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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (130774)	2/13/2010 10:29:20 AM
From: Bread Upon The Water	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542214

Alright to clarify here's what I take away from your last reply Lane: 1. You are not against required service in an emergency or dire need (like a World War), but are against it otherwise on the basis the need isn't there and therefore it would be some kind of makework project and bad for morale (in the sense that the people who didn't want to be there would get int he way of the people who did). Is that correct? 2. You do feel there are other means of building character than requiring service through existing institutions and more citizen involvement. Is that correct? 3. You more or less agree with me that requiring service would act as some kind of check on the politicians. Is that correct? 4. And you don't think having more college educated people in the service would necessarily mean a better military in the sense of it being free from the type of abuses that occurred in Iraq. Is that correct? As to my use of the term sacrifice and its apparently confusing impact on what I am saying let me try this. I am saying that for most people required service will necessarily involve sacrifice inasmuch as they will have to do what they wouldn't have chosen to do themselves. (Not so for the volunteers.) This instills a value that you owe the country something. Freedom isn't free. The nation isn't requiring you to go through this process so you experience sacrifice--that isn't the point--the point is that as part of the process (for those not volunteering) you are exposed to putting the larger needs of the country ahead of your personal needs. From that experience, I submit argumentatively, that the character of the citizens, and thus the of the country as a whole is improved. A civic value is established. Now in contrast to this I think you are saying this is all BS because requiring all people to serve is requiring them, in most cases, to waste time. Therefore whatever sacrifice is involved is for naught. Is this correct?