All-volunteer military may desensitize U.S. to war, some fear - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39066430]Damn, I thought it was just a word you came up with to add to the list of things[/QUOTE] It's a series of physically strenuous tests to ensure you won't be unable to do something essential like walk behind low cover without exposing yourself to enemy fire. The duck walk is pretty similar to this - [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUX-PNdmh-g[/url]

[QUOTE=SilentOpp;39066369]He didn't mention how selective the military has gotten now too. 20 years ago a 20 on the ASVAB and no history of asthma was just about the requirements. Now it's about passing everything from the duck waddle, the counseling sessions, to pre-bootcamp to get in. This guy's opinion is valid but while less people are looking at the military for a career, the military is also looking at less people.[/QUOTE] Even with these steps I still wonder how some people get in to the military. A lot of active duty i deal with are clueless fucktards who have no common sense. You could literally ask them how they're doing and they get fucking confused and look at you crazy. I believe it takes a 25 to get in the marines, 50 navy, 50 air force and I believe 40-50 army. [QUOTE=iusehax;39066379]What the hell is the duck waddle[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWYq1NAqVw[/media] You laugh but some people can't do it.

[QUOTE=MR-X;39069594] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWYq1NAqVw[/media][/QUOTE] That would kick my ass.

[QUOTE=Swilly;39066580]World War I was known as the Writer's War because that's where the futility of war was first exposed.[/QUOTE] The Horrors of war was more exposed to the public during the advent of cameras in the American Civil War. Before that the majority of the civilian population was only exposed to depictions and texts.

[QUOTE=Milkdairy;39072477]The Horrors of war was more exposed to the public during the advent of cameras in the American Civil War. Before that the majority of the civilian population was only exposed to depictions and texts.[/QUOTE] Not for the rest of the world, it was still seen as a way to gain your manhood. Hold on. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XPZQ0LAlR4[/media]

[QUOTE=gudman;39069219]And good luck justifying it all. One thing when former allies engage in a political "Cold" War, and it's something diffirent - basically not to stop the war, but continue against former allies straight away. The WWII ended with everyone loosing it (economy, culture, national identity, all fucked up) except for US. What would've happened if it would go on for another 1-2 years? Everyone in stone-age.[/QUOTE] We were only allies with the Soviets because they were an enemy of our enemy.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39068576]If America, England and France had kept marching eastward after Hitler fell, I'm sure Warsaw, Minsk, Kiev and Moscow would have ended up as Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[/QUOTE] Except there weren't enough nuclear weapons for that AND I'm sure that the American and British public would have strongly objected to inexplicably betraying former allies, no matter their ideology. People tend to forget the racism that lied in the decision to drop the bombs on Japan. Most Americans saw the Japanese as subhuman, viewing 100, 200, or 300 thousand dead Japanese as a net gain for humanity, and thus saw no problem with wholesale eradication of their cities. They wouldn't have such an easy time with Russians, who essentially looked just like us.

[QUOTE=MR-X;39069594] I believe it takes a 25 to get in the marines, 50 navy, 50 air force and I believe 40-50 army. [/QUOTE] My recruiter told me it takes 32 for the Navy, 31 for the Army, and like 30 for the Marines. The highest is 40, and thats the coast guard, second highest is Air Force around 35. The median is 50 i believe for most branches. But i may be wrong. Personally, i think it should be higher.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39074091]We were only allies with the Soviets because they were an enemy of our enemy.[/QUOTE] Pretty much just as Soviets looked at that temporary alliance, but even here the public had a very hard time believing that USA is an enemy now, all of a sudden. Not like stalinist government had to explain anything, but the fact still stands.

[QUOTE='[Seed Eater];39067705']*have to sign up for selective service. If you're 18 and male, congrats, you need to sign up for SS. I mean, they aren't going to hunt you down if you don't (at least not until a draft), but it's you either sign up or never receive a federal loan, federal aid, state or federal welfare, etc. This is for the draft, if we should ever have one again- you're in it whether you like it or not. The only way out is through conscientious objector status, which means that you can prove that your personal beliefs are opposed to warfare and violence. And that's hard as fuck to do- you have to prove you're opposed to [I]any warfare and violence[/I], so even if you're like, say, me, who's been opposed to nearly every war ever committed after 1921, I still wouldn't be able to get objector status because I agree that there could be situations where war is justified. So whether you like it or not, if you have a penis and are 18 years old, and you aren't a hippie or a Buddhist, you're gonna get shipped off the wherever to fight for Uncle Sam if they tell you to.[/QUOTE] Couldn't you just fail the piss test on purpose or would a draft look past that?

