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JohnG, what's the sense of continuing to go on about this. The draft is not coming back unless there is an extreme military crisis, and even then with the use of modern warfare it is unlikely we need as many boots on the ground as in the old days.
Go ahead, wring your hands all you like. It's pretty much a moot point. Proceed on your own.
Then what is the use of personal freedoms if we have a government that is so willful to send children off to a war they themselves refuse to fight?
Everyone has their own job. Is it hubris or unconscionable for me as a citizen to demand firemen risk their lives to rescue people in a burning building? I have no interest in walking into an inferno. But it is a fireman's duty to do so. The same with soldiering. I recognize that the people who vote to send my soldiers to war are not the same people who will lead the charge into battle. Nor would I expect them to be. There is a very good reason that we have civilian oversight of the military. We don't have senators and consuls that are simultaneously generals. That leads to disaster.
Wonder why army recruits teenagers not men in their late 20s or older.
It is really foolish to be a soldier bcos you have to follow orders.
Towards the end of the WW1, the commanders knew that a truce had been signed. but there were several hours until the truce took effect. so, what the heck, send the soldiers out to fight and die till the last moment. kinda like the last few minutes in a basketball or football game.
lives are cheap in the military. so what if we lose a few thousand soldiers if we can win the battle. only problem is if the few thousand includes you son, brother or classmate.
I'm not necessarily looking for a Buddhist attitude, just your own. It's something I've seen a lot of controversy with and I'm curious as to what people's induvidual thoughts are. We live in a society now where the military is used with humanitarian aid and disaster relief just as much as in conflicts and drug busting and the like, however like everthing else in the world it has it's own flaws and corruptions. What do you guys think?
JohnG, what's the sense of continuing to go on about this. The draft is not coming back unless there is an extreme military crisis, and even then with the use of modern warfare it is unlikely we need as many boots on the ground as in the old days.
Go ahead, wring your hands all you like. It's pretty much a moot point. Proceed on your own.
Love those conversations that are simply an exploration of a subject rather than being about the folks posting.
Wonder why army recruits teenagers not men in their late 20s or older.
It is really foolish to be a soldier bcos you have to follow orders.
Towards the end of the WW1, the commanders knew that a truce had been signed. but there were several hours until the truce took effect. so, what the heck, send the soldiers out to fight and die till the last moment. kinda like the last few minutes in a basketball or football game.
lives are cheap in the military. so what if we lose a few thousand soldiers if we can win the battle. only problem is if the few thousand includes you son, brother or classmate.
What bunk. If you are currently living in a country of the Anglosphere, or a descendent thereof, you are the beneficiary of the countless "foolish teenagers" you have contempt for who sacrificed their lives shielding the world from Fascism.
In the US Army, there is a disproportionate number of Koreans who serve. All the ones I've ever met have had a deep appreciation for Western strength of arms that delivered their country from monstrous totalitarianism by North Korea. The blossoming jewel that South Korea has become should serve as a reminder of the costly but important benefits of a military. But I guess none of that matters because men had to foolishly follow orders to save that nation.
In 2003, the majority of people in Britain were against going to war in Iraq.
Hundreds of thousands protested against the war.
But Tony Blair decided that he had to support George w Bush and send british troops to Iraq.
179 british soldiers died in Iraq. Thousands of soldiers were injured and maimed.
Why ?
The US lost over 4000 soldiers in Iraq. Iraq lost over 120,000+ (and by some counts far, far more than that) people, 75% of whom were civilians and not combatants. That only includes violent death, and not death due to disease or other things that the war brought with it when people were displaced. That is my big problem with war. We go to "get the bad guys" and the vast majority of deaths are people going about their daily lives. I didn't realize also until reading a story about the missing Malaysian flight that the US military also accidently shot down an Iran flight with almost 300 people on it, killing them all including 66 children. It's all the collateral damage that I am truly not ok with. The people who didn't sign up for the conflict and are entirely innocent victims where we just kind of shrug and say "whoops, sorry, wrong building/wrong plane/we thought they were terrorists but they were only planting turnips." as if this is acceptable. It shouldn't be.
