posted April 26, 2008 10:14 PM            

Incidentally, I'm curious, does anyone have the numbers on how much it is costing the taxpayers to keep a single soldier in Iraq?

I'm talking clothes, food, provisions, firepower, healthcare, transportation, and, of course, the cost of cleaning up everything he/she blows up.

Not to mention, as wheelsofcheese noted, the cost of supporting many of these soldiers for the rest of their lives, after they return unfit for work.

All this, so that they can go on grunting, doing pushups, killing women and children, and stirring up the bees-nest that is the middle east.

Loafers.

To work hard is a fine thing, of course, but it is far better to work smart.

It is no great virtue to shed blood, sweat, and tears in the service of an evil empire.

How many anonymous and obedient Americans slave their lives away at jobs that, rather than contributing to society,
merely contribute to the prevailing atmosphere of superficiality, fear, blind consumerism, dissinformation and/or violence?

Truth is the most valuable commodity in the world, though its value, and the value of those who freely distribute it, is seldom recognized.

No other service is worth nearly so much as the service provided by the seekers and speakers of truth.

For their willingness to dig beneath the surface, and to share their findings with the world, even in the face of ignorance and persecution...

We are in their debt, more than we'll ever know.

posted April 26, 2008 11:04 PM            

The fact is that there are military deaths because US forces go far out of their way to prevent killing Iraqi civilians.

I hold you in utter contempt for calling the United States the "evil empire".

You're welcome to make your exit from the "evil empire" and the sooner the better.

I'd trade 10 of you and other "accidential Americans" for one (1) person who wants to come to America because in his/her heart, they already are Americans. In that trade, America would have the best of the bargain.

posted April 26, 2008 11:35 PM            

I think we must stop building war memorials with our tax money for these idiots who lost their lives not fighting for America but obeying an even greater idiot called the president of this country. I will write personally to my mayor addressing my concerns if someone even thinks of building such a memorial for those idiots.

posted April 27, 2008 01:29 AM            

Which group do you fall into Mannu?

Most of the rest of us get it.

posted April 27, 2008 04:09 AM            

I create my own group so no question of falling or rising.

I think I said in the past going in to Iraq was a mistake and coming out hastily is going to be greater mistake. Costly mistakes are regretful. I heard now this idiot president is focussing attention on Afghanistan which he should have had done long ago. But no, sonny Bush has to make the war personal. He has to avenge his Papa. Jeez.

American's can't take care of this baby forever. Iraqis people must show some progress. The word has reached their ears that the 2 D's are not interested in prolonging this war. Let them act and be responsive. As time chugs on...let them take matters in to their own hands...

Even The WWII lasted 6 years or so.
We can't manage this small scale war?
Who are we kidding really?

Awaken bald headed eagle. Clean your nest that you must come back to. A eagle in reality has the dirty habit of not cleaning its nest when it can by just picking up decaying fish clinging to its nest and throwing it away. It leaves the nest infection prone and that endangers their children.

Nuff said.

posted April 28, 2008 01:14 AM            

Either that or they must be primarily recruits from religious belts of USA. Have to check the facts.

posted April 28, 2008 01:16 AM            

:

posted April 28, 2008 04:22 PM            

quote:

---

most military recruits these days don't come from urban/highly developed areas of US. They come mostly from rural areas. Uneducated people. The government promises them free education if they serve their country. What nice carrots for these gullible people.

---

I don't really say much these days because I feel it's a waste of time to debate with retards. And there are a lot of retards on the internet. And I apologize in advance for impugning mentally handicapped people by lumping them together with the retards on the internet who make statements like the one quoted above. Anyway...when ignorant people, esp non US citizens, like Mannu, say that kind of **** ... <--- I'll use that in place of a smilie getting its ass kicked...

In homage to all the wussified morons:

posted April 28, 2008 04:28 PM            

Instead of wasting my time again.

Dig up statistics and find the truth for yourself.

posted April 28, 2008 04:48 PM            

You're the one making the charge Mannu. How about you get off your lazy ass and do your own research instead of making baseless, insulting juvenile accusations against military personnel.

One thing is sure Mannu, they are head and shoulders above you in every respect that matters. They have the right stuff which you utterly lack.

posted April 28, 2008 05:05 PM            

Mannu, you`re a few steps over the line.... worst of all, you know it and seem to glory in it

------------------
~
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted April 28, 2008 05:19 PM            

If I am wrong, I am wrong.
I don't want passions involved when a point is made. Keep those crap out.

Woman are mostly subjective and men objective. A woman feels a man thinks.

Understand these differences before making ignorant remarks.

