tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208205943367043628.post4345458882592758148..comments2023-04-30T06:36:37.727-04:00Comments on Free Range Anglican: Veterans' Day, Prosperity, and Just Not Getting It.Free Range Anglicanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14484140709221984584noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208205943367043628.post-56978105876450489872011-11-12T14:12:55.172-05:002011-11-12T14:12:55.172-05:00I didn't think of it until I read BR's com...I didn't think of it until I read BR's comment, but it is true that with no draft, whole segments of our society are removed from personal involvement in these wars.<br /><br />There is another disconnect - in our government. There’s a big difference between leaders who have experienced war and those who have not. George Bush was a Navy fighter pilot in WWII. His Gulf war had limited goals. When they were acomplished we came home. He was criticized for that. “Should have finished the job.” they said. Since 1993, our presidents have not experienced war first hand and they have gotten us into situations with no clear goals and no defined end points.OlDavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07051604218203861310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208205943367043628.post-50410395661621038452011-11-12T10:09:35.678-05:002011-11-12T10:09:35.678-05:00Yeah, Bruce, I see your point. But I think the pro...Yeah, Bruce, I see your point. But I think the problem is not in whether or not the military is a corps of volunteers (I think all young men still have to send in that draft card when they turn 18) or draftees. I don't support a draft (ever... its slavery and I think makes it too easy for Congress to choose war) but I do think you're right about the basic detachment. I suspect it is a symptom, though, of a more pervasive tribalization of America. Once upon a time, America went to war as a country, now as a class of warriors. Why? Because entire segments of the population have insulated themselves from other entire segments of the population. There's no longer one nation, but many tribes. If your view of the military is colored by media and not relationship, it is by nature going to be skewed. If its colored by relationship (here and now relationship, not just "my dad was in the military" (he was... if he hadn't been in the Air Force, he probably would have gotten in some serious trouble in his youth) but today kind of "I know those guys" relationship.) That's what you had; but a draft will only fix the military side of the symptom (and at greater cost to national security, liberty, and morale) and not the underlying problem.Free Range Anglicanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14484140709221984584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208205943367043628.post-23789431926072853522011-11-12T09:22:45.575-05:002011-11-12T09:22:45.575-05:00Thanks for this, Tara, and I appreciate your thoug...Thanks for this, Tara, and I appreciate your thoughtful reflections here. I do say the Pledge and, on occasion, wave the flag, but certainly our deepest allegiance is directed to another shore. I would note that one of the unfortunate down-sides to the all-volunteer military has been an increasing divide between those who serve and their families and those who don't. When I turned 18 in 1971 I and every other senior (male) in my high school class had to stop by the Selective Service Office and fill out the form to get a Draft Card. Rich and poor, black and white. In every corner of the community there would be the families and loved ones of those who were serving. I think since we moved to all-volunteer the general trend has been that large segments of our community become so disconnected from the armed forces that they begin to think about "them" rather than about "us." If they think of "them" at all. <br /><br />I'm not suggesting that there aren't some really positive aspects to all-volunteer. And I don't think it would be politically a viable option to re-populate the local draft board. (Besides, the military itself is downsizing at the moment, and even volunteers are having a hard time enlisting if they don't fall into some specific skill-based categories.) But there are multiple sides to the situation --<br /><br />Blessings,<br /><br />BruceRBruce Robisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193701138386039942noreply@blogger.com