The draft returning? Oh no my friend, that will not happen until those who suffered and witnessed war outnumber those who relish it and was considered above fighting for their desires and freedoms. In world war II everyone had a blood family member fighting, including the president of the United States. In Korea that shrunk to half. In Vietnam, those who now are our leaders, and war hawks, obtained numerous deferments, because 'they had more important things to do'. Now, today these deferred now are so quick to push the button and send our troops to all over the world for meaningless issues outside of their families financial profit.
Does it bother anyone who champion's the likes of Dick Chenney, Don Rumsfield, and G. W. Bush, that they obtained deferments from the Vietnam war. Chenney obtained five. Rumsfield seven. G. W. daddy bought him a commission and a slot in an air guard unit that was being deactivated.
What I believe is that a draft today, would have limited these; that after a brief time the people would have said enough. Do, I condemn the all volunteer military of today? No, I enlisted in my senior year of high school, and turned eighteen at basic training. do I criticize those war mongers who are so reckless with out most precious treasures, for a whim of profit, yes.
It's getting better, I guess.
The recruiter lied to me about everything.
The pay wasn't shit.
...and I'm still harboring bad feelings about
having to remain in front leaning rest position
all of 1995.
Oh, and then there's that pesty chant that won't
leave my head after all these years. During field
trainings... "Blood makes the green grass grow".
I was able to remix it in with my rebirth thoughts, though
It's getting better, I guess.
The recruiter lied to me about everything.
The pay wasn't shit.
...and I'm still harboring bad feelings about
having to remain in front leaning rest position
all of 1995.
Oh, and then there's that pesty chant that won't
leave my head after all these years. During field
trainings... "Blood makes the green grass grow".
I was able to remix it in with my rebirth thoughts, though
omg... front leaning rest for an entire year? that sounds like the 7th level of hell lol.
@jll said:
Tony Blair decided that he had to support George w Bush and send british troops to Iraq.
179 british soldiers died in Iraq. Thousands of soldiers were injured and maimed.
Why ?
The front leaning rest for an entire year!? I take it that the earth's gravitational polarity switched on spot at the time. Or you really really really pissed of the DI.
I had no business enlisting, to be honest with you.
After my Mother left, I was just trying to get the approval/love
of the military males that was left to care for me....and it was the
fastest way to get to college with a check. That was the bonus.
I walked in and let them know I was a vegetarian and what my
good hearted intentions were....and well...the guy who said he
used to be a sniper and was missing 3 fingers wasn't hearing
that shit.... hahaha. He was on me like white on rice.
In the end...he taught me more about my self than I could
ever thank him for.
My Granddad, and all three of his brothers
were enlisted. My father was drafted.
I have two family members buried in Arlington.
So you can kinda see where a young girl thought
that must be it! That's how I'll make them proud!
Ironically, at my Granddad's funeral,
my Nana shared with me that he hated I went. He thought
it was no place for a 'hippy' girl like me. That it would
harden me and undo what I was exposed to earlier
in life........ wipes a tear ......
He never said anything. Just
put $50 in my pocket and told me to call when Basic
was over. It took me years to deal with thinking what
I was doing was for someone/people that in fact
didn't want it for me. It shook my whole way of thinking.
I'm writing from my comfortable home in the US, and my view is of the US military, so not really representative of the planet at large, I guess.
A small, efficient, effective, powerful, smart, dedicated military is necessary, to use for defense of the homeland. Unfortunately we have nothing of the sort, and use it in ways not resembling defense.
We need our genius nerds in lab coats at the CDC keeping up on the latest viral cultures, to keep us safe from wayward or malicious microbes. I'm not sure if we have enough of them today; I hope so. I don't want to be one of them, but I'm glad they're there.
We need gunlooney aggressives in fatigues at strategic locations keeping up on the latest threats to our homeland to keep us safe from wayward or malicious humans. I don't want to be one of those, either. I'm glad they're there, but it seems to me they have become metastatically overabundant, coopting resources that could -- and should -- be much, much better directed toward helping people.
