Kevin Gowen wrote:
> On Feb 28, 5:53 am, Declan Murphy <declan_mur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On Feb 28, 12:29 pm, Kevin  Gowen <kgo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Feb 27, 9:47 pm, CL <flot...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>> Kevin Gowen wrote:
>>>>> On Feb 27, 12:19 am, CL <flot...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Kevin Gowen wrote:
>>>>>>> On Feb 24, 8:55 pm, CL <flot...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Kevin Wayne Williams wrote:
>>>>>>>>> The 2-Belo wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080222/ap_on_re_as/japan_us_military_1
>>>>>>>>>> "The U.S. this week imposed tight new restrictions on troops, their
>>>>>>>>>> families and
>>>>>>>>>> *civilian expatriates* [emphasis mine] in Okinawa and *elsewhere*
>>>>>>>>>> [emphasis
>>>>>>>>>> mine], limiting them to bases, workplaces and off-base housing. The
>>>>>>>>>> military
>>>>>>>>>> held a 'day of reflection' Friday to urge troops not to commit crimes."
>>>>>>>>> It's not clear in the article if these restrictions are temporary or
>>>>>>>>> permanent. If they're permanent, I feel sorry for everyone involved.
>>>>>>>>> Pretty boring being restricted to base.
>>>>>>>> If you've never been in the military, the difference between being
>>>>>>>> restricted and unrestricted is that you get to be bored in English.
>>>>>>>> Otherwise, there isn't a whole lot of difference.
>>>>>>> I don't blame the Okinawans for not wanting military trash ruining
>>>>>>> their island. I went to Okinawa on vacation once and it really
>>>>>>> distracted from my enjoyment of the scenery to see camouflage-painted
>>>>>>> trucks lumbering about the roads. They need to keep that stuff on-base
>>>>>>> and out of the sight of tourists imo.
>>>>>> I see ...
>>>>>> So, did you flunk the physical or the mental exams?  Or, did you play
>>>>>> Left Out on your high school baseball team, too?
>>>>> The military is a good place for directionless white trash who think
>>>>> that HONOR and VALOR and EMPTY BUZZWORDS flow from a contract with the
>>>>> government. If you think someone's willingness to kill whomever they
>>>>> are told is a moral good, the military might be a good place for you!
>>>> Well, if you're gonna push buttons you might as well go for the whole
>>>> keyboard.  By your description, white trash, here (smiles and waves).
>>>> Military scholarship recipient.  So, thanks for paying for a college
>>>> education for both of us.  Thing about doing your military time is that
>>>> you defend all citizens, even the ungrateful total assholes.
>>>> The fact that the civilians who control the military lack the morality
>>>> to use it honorably is not a military issue first and foremost.  Because
>>>> there hasn't been a draft in 30 years there is a whole new generation of
>>>> overeducated, pampered and spoiled brats who do not understand the
>>>> purpose of a military nor the correct uses to which it must be put.
>>>> Time to reinstate the draft.  Not because we need to project more
>>>> military power, but to teach the meaning of equality and fairness.
>>> Unless you are a WWII veteran, please do not pretend that solely by
>>> being in the military, you had anything to do with defending me or
>>> anyone else. As I said, the military does have its purpose. It allows
>>> directionless trash the opportunity to upgrade to smug, condescending
>>> trash. Don't act like I owe you anything more than I owe a doctor,
>>> teacher, or construction worker.
>> Its the hisashiburi Kevin! Cool. This might be fun.
>>
>> In what way were WWII veterans defending you or anyone else solely by
>> being in the military?
> 
> This is a good point. I was being overly broad. I am sure there is no
> shortage of WWII veterans who did not defend me or anyone else solely
> by virtue of being in the military.

You were being overly broad in a number of ways.  Our parents say that 
WWII ended in May, 1945 in Europe and August, 1945 in Asia.  In Germany, 
I have met many people who say that WWII ended in Europe the night The 
Wall fell in ... 1989 (?); in Japan I know a number of former tokkotai 
who say WWII ended in Asia on the streets of Saigon and Pnomh Pehn in 
April, 1975.  The few remaining former tokkotai in the part of Tokyo I 
lived for many years considered me to have been a part of the same war,, 
just 30 years later, and I was invited to their memorial dinners every 
15 August.

>> And if CL for example was one of the Seppo
>> military members who escorted Martin Luther King Jr & co from Selma to
>> the State Capitol at Montgomery, wouldn't that qualify as defending
>> someone else? :-)
> 
> Yes, but not solely by virtue of being in the military. He might have
> done that. He might also have been a cook or military journalist.

If a jobs like the ones you mention had been available, I might have 
taken one.  Those are both necessary occupations and some cooks can 
shoot better than some combat infantrymen.

As the saying goes "they also serve ..."  You must think the National 
Guard and Reserves are even more beneath you than the members of the 
active services because they live in your neighborhood and suppress the 
property values.  After all, they also get called out to clean up after 
natural disasters and you probably mistake them for yard cleaners and 
hired help.  In my particular National Guard aviation battalion, these 
same people -- all of whom were former combat vets -- would go home, 
change clothes and become store owners, cops, lawyers, teachers, 
university professors, state legislators, accountants, and businessmen. 
   Hell, our battalion commander was CEO of a Fortune 500 multinational 
corporation.  But, I guess they'd just be white trash, according to your 
descriptions of military service.

Being a member of a military service isn't just about learning to kill. 
  That is a small part of the training.  It's mostly about taking 
responsibility for your actions and acting honorably.  As an officer it 
is also about getting your fellow combatants out with as few casualties 
as possible.  It relates more to adopting a common mindset which goes to 
the heart of being a member of society regardless of your political and 
social outlook otherwise.  IMNSHO, the socializing process is necessary 
and, if the people infesting Washington were forced to undergo the same 
training, the chances of more Iraqs would be reduced.

-- 
CL