TO: Paul Danish
RE: Boys To Men
“The idea of Universal National Service is to turn ‘boys’ INTO men. Something the vaunted American public education system has been failing to do for several decades now.” –Chuck Pelto; to Paul Danish
“The advocates of Universal National Service be selling that, but I’m not buying.” — Paul Danish; in reply
Don’t care if you buy it or not.
“I’m not arguing for Universal National Service.” — Paul Danish
“I’m arguing that if we are to bring back conscription it should be only as a wartime measure in a time of formally declared war, and that it focus on older men rather than younger ones.” — Paul Danish
How old are you Paul?
“The central mission of the United States Army is not to make boys into men. It is to defeat or destroy the enemies of the United States. The only reason to have conscription is to further that mission.” — Paul Danish
And for that you need men. Unfortunately, all the vaunted American public education system is cranking out now is ‘boys’. Heck, I’m in a ‘discussion’ with the president of a local community college over the way he treats his young men and women like they were children in grade school. And he’s a retired Air Force colonel; even was a base commander at one time.
So, we have to work with the materials at hand….young men with the bodies of men and the social acclimatization of boys. Therefore, WHATEVER course of action we take, we’ll be dealing with boys.
As for getting middle-aged men into the military, via a draft or otherwise, I do believe the military has raised the eligibility age to something like 45.
How old are YOU Paul. And what have YOU done for US?
“If the Army can instill character and civic values among its recruits, that’s all to the good, but making boys into men is not the reason we have an army — and it is certainly no reason to have a draft.” — Paul Danish
Well. As I’ve pointed out, the vaunted American public education system isn’t doing a good job of it. So, somebody needs to take up the proverbial slack.
Otherwise, it could well be that we DO end up with a Starship Troopers form of government….when the democracies fail….because they didn’t teach their children well.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[Most science fiction is prescient.]