The speech often remembered most from the film "A Few Good Men" is the one about handling the truth.
But I also remember the one by Jack Nicholson about how most Americans want to sleep well and pretend they don't know about people like him in all the dirty places in the world that make it safe for them to do so.
@Vastmind said:
My Granddad, and all three of his brothers
were enlisted. My father was drafted.
I have two family members buried in Arlington.
So you can kinda see where a young girl thought
that must be it! That's how I'll make them proud!
Ironically, at my Granddad's funeral,
my Nana shared with me that he hated I went. He thought
it was no place for a 'hippy' girl like me. That it would
harden me and undo what I was exposed to earlier
in life........ wipes a tear ......
He never said anything. Just
put $50 in my pocket and told me to call when Basic
was over. It took me years to deal with thinking what
I was doing was for someone/people that in fact
didn't want it for me. It shook my whole way of thinking.
Sorry for going on.....Thanks for listening.
Well the question is, did it change you? I'd say yes, but not in the way he foresaw. So, be mindful of that. The second is, honor is rendered in many ways, although they may have disapproved, You still came out the better, so be happy of that. Third, you have witnessed the fragility of life, as well as how few of us are destined to stand out and protect them, and their ideals. I started off as a medic, became a forward observer (13f) and then back to being a medic, a trip to be sure.
As a haughty young adult in the 80s, I will admit to shallowly sneering at people in the military. Then I got a job in the Pentagon. When I left after 3 years I felt differently. Turns out there are pretty much the same percentage of admirable folks there, as outside. Maybe more.
@genkaku asteriks. One asterik on either side of the word makes italics so * italics * without the spaces makes italics and with two asteriks, ** bold ** minus the spaces it becomes bold
@genkaku said "It's only when you see a mosquito landing on your testicles that you realize there is always a way to solve problems without using violence"
I was doing was for someone/people that in fact
didn't want it for me. It shook my whole way of thinking.
Sorry for going on.....Thanks for listening.
Nothing like internal warfare, infernal dharma jihad and the temporary extremes of the Middle way hey . . .
As an idiotic dervish and little better Dharma fiend, battle comes easy to me. Show me some peace and equanimity and I will soon be off slaying dragons, breaking in unicorns and squashing cushions into submission. In essence I am a warrior worrier.
Show me a lax monk, I'll volunteer butt kicking duty. Show me a dervish whirling into fanatical annihilation and I will spin her another way. Hell realms are my play ground.
A warrior chooses a path with heart, any path with heart, and follows it; and then he rejoices and laughs. He knows because he sees that his life will be over altogether too soon. He sees that nothing is more important than anything else.
~ Carlos Castaneda Quotes from A Separate Reality
As we all know the Buddha was a trained killer. Came into being, killing his mother in the process of his final birth. Wow dude, show some compassion! First he trains in the warrior arts of the Shakyamunis, then the ascetic extremes of the yogi self abusers. After a few short years of internal conflict, a new battle commences. Gautama becomes the slayer of ignorance. His supreme awakeness.
Can we too engage warrior tactics of disciplined concentration, merciless compassion and uncalled for kindness? I feel if we are warrior warriors we have a Mahayana mission to save the heedless. How can we achieve this rank of commitment? I would suggest we have to continue our refinement for the greater good. Refinement not in the sense of the attainment of skills or fixed practice, that would be for the tile polishers. Our progress must be in the invincibility of vulnerability. How so? In essence nobody attacks a broken castle, a wasted land is already defeated.
Why would we live in such an internal landscape or breach our own defences? How can the broken be the ultimate fix? That dear brothers and sisters is the way of the aggressively non violent, the ferocious Lover, the art of the terminally martial.
@Vastmind said:
genkaku said "It's only when you see a mosquito landing on your testicles that you realize there is always a way to solve problems without using violence"
Quote of the week.
Classic opening line of a Disney movie - or soft porn.