To me man/woman are equal and opposite. So I refuse to treat woman differently. You may find me harsh but thats you, not me.

posted April 28, 2008 05:52 PM            

quote:

---

Woman are mostly subjective and men objective. A woman feels a man thinks.

---

When was the last time you were objective mannu?

Objectively, I "think" you are being ornery for the sport of it...

------------------
~
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted April 28, 2008 06:04 PM            

Isis, comes out of no where and instead of being objective by adding to the statement, She pulls everything away by her emotional sentiments.

Then jumps in our hero Jwhop, who believes a man is as big as the gun he carries, in her defense. Bravo! What a grand entrance.

Guess what? They both can have the center stage and major role in the drama. But can I have my own freedom for the love of it

posted April 28, 2008 06:47 PM            

Neither does she or anyone else here need a lecture about objectivity...not from little ole subjective you Mannu.

My point was valid. One day you're going to pop off in the wrong setting to the wrong person with your "uneducated country rubes in the military" routine and get your butt punted into the next county.

posted April 28, 2008 07:51 PM              

"Well inside most people there's this feeling of being separate- separated from everything"

"And?"

"And they're not. They're a part of absolutely everyone- and everything".....

"You don't believe me do you?"

"It's hard to believe that....all of that"

"That's because you have this spot- right here- that you can't see past"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ2Cg6koHPQ&feature=related

The "spot"=

posted April 28, 2008 11:46 PM            

Nov 27 2005
By Jim Garamone
The U.S. military is not a "poor man's force."

That's the conclusion Defense Department officials reached following examination of enlisted recruiting statistics gathered over the past year.

"There is an issue of how representative of America is the force," said Curt Gilroy, the director of DoD's accessions policy in the Pentagon.

DoD tracks "representativeness" - as Gilroy calls it - very closely. And representativeness can take a whole host of forms - race, education, social status, income, region and so on. "When you look at all of those, you find that the force is really quite representative of the country," he said in a recent interview. "It mirrors the country in many of these. And where it doesn't mirror America, it exceeds America."

The data shows the force is more educated than the population at large.

Servicemembers have high school diplomas or the general equivalency diploma. More servicemembers have some college than the typical 18- to 24-year-olds. "To carry representativeness to the extreme, we would have to have a less-educated force or we would want a lower-aptitude force," Gilroy said.

The study is part of DoD's focus to bring the best recruits into the military. The services - who are responsible for manning, equipping and training the force - take this data and apply it to recruiting efforts.

The force is a volunteer force; no one is coerced into serving. The military is one option young people have after high school. Military service offers money for college - money a large segment of the population doesn't have. For those people, the military is an attractive option.

Many young people who don't yet know what they want to do see the military as a place to serve and decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives, rather than take a low-paying job or do nothing.

Critics say the U.S. military has too many African-Americans as compared to the population and not enough Hispanics or Asian-Americans. "We don't recruit for race," Gilroy said. "We have standards, and if people meet those standards, then should we say they are not allowed in because of race? That would be wrong."

The statistics show the number of African-American servicemembers is dropping. That concerns Gilroy and his office. The military is a leader in equal opportunity in the United States, he said, adding that few, if any, Fortune 500 companies can match the equal employment opportunity record of the military. The office is studying why young black men and women are not signing up.

The office also is studying the Hispanic population in America. Census records say Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States. Young Hispanic men and women have a strong tendency to serve in the military, though so far, only the Marine Corps has been "able to break the code" to get significant numbers of recruits, Gilroy said.

On the socioeconomic side, the military is strongly middle class, Gilroy said. More recruits are drawn from the middle class and fewer are coming from poorer and wealthier families. Recruits from poorer families are actually underrepresented in the military, Gilroy said.

Other trends are that the number of recruits from wealthier families is increasing, and the number of recruits from suburban areas has increased. This also tracks that young men and women from the middle class are serving in the military.

Young men and women from urban areas are not volunteering, Gilroy said. In fact, urban areas provide far fewer recruits as a percentage of the total population than small towns and rural areas.

DoD and the services will use these statistics and more to craft their recruiting policies, Gilroy said.
U.S. Military Recruiting Demographics

******

The bent of this topic is not at all surprising ...

And, btw, to try to curb further bends ...

quote:

---

Active Duty Recruiting Statistics for October 2007:

Army: Recruited 4,564 out of a goal of 4,500 (101 percent)
Navy: Recruited 2,388, out of a goal of 2,388 (100 percent)
Marine Corps: Recruited 2,788, out of a goal of 2,720 (102 percent)
Air Force: Recruited 2,656, out of a goal of 2,656 (100 percent)
On the Reserve side, all six of the reserve componants met or exceeded their recruiting goals.

---

Military Recruiting Statistics for FY 2008