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Mandatory military service?

Would you support a mandatory service when a person turns 21 or 18?


  • Total voters
    88
I would classify enacting a mandatory period of service to the state as aggressively authoritarian in nature. Perhaps a mandatory number of weeks of private, non-profit volunteer work would be better?

how would forcing people to do volunteer work be better than paying them to do a job?
 
how would forcing people to do volunteer work be better than paying them to do a job?

To pay every single person who turns 18/21 would probably cost a great deal of money that we don't have.
 
To pay every single person who turns 18/21 would probably cost a great deal of money that we don't have.

that's not the point in the context of your post. you said mandatory service to the state was agressively authoritarian. how is forcing people to do volunteer work any less authoritarian?
 
but no way would I have gotten into a fox hole or trusted the cover from someone who didn't agree or volunteer to serve.

As I already said... very few [rational people] want to be in a "foxhole" or bunker with an enemy attack taking place. However, I can tell you that when survival mode kicks in, most all soldiers fight back. Yep their are some who are shocked and breakdown and are useless but don't think that has anything to do with volunteer vs draft. Nobody knows how they will respond until faced with the horror of it.
 
that's not the point in the context of your post. you said mandatory service to the state was agressively authoritarian. how is forcing people to do volunteer work any less authoritarian?

Well, for starter's the original context of my post was in regards to the title of the thread: which is "mandatory military service" - in which being mandated to service the state's interests is authoritarian. Therefore, my alternative would be the less draconian private, non-profit model that also happens to be deficit neutral. It's entirely possible that I worded my post poorly. :)
 
We live in a society were mommy boys and daddy girls get the **** spoiled out of them and freak out if they get dirt on their $100 Abercrombies. Oh yeah mandatory military service. Let's see how that works out for our society now.
 
Two years of public service would be fine but limit it to military service, because there are other places where the help could be well used.
 
people who don't know jack **** about the military really shouldn't talk about the military. it makes them look ignorant

What happens in the basement stays in the basement follow the rules please. I am entitled to my opinions even if they are wrong.

And if you are trying to harrass me off this sight don't waste your time... I actually have a life and won't stay long.
 
What does this mean, and how did you arrive at this conclusion.

Oh didn't I mention? My father was a veteran of WWII and Korea and ended his 22 year career as a drill sergant.

Of course that doesn't mean he quit being a drill SGT.
 
Who said I was referring to you in particular? Defensive are we?

You said opponents of the draft posting in this thread. That includes us three. If you are going to use a general "you" be clearer to avoid confusion.

Are you also saying that it is a form of slavery? If not, then I'm not really taling about your views. You're certainly entitled to your own opinions regarding morality, but when one places a label such as "slavery" on a certain institution, I must bring into question whether or not said institution actually fits the legal description of slavery.

It's forced servitude, that simple.
 
kinda like the government forcing you to pay taxes,

They aren't forcing you into servitude. They're taking part of the fruits ts of your labor, something the constitution specifically allows.

or telling you what you can or cannot do on your own property because there is some endangered fungus growing on a rock in your backyard...

Telling you what to do with something does not constitute forcing you into service of something.
 
-- Nobody knows how they will respond until faced with the horror of it.

Yeah, agree the basic premise however most conscript armies around the world usually drag in people who are less likely to fight. I repeat in case you were a draftee - that I am not making the case against ALL drafted recruits. We gave up compulsory military service 50 years ago in the UK for very good reason and went instead for smaller, professional forces and that's my experience.

I'd rather face hell with a fellow volunteer than with a conscript though and even then, I don't mean any hostility people who were drafted recruits.
 
Oh didn't I mention? My father was a veteran of WWII and Korea and ended his 22 year career as a drill sergant.

Of course that doesn't mean he quit being a drill SGT.



So how does that answer my question again? Do you talk to him about military folk the way you talk to us, chief?
 
Would you support a mandatory service when a person turns 21 or 18?

Not just no but hell no and you wont find many in the military supporting the notion. Not unless we can go back to smacking the **** out of them when they step out of line.
 
So how does that answer my question again? Do you talk to him about military folk the way you talk to us, chief?

No, he died when I was 13. I totally idolized him though and I wanted to join the military and his advice was; "you'll get killed, someone like me will order you to charge a machine gun nest and if you don't do it he'll shoot you himself."

And you should probably know that he didn't think Vietnam (or Korea for that matter) was a 'real' war and he wouldn't think Iraq and Afghanistan were either. I suppose it has to do with body count or the fact that 'total annihilation' is off the table these days...

I don't share his views though, he was also a racist and homophobe.

Oh yeah and I was basically verbally abused on a daily basis because an 8 year old can't do everything perfectly. So I guess I was being broken down into a self loathing little jerk and missed the reward of graduating into someone he would be proud of had he been able to complete his torment or whatever he was doing.

But after he died I started smoking and drinking then I went to marajuana and LSD. Started hanging out with skate-punks and hating highschool jocks...

Take from that what you will.
 
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No, he died when I was 13. I totally idolized him though and I wanted to join the military and his advice was; "you'll get killed, someone like me will order you to charge a machine gun nest and if you don't do it he'll shoot you himself."

And you should probably know that he didn't think Vietnam (or Korea for that matter) was a 'real' war and he wouldn't think Iraq and Afghanistan were either. I suppose it has to do with body count or the fact that 'total annihilation' is off the table these days...

I don't share his views though, he was also a racist and homophobe.

Oh yeah and I was basically verbally abused on a daily basis because an 8 year old can't do everything perfectly. So I guess I was being broken down into a self loathing little jerk and missed the reward of graduating into someone he would be proud of had he been able to complete his torment or whatever he was doing.

But after he died I started smoking and drinking then I went to marajuana and LSD. Started hanging out with skate-punks and hating highschool jocks...

Take from that what you will.



What i take from it is your resentment for your father dying is taken out with cheap shots at the military. Add to that resentment of successful folk and cowering behind drugs to escape. I have all i need to know here abou you and your motives. :thumbs:




Edit to add. You are precisely the reason we should not have mandatory service. Not only could you not cut it. But if you made to being assigned to. A unit, your liability to those honorably serving would be fartoo great.
 
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What i take from it is your resentment for your father dying is taken out with cheap shots at the military. Add to that resentment of successful folk and cowering behind drugs to escape. I have all i need to know here abou you and your motives. :thumbs:

Well I don't really resent successful people, my dad didn't finish highschool, lied about his age and joined the Army. Before he died our family owned a successful masonry plant... we had enough money to travel for 2 months out of every summer.

Otherwise you're right, except it was anger not resentment and we all know anger is a secondary emotion most often triggered by fear.
 
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Well I don't really resent successful people, my dad didn't finish highschool, lied about his age and joined the Army. Before he died our family owned a successful masonry plant... we had enough money to travel for 2 months out of every summer.

Otherwise you're right, except it was anger not resentment and we all know anger is a secondary emotion most often triggered by fear.

So what are you afraid of that makes you so angry at me?

Not so. Anger is a secondary emotion most often triggered by pain...not fear. Anxiety is the by-product of fear.
 
Not so. Anger is a secondary emotion most often triggered by pain...not fear. Anxiety is the by-product of fear.

Hmm, interesting....

Question retracted.
 
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