A military is only as good (or bad) as the government that is controlling it. It's hard for me to come to a categorical retrospective evaluation of the U.S. military as a whole. We have our prominent shining moments like the World Wars. But our military history also has a rather complicated shadow-side of unsettling ethical transgressions in our involvement in many South American countries, the Middle East, and the Caribbean (especially in the case of Haiti, where we supported the brutal, tyrannous Duvalier regime). These latter cases are lesser known, and their deleterious effects on these countries are either well out of sight, or only apparent years later.
@betaboy said:
Classic opening line of a Disney movie - or soft porn.
I'm not even going to ask how the hell you arrived at that response.
But since you think your so damn funny, soldier......... you can assume the position and your comrades thank you ..... bec your on mess hall duty the rest of the week.
I think we should cut the military budget in half, right off the bat, and use the rest of the funding to maintain what we already have; They've replaced the BARELY USED (and even that is a stretch of their actual service) F-22 with a new F-35. I'd rather we got some use out of the F-22 before ordering a new fighter jet ya know?
I prefer peace, but the US has made many enemies over the last 14 years - I'd rather have the military in a defense role rather than an offensive one. I wish the UN would step up and handle issues like it is supposed to.
How many billions of dollars have we spend on the war in Afghanistan? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just BUY Afghanistan? Send the poppy seeds to Colorado for final processing and sale, and make the place capitalistically viable.
@hermitwin said:
America has crumbling bridges and schools, but that can wait.
USA needs more high-tech weapons urgently.
Well, education budget is different than defense budget. Are you
saying some of the defense budget should be moved to education?
I agree! That's a good suggestion !! It's all about how much to spend and where we as voters want it spent.
Edit: Let's be real....the defense budget and it's supporters are going nowwhere any time soon...certainly not in my lifetime....my kids? maybe. I doubt it.
Anyway....lets just agree on how much should be cut....and then where can we put that money. That's at least short term. The veteran spending covers the conservatives and the spending cut could still be spoken for. As far as growing the government and things like that...... They call them hiring freezes in the private sector...hahaha...
I'm in the camp that we spend way to much money on defense budget.
Especially during cuts. IMO, even when cuts are agreed upon...they are cut in all the wrong places...hahaha
They cut NASA. WTF? I'm still not over that. hahaha.
@Steve_B said:
How many billions of dollars have we spend on the war in Afghanistan? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just BUY Afghanistan? Send the poppy seeds to Colorado for final processing and sale, and make the place capitalistically viable.
As a current resident of Colorado, this made me laugh!
0
personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
As a start to military budget cuts we could save 3 billion by stopping production of the M1 Abrams tank. The pentagon asked to stop making it but campaign "donations" speak louder so now we have 3,000 sitting idle in a field in Nevada.
The new F35 seems to have some merit. If we could be smart instead of corrupt about how we spend our money I bet budgets wouldn't be so much of an issue.
@how said:
vinlyn
I know how cautious you've been about Colorado's new legalized pot industry but I wonder what pros or cons you might have noticed so far.
As an old fart who doesn't get out into that particular environment much, all I know is what I read about in the Denver Post. There is a lot of concern here that the new pot laws are bringing in "tourists" that are not the type of tourist that is helping the state much. There seems to have been more incidences of drugs in schools...or are we just noticing it more under the microscope? There have been a number of incidences where people have eaten some food and later discovered it was laced with pot...but again, is it really more or just being noticed more? There have been more cases of people smoking it out in public, when the law only allows it in private. And there have been reports of being high while driving, but again, are we just noticing it more?
I think what bothers me the most is the mindset that since it is bringing in tax dollars, it is good. That same concept -- using lottery/gambling profits for education funding -- bothered me back in Virginia.
I think regulated gambling is fine; but don't justify it by increasing funding for education. I'm glad we have decriminalized personal possession of marijuana. Possessing pot shouldn't ruin a person's future. But thinking that it's a good thing because it's bringing in taxes...that makes me very uncomfortable. Where does that end?
