Let;s hear it for ignorance!

[gridlore]

From an article on aggressive tactics my military recruiters.

Nancy Carroll didn't know schools were giving military recruiters her family's contact information until a recruiter called her 17-year-old granddaughter.

That didn't sit well with Carroll, who believes recruiters unfairly target minority students. So she joined activists across the country who are urging families to notify schools that they don't want their children's contact information given out.

"People of color who go into the military are put on the front line," said the 67-year-old Carroll, who is black.

Bollocks. The majority of people in Army combat units are white. Minorities tend to join for job skill training and college opportunities, whites more for the adventure and experience. I state this as a former infantryman. Every infantry unit I was in had more white guys than other races. But our support units looked like the bloody UN.

So yes, decry the overly aggressive recruiters who are crossing far too many lines in trying to fill the ranks, but don't play the damn race card when it isn't warranted.

Comments

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

The occasionally drafted rich kids in the 60's, too, but those generally got assignments at the officer's club in Fraulienbump, Germany. It was the poor kids that usually got sent to Noncomphrag, Vietnam. Not everyone with money is an asshole, but few with money volunteer for the crappy jobs, and why should they? People with power have always been able to pull strings and get their kids out of the fire, and that won't ever change. Even with universal conscript, someone will find some reason to have the son of Congressmen Skruemupthebum assigned to the pentagon as a cocktail commando, while Joe Bagadonut's kid gets used for medical experiments or assigned as a biological mine clearing device. I can't speak in absolutes, just my experience, and my experience is who you know has a lot to do with where you end up. YMMV

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

I know that the politically powerful will still find ways to protect their spawn, at least this way it will be technically illegal for them to do so. Not like they don't break the law all the time, but still.

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think we should make Ba'al worship (http://www.bensozia.com/benideas/baal.html) mandatory for members of Congress.

It doesn't take political connections...

[murbin.livejournal.com]

...the military is system, and like any other has it's angles.
A good friend of mine was assigned to the 82nd during the late 80's. He was an E4 or E5 by the time and knew the three magic words to say while reporting for duty.

"I can type."

This resulted in an immediate assignment to the HQ Company, where Bill was then filling out forms in triplicate all day.

Bill's family political or military connections: Zip.