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Well, that's rather predictable and good news for the long run. Just retire these dinosaurs and replace them with younger soldiers. No more old boys' club.
And while we're at it, why don't we get rid of the selective service system or force women to be join it? Equal rights, equal responsibilities.
Germany used to (I think used to) have a system where, for a year, you either joined the military or did a civilian service job like work in a hospital or nursing home. I'm by no means a warmonger or interested in a bloated military, but that doesn't sound like a terrible idea to me.
There are lots of countries that have compulsory military service with alternatives for conscientious objectors (which is basically what you're describing).
I agree that it's a good idea. Moreover, it comes closer to the original meaning of that whole "well-regulated militia" thing. We should consider doing like the Swiss do: give (roughly) everybody mandatory firearms training, send them all home with an infantry standard-issue assault rifle, and then severely restrict access to ammunition except for legitimate purposes like practice at the firing range.
Here in the US I’m pretty sure our Supreme Court would rule that ammunition is speech.
Philosophically it's a horrible idea to me, being from the US. First, it's pretty against ideas of freedom and self determination. Secondly, and worse, is that conscripts often are basically an internal sabotage threat. Work to rule, no interest in anything but getting out, actively tend to hurt morale given their resentment, etc. Oh, and 1 year of training / 1 year of service is basically a little past basic training, so not really well trained for modern combat. See what Russia is getting with conscripts for instance. I suppose if you just want bodies to throw into a meat grinder it might work, but unless you have enough to take staggering losses to overwhelm better trained and higher morale troops - and you're willing to take those sorts of losses... the conscripts are just mostly a drain on resources IMO.
They have that in the US and it’s called Peace Corps but since the 80’s the conservatives hate it and push for military instead.
The problem is the Peace Corps is totally voluntary. There's also AmeriCorps, which is similar, but domestic. What we need is to get kids who don't understand what community means, and that's a lot of them at this point, to learn what that means. It's a way out of this libertarian capitalist hellhole.
It was a pretty big waste of money. You'd have massive numbers of people who'd have to be half-assedly trained for a lot of money just to leave service again right when they started to be somewhat employable. There are reasons why we don't do it like that anymore.
Fair enough, you know better than I would having lived through it. I don't know about the practicalities of such a plan, I just think teaching people to serve the community when they're young is a good idea.
And having seen the other side, might make some people a lot less entitlted too.
I strongly believe that everyone should work a customer service job like retail or waiting tables. It would make a lot of people less of an asshole when interacting with employees.
Our healthcare sector could do with some undermining
Lmao conscription service is far from "killing for your country". Its amassing a reserve the size no other country wants to challenge. I went through my service like all other normal able bodied men of my country and it was mostly learning to walk and laying in a bush. Fucking fun it was.
And even if situation arose to killing, killing for your country is the most noble and always morally correct thing to do.
I love dying for old cunts in parliament and their billionaire friends
hnnnnghhhh
And the funny thing is: Why do we die for the old cunts in the parliament? Guess what, it's other old cunts sending soldiers!
Except that in case of war we wouldn't die just for them but also the other people we protect from the soldiers of the other old cunts but nevertheless we die at the behest of old cunts.
if I ever get conscripted I am killing my officer and then myself
Nah, fuck them. I’m not fighting for the US at all. Doubly so I’m not killing for it. Why would I protect a country that hates its citizens?
Idk, try living in a country that benefits their citizens.
And US doesnt have conscription based service so what are you even on about?
Kill to defend my home and family. And since I'm a Finn, the alternative is rus*ian authoritarianism, which is unacceptable my any means and I'd rather die than be a part of shitpeople.
It's not worth it to argue with these tankies who are from NA mostly. They're so disconnected from reality that their communist utopia sounds so good in their minds that everything not communist is bad. They have no clue what others have and are going through.
Being anti-conscription is not a tankie position - I certainly am not in favour of conscription, it's one of the more authoritarian things a country can do, even if they aren't as prone to invading other places a-la Vietnam as the US is, and I loathe tankies.
Generally speaking I'm of the opinion that if a war or fight is not something people would willingly join to take part in, it's going to be unjustified (this doesn't necessarily mean that something people join the military to take part in is justified, it often isn't, but if you have to force people, it's definitely going to be unjustified >.<).
I understand why in Finland it might be more popular cus of the behaviour of Russia in the past, but my opinion remains the same - offer the training as an option, and if people agree that the threat of Russia is large enough to prepare to fight, they can sign up (which I'd think lots would given the particular situation of Finland, and with this method, you avoid the coercion, resentment, and unwillingness that comes from conscription and from what I understand of modern militaries, those things make conscription more of a hindrance than a help anyhow)
I'll leave my issues with States, military structure, and the MIC for another time ;p
Ya I know, but its entertaining. Got a slow day at working going
If you'd spent any time around young military guys you'd know it's not just the old ones. The vast majority of the US military (especially once you get outside the ones the pluck with testing for technical schools, officer fast track etc) fighting force is from low income, low education republican areas. The US military is trailer park socialism. Jobs and benefits for Jimbob. Jimbob has some super dated ideas about how women should act.
Grew up in San Diego, which is surrounded by military bases (mostly marine corp and navy). This is absolutely the truth. There is also the whole never experiencing anything outside their bubble factor too. I've met a few pretty intelligent enlisted "grunts" who just never saw anything but their one stop sign town, that has NO diversity, and some really assbackwards ideas.
Was in Arkansas recently hiking/camping around the Ozarks. It's freaking wild out there. Heard a dude who talked like boomhower. Saw one non-white person in a week traveling around the northern side of the state. Weirdly the state that founded Walmart has a ton of independent/employee owned grocery stores. That the one I went into carried a lot of smaller brand names I'd never heard of.
Really made me realize a lot of the reasons I would never vote republican those people are never even exposed to. The state went like 65-30 for trump. When you live in a bizarre little bubble and neither party really does anything to help you, it's easier to fall into the rabbit hole of blame and hate. Those small towns are only getting poorer and shrinking. Abandoned falling down houses and barns everywhere. Aging population. They feel abandoned and will just fall in line behind some good finger pointing.