“The Constitution expressly forbids a standing army...blood of our sons and daughters put money in their pockets. Your tax dollars at work.” [SanchoP, post 26]
Whatever the Constitution says or doesn’t say in a legalistic manner about the detailed organization and activities of the armed forces, it is incontrovertible that the militia system of the early Republic was deficient in providing for the common defense. This was realized on a practical level during the War of 1812; the professionalization of the military was begun after that war ended and went hand-in-hand with technical advances made possible by the Industrial Revolution.
Today, forum members who pine for the days of naught but citizen soldiers armed with naught but small arms had best resign themselves to losing.
The draft ended 46 years ago. All fretting about what leaders are doing with “our sons and daughters” became irrelevant at that moment: today’s troops are not helpless children being exploited, they are adults who volunteer. Indeed, the very fact they have volunteered elevates them to a higher moral plane of adulthood than isolationists, conspiracy theorists, libertarians, and pacifists.
There is but one choice: pay in money now or pay in blood later. Choosing the second alternative brings uglier outcomes. And the final bill will be much higher.
Whatever the Constitution says or doesn’t say in a legalistic manner about the detailed organization and activities of the armed forces, it is incontrovertible that the militia system of the early Republic was deficient in providing for the common defense. This was realized on a practical level during the War of 1812; the professionalization of the military was begun after that war ended and went hand-in-hand with technical advances made possible by the Industrial Revolution.
That pesky ol' Constitution. It's not really the law of the land. Feel free to ignore/revise anything that doesn't suit you.
Today, forum members who pine for the days of naught but citizen soldiers armed with naught but small arms had best resign themselves to losing.
We're 0-5 since WWII (0-7 if you count the War on Drugs and the War on Poverty.) With 40 million illegals in our country,I'm not sure we can even call ourselves a sovereign nation. Just exactly how much losing should we resign ourselves to?
The draft ended 46 years ago. All fretting about what leaders are doing with “our sons and daughters” became irrelevant at that moment: today’s troops are not helpless children being exploited, they are adults who volunteer. Indeed, the very fact they have volunteered elevates them to a higher moral plane of adulthood than isolationists, conspiracy theorists, libertarians, and pacifists.
During the Civil War it was acceptable to pay someone to go to war for you. Today,instead of paying out of your own pocket we use tax dollars. Doesn't that make your conscience feel all warm and fuzzy. How progressive.
There is but one choice: pay in money now or pay in blood later. Choosing the second alternative brings uglier outcomes. And the final bill will be much higher.
------- and there we have the moneyshot. Would it be OK with you if we just sign over our paychecks to the thugs in DC?