One thing that also bothers me is the number of inquiries that I have seen on a forum (city-data) by people saying they've decided to move to Colorado because of the new pot laws, and want to know where the most liberal areas (in that regard) are. For example, localities do not have to allow pot-selling businesses in their jurisdiction, and some communities are banning it, while others aren't. How is that going to affect different communities?
I suspect you might end up (like others in my state) with a situation like we've got here in Washington State: Most of the liberal folks are in or around Seattle, geographically speaking, while conservative people are kind of on the Eastern side of the state like in Spokane. (I'm sure there are conservatives else-where in WA, but I'm sketchy on details.)
Since the Seattle area has more people that Spokane, liberals usually outvote the conservatives; they don't like that. There is occasional talk of creating a separate "Eastern Washington State" but nothing usually comes of it.
Perhaps something similar will develop in Colorado?
@vinlyn, why does making tax revenue make you think twice? It's not the only reason to legalize. But it does generate revenue which can be used for good. I don't think it's a bad thing to try and figure out ways to balance the budget.
@Jeffrey said:
vinlyn, why does making tax revenue make you think twice? It's not the only reason to legalize. But it does generate revenue which can be used for good. I don't think it's a bad thing to try and figure out ways to balance the budget.
I think you misunderstand me.
To say that we might as well tax it, I have no problem with.
But I have friends here who say (paraphrased in various ways), "Legalizing pot is good because we can tax it."
That I disagree with.
Legalizing pot is good, or bad, based on its own merits. Not because we can tax it.
Comments
Go ahead, wring your hands all you like. It's pretty much a moot point. Proceed on your own.
Wonder why army recruits teenagers not men in their late 20s or older.
It is really foolish to be a soldier bcos you have to follow orders.
Towards the end of the WW1, the commanders knew that a truce had been signed.
but there were several hours until the truce took effect.
so, what the heck, send the soldiers out to fight and die till the last moment.
kinda like the last few minutes in a basketball or football game.
lives are cheap in the military.
so what if we lose a few thousand soldiers if we can win the battle.
only problem is if the few thousand includes you son, brother or classmate.
In the US Army, there is a disproportionate number of Koreans who serve. All the ones I've ever met have had a deep appreciation for Western strength of arms that delivered their country from monstrous totalitarianism by North Korea. The blossoming jewel that South Korea has become should serve as a reminder of the costly but important benefits of a military. But I guess none of that matters because men had to foolishly follow orders to save that nation.
In 2003, the majority of people in Britain were against going to war in Iraq.
Hundreds of thousands protested against the war.
But Tony Blair decided that he had to support George w Bush and send british troops to Iraq.
179 british soldiers died in Iraq. Thousands of soldiers were injured and maimed.
Why ?
The US lost over 4000 soldiers in Iraq. Iraq lost over 120,000+ (and by some counts far, far more than that) people, 75% of whom were civilians and not combatants. That only includes violent death, and not death due to disease or other things that the war brought with it when people were displaced. That is my big problem with war. We go to "get the bad guys" and the vast majority of deaths are people going about their daily lives. I didn't realize also until reading a story about the missing Malaysian flight that the US military also accidently shot down an Iran flight with almost 300 people on it, killing them all including 66 children. It's all the collateral damage that I am truly not ok with. The people who didn't sign up for the conflict and are entirely innocent victims where we just kind of shrug and say "whoops, sorry, wrong building/wrong plane/we thought they were terrorists but they were only planting turnips." as if this is acceptable. It shouldn't be.
The draft returning? Oh no my friend, that will not happen until those who suffered and witnessed war outnumber those who relish it and was considered above fighting for their desires and freedoms. In world war II everyone had a blood family member fighting, including the president of the United States. In Korea that shrunk to half. In Vietnam, those who now are our leaders, and war hawks, obtained numerous deferments, because 'they had more important things to do'. Now, today these deferred now are so quick to push the button and send our troops to all over the world for meaningless issues outside of their families financial profit.
Does it bother anyone who champion's the likes of Dick Chenney, Don Rumsfield, and G. W. Bush, that they obtained deferments from the Vietnam war. Chenney obtained five. Rumsfield seven. G. W. daddy bought him a commission and a slot in an air guard unit that was being deactivated.
