Throwing Down

Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 02/12/2007
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.

O'Meara is obviously way off the mark here. Just because his dog may nod his head in agreement is no indication that he's right.

His comment would be like saying the police, who are also indirectly hired and paid by the public, have no right to enforce laws that some "opinion poll" disagrees with, nor to disagree with the poll. He's leaving out a very important factor in the process - that the public entrusts leaders to do the micromanaging, and the publics only proper participation is at the macro scale. The repeal of Prohibition is an excellent example of the steps necessary to go from public opinion to public policy.

Methinks some of these guys are just going for web hits, and inflammatory rhetoric is a lazy man's way to get them. Best to just ignore it.

I am not even sure what his point was? Was O'Meara the same blogger who wrote the Kos entry on how Arkin was right in his column? That alone should point out how far off of the reservation Mr. O'Meara has gone.

yup Gil, one in the same.

Like I said, ideology can make you stupid.

Plain and simple, this guy is an idiot. His argument sucks and he doesn't even act like he reads what he is crapping on. Not worth your time or your link.

The only point that these idiots make that I can even vaguely agree on is thus,

There is a huge seperation between the civilian population and the military population.

Lets face it, according to the civilian population, we're fools. We willingly sign a binding contract that asks pretty much everything of us, in exchange for low pay, poor benefits, and a few 'intangible benefits' such as a general feeling of accomplishment and pride. The number one reason we are so well supported, is because we are doing a job that they themselves don't want to do. Kinda of like all those illegal immigrant employees. As long as we work hard and keep our mouths shut, they like us. We's the good negros. We pick the cotton, clean the laundry, and defend the nation. They sit around the living room talking with thier freinds,sipping drinks and talking all about "all the work they're doing to change the world".

Well, Maybe its because I'm southern, maybe I'm not too bright. But I think I'd rather have my pride and sense of accomplishment. I'd rather earn my knowledge through experience and trial and error, then go out and burn a few grand worth of my parents money at one of the local colleges for a piece of paper that says I'm smart.

I'm quite happy with my little bit of rank, my little bit of LES, my little soon to be wife, my little battle-worn saturn, and our little bit of a home, where ever the military decides it should be. I like the feeling of walking into any situation knowing that I've seen worse, and worked harder. I like laughing in the face of adversity. I like my scars, my bruises, the aches and pains that tell me that I did something today. I like my rough beat up hands, with a million cuts, dirt in the prints, and chipped well worn nails. I like bragging about who has it the worst, and listening to my civilian friends describe the stuff I go through as "down right terrible". I like listening to them complain about how rough they have it. Oh my God, you had to work A WEEKEND! They're abusing you!

Quite simply put, I like being self suficient (perhaps too self suficient, the landlord didn't appreciate me taking multimeter to the water heater, even if I was right that one of the elements had burned out.) I like being content, (small apartment, small Tv, small bed, futon for a sofa, just about everything bartered off of other airmen, or hauled from home in the back of my car)

I ain't a servant to the civilians, I'm an investor. I'm pulling my time and dropping in my sweat to buy a slot in the civilian world. Not for myself, but for whatever children I happen to bring up. If it wasn't for joining the military, I'd be just another idiot with a highschool diploma, a min wage job, sucky credit, and a gazillion dollars in student debt. I'm hoping that someday I can start my kids off with enough for them to have some good choices. I want to look at my kids and say "If you want to go to college, I'll pay for it. If you want to get a job, I'll help you. If you need to stay here, I'll put you up for a while." Those are the kinds of choices I never really got. My mom was a store clerk, and my dad was an appliance repair man at a small independant store. But what I really hope, is that my kids will look at that offer and say "Appreciate the offer, but I can't take it. I want to do it myself. I want to take the hard path. The easy way is for pussies." Maybe it will lead them into the military, maybe into some kind of humanitarian or religious work. Maybe they'll just slog it out for themselves fighting tooth and nail to earn a degree of some sort. Either way, They'll be better off then most of thier peers. I hope they realize that stuff isn't everything, that you normally wind up getting what you pay for, and that the payment need not always be in the form of cash or credit.

Wow Curtis - very well-put! There's a perspective that I very much appreciate.

For the record, I'm a civilian who doesn't think you guys are fools. I took a look at military life as a youth and decided it wasn't for me, while my brother joined the Navy (and I never thought him a fool for it). He's two years younger than I am, but was the first of us (by several years) to buy his own house with the help of a VA loan.

Your kids will be fortunate. My dad had an attitude similar to yours - I'll help you out where appropriate, but you need to make your own way in this world. Many times I thought he was being harsh and cruel, but now it's easy to see how his guidance during my upbringing gave me the tools I needed to make my way, and his insistence that I do so on my own when the time came forced me to find the strength within myself to achieve it.

Curtis,

I'm going to have to bookmark your response. It should be a post on this site!!!

-- Jetman