From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Tue Sep 03 2002 - 14:03:18 MDT
>From: Alfio Puglisi <puglisi@arcetri.astro.it>
>Brian D Williams wrote:
>>a) I'm dropping this discussion since the list consensus is that
>>there is nothing special about service to one's country.
>>b) In fact if this consensus reflects national opinion, then
>>anyone who goes into the military is obviously some sort of an
>>idiot.
>I don't see any cause and effect between a) and b). There's
>nothing special about military service, in the sense that there's
>nothing special about other hard works. If you choose that career,
>great. Why are you asking for some special consideration, beyond
>a mild gratitude for doing something not pleasant that someone or
>someother have to do. Military actions can do a lot of good, or a
>lot of bad, for a country. If you see it strictly in a "let's
>defend us from the evil outside", no problem. But the way most
>countries (US, Europe, etc) interpret the word "defend" can suck,
>at time. I see no "special" value in taking part in this. No need
>to be idiots, either. Just ordinary folks like most people.
If being in the military is just a job, it is the worst job in the
universe, and a job only a fool or very very desperate man would
take.
I was completely unaware of how prevalent this attitude is.
In the new issue of GQ in a food article of all things, Hugh
Kretschmer states "I realize that the youth of today view time in
the military and time in a penitentiary as essentially the same
experience".
If this sort of thing is true my time spent in the military was
nothing more than an extremely destructive waste of four valuable
years of my life.
A society that continues to believe this way is probably doomed.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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