What I believe is that a draft today, would have limited these; that after a brief time the people would have said enough. Do, I condemn the all volunteer military of today? No, I enlisted in my senior year of high school, and turned eighteen at basic training. do I criticize those war mongers who are so reckless with out most precious treasures, for a whim of profit, yes.
My attitude towards them....??
It's getting better, I guess.
The recruiter lied to me about everything.
The pay wasn't shit.
...and I'm still harboring bad feelings about
having to remain in front leaning rest position
all of 1995.
Oh, and then there's that pesty chant that won't
leave my head after all these years. During field
trainings... "Blood makes the green grass grow".
I was able to remix it in with my rebirth thoughts, though
omg... front leaning rest for an entire year? that sounds like the 7th level of hell lol.
I take no posture (lit., "attitude") towards or against the military and hope that they take no attitude against me.
Oil, and profiteering, of course.
The front leaning rest for an entire year!? I take it that the earth's gravitational polarity switched on spot at the time. Or you really really really pissed of the DI.
Affirmative
:cool:
I had no business enlisting, to be honest with you.
After my Mother left, I was just trying to get the approval/love
of the military males that was left to care for me....and it was the
fastest way to get to college with a check. That was the bonus.
I walked in and let them know I was a vegetarian and what my
good hearted intentions were....and well...the guy who said he
used to be a sniper and was missing 3 fingers wasn't hearing
that shit.... hahaha. He was on me like white on rice.
In the end...he taught me more about my self than I could
ever thank him for.
In the end...he taught me more about my self than I could
It is so uplifting to see someone realize and appreciate their teachers - especially when we don't recognize them immediately.
Yes, I learned a lot from the Vietnam combat vets. And, a lot of myself.
My Granddad, and all three of his brothers
were enlisted. My father was drafted.
I have two family members buried in Arlington.
So you can kinda see where a young girl thought
that must be it! That's how I'll make them proud!
Ironically, at my Granddad's funeral,
my Nana shared with me that he hated I went. He thought
it was no place for a 'hippy' girl like me. That it would
harden me and undo what I was exposed to earlier
in life........ wipes a tear ......
He never said anything. Just
put $50 in my pocket and told me to call when Basic
was over. It took me years to deal with thinking what
I was doing was for someone/people that in fact
didn't want it for me. It shook my whole way of thinking.
Sorry for going on.....Thanks for listening.
I'm writing from my comfortable home in the US, and my view is of the US military, so not really representative of the planet at large, I guess.
A small, efficient, effective, powerful, smart, dedicated military is necessary, to use for defense of the homeland. Unfortunately we have nothing of the sort, and use it in ways not resembling defense.
We need our genius nerds in lab coats at the CDC keeping up on the latest viral cultures, to keep us safe from wayward or malicious microbes. I'm not sure if we have enough of them today; I hope so. I don't want to be one of them, but I'm glad they're there.
We need gunlooney aggressives in fatigues at strategic locations keeping up on the latest threats to our homeland to keep us safe from wayward or malicious humans. I don't want to be one of those, either. I'm glad they're there, but it seems to me they have become metastatically overabundant, coopting resources that could -- and should -- be much, much better directed toward helping people.
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -George Orwell
The speech often remembered most from the film "A Few Good Men" is the one about handling the truth.
But I also remember the one by Jack Nicholson about how most Americans want to sleep well and pretend they don't know about people like him in all the dirty places in the world that make it safe for them to do so.
Well the question is, did it change you? I'd say yes, but not in the way he foresaw. So, be mindful of that.
The second is, honor is rendered in many ways, although they may have disapproved, You still came out the better, so be happy of that. Third, you have witnessed the fragility of life, as well as how few of us are destined to stand out and protect them, and their ideals. I started off as a medic, became a forward observer (13f) and then back to being a medic, a trip to be sure.
But for now, have some coffee. :coffee:
I did a three-year-hitch and still had to smile with agreement when I received the following in the mail today:
PS. Does anyone have a clue about how to make the boldface function work?
