The National Guard is in all of our communities, and a member could be living next door to you. Why would you want them out? Now, if you believe we should return to the original state militia system free of Federal Government control and the lure of the addictive Federal dollar, that would be a constructive argument to make.
I literally said we should support National Guards. I have two Guard families on my block and a retired veteran on my street. None of them bring the military into our community: they are not patrolling the streets with M-16s, they don't post propaganda in their yard and they aren't hanging out at schools to groom kids into joining the military (official recruiters are okay at a school, as long as they don't have a long-term presence). My veteran neighbor flies a U.S. Army flag, but that is not propaganda, he is simply proud. If he put up a recruiting flag instead, such as "Army of One" or whatever slogan, I might have a different opinion of him.
War glorification is a sign of a sick society, same with militia fetishists.
Don’t attend the BolderBoulder 10K ceremony between the citizens’ and pro races at Folsom Field. They follow a respectable and respectful Memorial Day tribute with a swearing-in ceremony for new recruits, I shìt you not.
As a high-school senior, you enlist, but your service is deferred by 4-5 years. In the intervening time, you are participating in a non-revenue generating sport, binge drinking in the offseason, and taking watered-down classes with other dumb jocks. Then, when you're eligibility is up, you get shipped off to the desert to blow up some brown kids.
I destroyed my body just to be able to compete in college. Now I'm glad I didn't also destroy my future.
Does the exclusion of Football and Basketball players indicate that those athletes are of lesser academic quality ?
I mean, that's not possibly the answer, right ?
My guess is that football and basketball are well funded at schools already. But another consideration is that football beats up a body pretty good. The military can take its toll on a body so why bring in someone who might have a short career?
What they really need to do is cut the armed forces in half, raise the standards, cut the fatties, get better equipment and training for those who can actually kick some arse if there happens to be a war.
The scholarships should be granted by the government instead of building bombs and planes. The Pentagon budget is way over what it should be, it should be shifted to education instead of guns and bombs.
The US Constitution does not state a role for government in education.
Does the U.S. Military really have a hard time filling it’s officer ranks with smart, semi-athletic, in shape people?
My experience (about thirty years ago) was that ROTC scholarships and service academy appointments were relatively hard to get and that most officers are in pretty good shape. I would guess the average ROTC scholarship student at any given college is a better student than the average athlete at the same college.
The problem isn't getting individuals in (although it has become easier to pick up a ROTC Scholarship in the past few years). It's getting them to stay. The military's practice of casting a wide net in the hopes that a few will stay is starting to wear thin resulting in the leaders who do stay to be sub par which expedites the exit of those who see the mounting problems in the services but feel powerless to change them, or, worse, feel like they are actively being blocked from making common sense solutions.
David "Admiral" Robinson served on active duty for 2 years before moving to the reserves.
The Academy does offer athletic scholarships to attend, but you know if you take it that 4 years later you will earn a commission and serve as an officer in the Navy or Marine Corps.
Does the U.S. Military really have a hard time filling it’s officer ranks with smart, semi-athletic, in shape people?
My experience (about thirty years ago) was that ROTC scholarships and service academy appointments were relatively hard to get and that most officers are in pretty good shape. I would guess the average ROTC scholarship student at any given college is a better student than the average athlete at the same college.
The problem isn't getting individuals in (although it has become easier to pick up a ROTC Scholarship in the past few years). It's getting them to stay. The military's practice of casting a wide net in the hopes that a few will stay is starting to wear thin resulting in the leaders who do stay to be sub par which expedites the exit of those who see the mounting problems in the services but feel powerless to change them, or, worse, feel like they are actively being blocked from making common sense solutions.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville pressed a high ranking Army official Wednesday to look further into the possibility of the military financing college athletics to help solve its recruiting troubles. Tub…