[QUOTE=Chicken_Chaser;39075250]Couldn't you just fail the piss test on purpose or would a draft look past that?[/QUOTE] There were a lot of ways to get past the draft. And with modern day medicine, and our understanding of mental disorders, it would be even easier to be disqualified. You could easily look up the symptoms of Bi-polar Disorder, or depression, or something worse, go to your GP, fake it and get a diagnosis. They hand those things out like candy now.

[QUOTE=download;39068030]I know, I'm just paraphrasing what the guy in the article said because some people are too fucking lazy to read. Also, Israel is a poor example because they are always under attack, the US is not[/QUOTE] With Israel's martial luck, I'd wager they could conquer the middle east with one man armed with a pea shooter.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39068576]If America, England and France had kept marching eastward after Hitler fell, I'm sure Warsaw, Minsk, Kiev and Moscow would have ended up as Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[/QUOTE] The allied powers couldn't have kept on marching. The Soviet Union was completely overpowered at that point in terms of military strength. [editline]3rd January 2013[/editline] On a sidenote the draft would be good in the US, less incentive to go bomb brown people for no good reason.

[QUOTE=Stopper;39066319]I only skimmed the article, but from what I gathered, this guy is concerned that people don't really want to serve in the army, correct? And where exactly is the problem in that?[/QUOTE] i skimmed as well but if the title's correct then that means America's becoming less sensitive to war because they're no longer forcing people to be in the military

we need another real war to separate the men from the women, and then send all the men to die, lol. and leave the losers to impregnate all the women. funny how war is like opposite of survival of the fittest or whatever.

Actually I just realized, and this is just the fanboy inside me saying shit. Starship Troopers anyone? An entire society based around the right of franchise being given to veterans only. :v:

[QUOTE=Swilly;39079204]Actually I just realized, and this is just the fanboy inside me saying shit. Starship Troopers anyone? An entire society based around the right of franchise being given to veterans only. :v:[/QUOTE] The guy who wrote that book was borderline fascist.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39079730]The guy who wrote that book was borderline fascist.[/QUOTE] That is why the film so brilliant. It literally tears that book to pieces.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;39079730]The guy who wrote that book was borderline fascist.[/QUOTE] Its still a glorious piece of literature.

[QUOTE=NoDachi;39080341]That is why the film so brilliant. It literally tears that book to pieces.[/QUOTE] I liked the book :/

[QUOTE=NoDachi;39080341]That is why the film so brilliant. It literally tears that book to pieces.[/QUOTE] It would've been funnier if it had follow the book more closely with what the MI really were.

[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;39080357]I liked the book :/[/QUOTE] If you like any sort of Military Sci-Fi and/or Power Armor, you have Heinlein to thank.

[QUOTE=Swilly;39080369]If you like any sort of Military Sci-Fi and/or Power Armor, you have Heinlein to thank.[/QUOTE] He also had a few K98s as heirlooms. IIRC, one of them was SS carried (Had the swastika, bolts and eagle on the receiver and everything)

[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;39080379]He also had a few K98s as heirlooms. IIRC, one of them was SS carried (Had the swastika, bolts and eagle on the receiver and everything)[/QUOTE] Holy Fuck, really?

[QUOTE=Swilly;39080358]It would've been funnier if it had follow the book more closely with what the MI really were.[/QUOTE] Yeah well, the director literally went "This book is awful, I'm going to make an entire film to mock it".

[QUOTE=NoDachi;39080434]Yeah well, the director literally went "This book is awful, I'm going to make an entire film to mock it".[/QUOTE] I like how a majority of critics disagree with that.

I don't like the development of the military becoming a career based endeavor. Sure it means less troops for countries to throw around, but the effects on society as a whole means that war=business and not war=death is a bad, bad development. It's a tradeoff.

[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;39080357]I liked the book :/[/QUOTE] Don't worry, He wrote some hippie style stuff too. See: Stranger in a Strange Land Not all bad (and two very good books)

[QUOTE=BreenIsALie;39080532]Don't worry, He wrote some hippie style stuff too. See: Stranger in a Strange Land Not all bad (and two very good books)[/QUOTE] After looking through the wikipedia. This guy was ALL over the place when it came to themes.

I should end up reading it at some point. Its just that everything I've ever learnt about Heinlein is that he was a massive idiot. Which put me off.