As a haughty young adult in the 80s, I will admit to shallowly sneering at people in the military. Then I got a job in the Pentagon. When I left after 3 years I felt differently. Turns out there are pretty much the same percentage of admirable folks there, as outside. Maybe more.
@genkaku asteriks. One asterik on either side of the word makes italics so * italics * without the spaces makes italics and with two asteriks, ** bold ** minus the spaces it becomes bold
Thanks @karasti.
@genkaku said "It's only when you see a mosquito landing on your testicles that you realize there is always a way to solve problems without using violence"
Quote of the week.
A little ditty from my time in uniform. "Prior preparation prevents piss poor performance".
Nothing like internal warfare, infernal dharma jihad and the temporary extremes of the Middle way hey . . .
As an idiotic dervish and little better Dharma fiend, battle comes easy to me. Show me some peace and equanimity and I will soon be off slaying dragons, breaking in unicorns and squashing cushions into submission. In essence I am a warrior worrier.
Show me a lax monk, I'll volunteer butt kicking duty. Show me a dervish whirling into fanatical annihilation and I will spin her another way. Hell realms are my play ground.
A warrior chooses a path with heart, any path with heart, and follows it; and then he rejoices and laughs. He knows because he sees that his life will be over altogether too soon. He sees that nothing is more important than anything else.
~ Carlos Castaneda Quotes from A Separate Reality
As we all know the Buddha was a trained killer. Came into being, killing his mother in the process of his final birth. Wow dude, show some compassion! First he trains in the warrior arts of the Shakyamunis, then the ascetic extremes of the yogi self abusers. After a few short years of internal conflict, a new battle commences. Gautama becomes the slayer of ignorance. His supreme awakeness.
Can we too engage warrior tactics of disciplined concentration, merciless compassion and uncalled for kindness? I feel if we are warrior warriors we have a Mahayana mission to save the heedless. How can we achieve this rank of commitment? I would suggest we have to continue our refinement for the greater good. Refinement not in the sense of the attainment of skills or fixed practice, that would be for the tile polishers. Our progress must be in the invincibility of vulnerability. How so? In essence nobody attacks a broken castle, a wasted land is already defeated.
Why would we live in such an internal landscape or breach our own defences? How can the broken be the ultimate fix? That dear brothers and sisters is the way of the aggressively non violent, the ferocious Lover, the art of the terminally martial.
. . . and now back to the killing fields . . .
Classic opening line of a Disney movie - or soft porn.
A military is only as good (or bad) as the government that is controlling it. It's hard for me to come to a categorical retrospective evaluation of the U.S. military as a whole. We have our prominent shining moments like the World Wars. But our military history also has a rather complicated shadow-side of unsettling ethical transgressions in our involvement in many South American countries, the Middle East, and the Caribbean (especially in the case of Haiti, where we supported the brutal, tyrannous Duvalier regime). These latter cases are lesser known, and their deleterious effects on these countries are either well out of sight, or only apparent years later.
I'm not even going to ask how the hell you arrived at that response.
But since you think your so damn funny, soldier......... you can assume the position and your comrades thank you ..... bec your on mess hall duty the rest of the week.
I think we should cut the military budget in half, right off the bat, and use the rest of the funding to maintain what we already have; They've replaced the BARELY USED (and even that is a stretch of their actual service) F-22 with a new F-35. I'd rather we got some use out of the F-22 before ordering a new fighter jet ya know?
I prefer peace, but the US has made many enemies over the last 14 years - I'd rather have the military in a defense role rather than an offensive one. I wish the UN would step up and handle issues like it is supposed to.
And how exactly did you come up with the 50% number?
http://pgpf.org/Chart-Archive/0053_defense-comparison
Figured we could spend as much as the next 5 counties, as opposed to 10.
I think the spending should be moved right now. To the tail end.
Take 1/2 the budget and move it to veteran affairs. All things veterans.
If we can get that right....then maybe the fed budget could take withdrawing that much permanently. It's such a slow damn process. All of it.
