!
June 17, 2014 at 6:55 AM #775255Participantwhen you actually look at the data there on servicemen deaths in the link above, combat is not the majority cause/ percentage of the deaths. in some years, suicide is as likely to be the cause of death as combat. when you combine accident and suicide, those risks outweigh the risk of death than combat.
i suppose one could be grateful to the military who cannot hack it and off themselves, for taking on the psychological risks of meaninglessly putting their lives on the line and pointlessly killing hundreds and thousands of innocent people to further American financial interests, but that seems a stretch.
Suicide is generally viewed as a coward’s way out. Moreover it is against the law. and finally, if you’re so distressed by the idea of killing a lot of people, then maybe it would be better not to join a military group with a proven record of nondefensive, effective killing.
or perhaps just go to the shops and look at the braggodocio ont he tshirts for sale.
KILL EM ALL. LET G-D SORT EM OUT.
The marines. when you absolutely positively need something destroyed overnight.
United States Marine Corps
Leader of men, teller of tall tales, legend in his own mind, U.S. Marine extraordinaire, stream fordable, air dropable, beer fueled, water cooled, author, history maker, lecturer, traveler, freedom fighter, defender of the faith. Wars fought, tigers tamed, revolutions started, bars emptied, alligators castrated. Let me win your hearts and minds or I’ll burn your damn hut downlike, when you see the above shirt, if you’re not int he mood to see some dead bodies of all ages shapes and sizes, maybe you shoudl ask some more questions of the recruiter…not sure where that particularly asinine last one comes from, but it seems to be the signature line on many marine website postings. the last sentence, if not meant in an ironic, selfmocking way is actually freakishly disturbing, if you actually stop to think about it. the rest of it is just irritating as hell, how badass these old marines think they are. and while a certain percentage are, the vast majority are probably not. at least not without their buddies and the full force of the military machine behind them.
June 17, 2014 at 7:05 AM #775260Participant[quote=all][quote=scaredyclassic]
if you were drafted and unpaid…what would such a military look like?[/quote]Feels like a good setup for another ‘in Soviet Russia’ joke.[/quote]
In soviet russia, the people worship power. In the USA, the people worship power. wait. it’s supposed to eb the opposite. hmmm. how are we different again?
“Marines Never Die — They Just Go To Hell And Re-Group”
June 17, 2014 at 12:44 PM #775274FlyerInHi
Guest[quote=scaredyclassic]
In soviet russia, the people worship power. In the USA, the people worship power. wait. it’s supposed to eb the opposite. hmmm. how are we different again?
“Marines Never Die — They Just Go To Hell And Re-Group”[/quote]
The difference is the economic system that generates consumer goods.
Soviet leaders were ignorant pitchfork peasant revolutionaries. I think it’s better to have educated people in power.
June 17, 2014 at 12:54 PM #775275Guest[quote=CA renter]
It is ALWAYS about resources and the power we attain via control/ownership of those resources.[/quote]You’re giving the war deciders too much credit for rational decision making.
Humans do all kinds of things for pride, braggadocio, revenge, hubris…
Vietnam. Texas cowboy pride on the part of Johnson.
Afghanistan. Revenge. Bush said “you fuck with use, I’ll blow your brains out.”
Iraq. Hubris. We are the biggest, baddest.
Texas cowboy pride on the part of Bush who listened to Cheney (who thought we could get the oil).It’s not good to be led by trigger happy, gun toting, low education boys. As pawns, even knights, we stand a better chance with rational, intellectual leaders.
June 17, 2014 at 6:25 PM #775307CA renter
Participant[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=CA renter]
It is ALWAYS about resources and the power we attain via control/ownership of those resources.[/quote]You’re giving the war deciders too much credit for rational decision making.
Humans do all kinds of things for pride, braggadocio, revenge, hubris…
Vietnam. Texas cowboy pride on the part of Johnson.
Afghanistan. Revenge. Bush said “you fuck with use, I’ll blow your brains out.”
Iraq. Hubris. We are the biggest, baddest.
Texas cowboy pride on the part of Bush who listened to Cheney (who thought we could get the oil).It’s not good to be led by trigger happy, gun toting, low education boys. As pawns, even knights, we stand a better chance with rational, intellectual leaders.[/quote]
Vietnam: Sea lanes and ports, agricultural resources, a foothold in Asia, an attempt to keep the “communist threat” (with whom we were competing for control of the world’s resources) at bay.
Afghanistan: Oil pipelines, metal and mineral deposits, also an attempt to keep those “damn commies” at bay.
Iraq: Oil and a foothold in the ME. Iraq has been a piece of the puzzle in WWI and WWI, as well.
http://historymedren.about.com/library/text/bltxtiraq9.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Iraqi_War
….
While I certainly agree that ego is involved where certain individuals are concerned (and isn’t greed largely driven by ego, as well?), I’m quite convinced that the elite of the world are in a constant battle for control of the world’s resources. The rest of us are pawns, and the stories we are told in the MSM are designed to make us think that we hold some sway in the world’s events — and that we can enjoy some of the “trickling down” of that wealth, too — so that we don’t revolt.
June 17, 2014 at 7:53 PM #775310GuestIn a post colonial world, you can become rich without direct control of resources. There are more effective ways than war to gain access to resources.
The problem is that some war deciders still have old fashioned pre world war II thinking.
I admit I can be swayed by wealth and money. So I could support wealth gathering expeditions. However, if Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq were attempts to gain wealth, they failed miserably. I don’t give the war deciders that much credit.
June 17, 2014 at 11:32 PM #775317ParticipantNorth Korea acts crazy to get some respect. Maybe that’s what we do too.
June 18, 2014 at 8:06 PM #775355Participantall the military people ive dealt with though, are all pretty much better than average folk. they are generally polite and disciplined and pleasant and nicer than the average person, in general.
not that that makes me grateful…but you can see why they ahve such a strong group identity, why they love their group, how they are capable of forming deep bonds…just too bad it’s all based on unquestioning allegiance to an organization whose purpose it is to kill and destroy….
i kinds feel jealous of the friendships and connections they have to one another…
June 19, 2014 at 1:19 PM #775433Guest[quote=scaredyclassic]all the military people ive dealt with though, are all pretty much better than average folk. they are generally polite and disciplined and pleasant and nicer than the average person, in general.
not that that makes me grateful…but you can see why they ahve such a strong group identity, why they love their group, how they are capable of forming deep bonds…just too bad it’s all based on unquestioning allegiance to an organization whose purpose it is to kill and destroy….
i kinds feel jealous of the friendships and connections they have to one another…[/quote]
You have to remember that, especially for the enlisted ranks, the military took in 18 year olds who weren’t shit and molded them into soldiers.
The culture is braggadocio. They are not negotiators or diplomats. It’s about blowing people’s brains out.
A buddy of mine who was a former navy commander just gave me an NRA baseball cap. He joined the NRA to piss me off and gave me the free gift that came with the $35 membership. That was kinda funny, only kinda.
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