America has crumbling bridges and schools, but that can wait.
USA needs more high-tech weapons urgently.
How many billions of dollars have we spend on the war in Afghanistan? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just BUY Afghanistan? Send the poppy seeds to Colorado for final processing and sale, and make the place capitalistically viable.
Well, education budget is different than defense budget. Are you
saying some of the defense budget should be moved to education?
I agree! That's a good suggestion !! It's all about how much to spend and where we as voters want it spent.
Edit: Let's be real....the defense budget and it's supporters are going nowwhere any time soon...certainly not in my lifetime....my kids? maybe. I doubt it.
Anyway....lets just agree on how much should be cut....and then where can we put that money. That's at least short term. The veteran spending covers the conservatives and the spending cut could still be spoken for. As far as growing the government and things like that...... They call them hiring freezes in the private sector...hahaha...
I'm in the camp that we spend way to much money on defense budget.
Especially during cuts. IMO, even when cuts are agreed upon...they are cut in all the wrong places...hahaha
They cut NASA.
WTF? I'm still not over that. hahaha.
I compliment you! You had a basis for your suggestion. Many just pop numbers into their head.
As a current resident of Colorado, this made me laugh!
As a start to military budget cuts we could save 3 billion by stopping production of the M1 Abrams tank. The pentagon asked to stop making it but campaign "donations" speak louder so now we have 3,000 sitting idle in a field in Nevada.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/07/30/10325/army-tank-could-not-be-stopped
The new F35 seems to have some merit. If we could be smart instead of corrupt about how we spend our money I bet budgets wouldn't be so much of an issue.
@vinlyn
I know how cautious you've been about Colorado's new legalized pot industry but I wonder what pros or cons you might have noticed so far.
As an old fart who doesn't get out into that particular environment much, all I know is what I read about in the Denver Post. There is a lot of concern here that the new pot laws are bringing in "tourists" that are not the type of tourist that is helping the state much. There seems to have been more incidences of drugs in schools...or are we just noticing it more under the microscope? There have been a number of incidences where people have eaten some food and later discovered it was laced with pot...but again, is it really more or just being noticed more? There have been more cases of people smoking it out in public, when the law only allows it in private. And there have been reports of being high while driving, but again, are we just noticing it more?
I think what bothers me the most is the mindset that since it is bringing in tax dollars, it is good. That same concept -- using lottery/gambling profits for education funding -- bothered me back in Virginia.
I think regulated gambling is fine; but don't justify it by increasing funding for education. I'm glad we have decriminalized personal possession of marijuana. Possessing pot shouldn't ruin a person's future. But thinking that it's a good thing because it's bringing in taxes...that makes me very uncomfortable. Where does that end?
One thing that also bothers me is the number of inquiries that I have seen on a forum (city-data) by people saying they've decided to move to Colorado because of the new pot laws, and want to know where the most liberal areas (in that regard) are. For example, localities do not have to allow pot-selling businesses in their jurisdiction, and some communities are banning it, while others aren't. How is that going to affect different communities?
I suspect you might end up (like others in my state) with a situation like we've got here in Washington State: Most of the liberal folks are in or around Seattle, geographically speaking, while conservative people are kind of on the Eastern side of the state like in Spokane. (I'm sure there are conservatives else-where in WA, but I'm sketchy on details.)
Since the Seattle area has more people that Spokane, liberals usually outvote the conservatives; they don't like that. There is occasional talk of creating a separate "Eastern Washington State" but nothing usually comes of it.
Perhaps something similar will develop in Colorado?
@vinlyn, why does making tax revenue make you think twice? It's not the only reason to legalize. But it does generate revenue which can be used for good. I don't think it's a bad thing to try and figure out ways to balance the budget.
I think you misunderstand me.
To say that we might as well tax it, I have no problem with.
But I have friends here who say (paraphrased in various ways), "Legalizing pot is good because we can tax it."
That I disagree with.
Legalizing pot is good, or bad, based on its own merits. Not because we can tax it.