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[pug_ster]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17138367/

I thought it was funny how does Bush manages to get so many volunteers to go to Iraq and Afghanistan.  

It is worse enough to get high school dropouts, but the military grants "moral waivers" to many recruits who would've been rejected outright.  Overall these moral waivers, includes felonies, like misdemeanors, traffic, drug offenses, petty theft, assaults.  

http://www.nytimes.c...i...nyt&emc=rss

This is an example of one of recruits who got a moral waiver.

[throwingks]

I've also seen a lot of news articles about injured soldiers having to go back to Iraq. Before they are healed.
 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mellow.gif)
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Report_Army_...rs_to_0312.html

QUOTE

The U.S. Army is ordering soldiers at Fort Benning classified as "medically unfit to fight" to war in Iraq, Salon reports, asking aloud if it is an "isolated incident or a trend."

This post has been edited by throwingks: Mar 12 2007, 05:44 PM

[Arvarden]

I see nothing wrong with this moral waiving exercise.  Not only will it boost troop numbers, you may find that in the future these troubled individuals may leave the military as better people.

Though sending "un healed" troops back into service is unforgivable.

[pug_ster]

Yeah I guess you do have a point there.

[melongstrike]

To my knowledge they have been exercising those practices for years... I became very confused when everyone went up in arms with John Kerry's statement "All the dumb kids end up in Iraq..." because he was technically correct.

ok me done now.

[throwingks]

^ It's cuase the media wants a story, and the right want ways to make the left look bad (and vice versa). His words were misconstrued to "only dumb people go to Bush's war."

If you remember, Kerry didn't retract his statement for a long time, until there was an outcry even from the Democrats, as well as the media, the Republicans, the troops, etc.

He agrees with you, but public image for your party is more important than what you believe. Unless you're a president. Then you can make your party look as good or bad as you like.

[damam]

Can kerry prove that statement?  What is the average IQ of a soldier in iraq?  I would seriously like to know because his statement contradicts my personal observation and what I have read (i recall reading a study in 2005 stating that abt 68% of the military scored above 100 meaning that 68% of the military had an above average IQ - link <- although this is not where I originally read this).  I know some of these "dumb kids" and some are dumb.  but most are not dumb, they are not motivated, have no direction, they have dug themselves into a deep hole of some sort, etc.  but not dumb.  

when i was abt 17 yrs old i tried to join the military primarily because i was one screwed up kid and I knew it.  Kerry probably would have classified me as one these "dumb kids".  They would not take me because among other things I was a high school drop out.  consequently it took me a lot longer to get my life together.  i eventually put myself through college and have done well for myself, but it would have been a hell of a lot easier if the military would have simply taken me.  So i for one, am happy that they have started doing this again.

[throwingks]

When I heard Kerry say what he said for the 1st time I took it as "Bush's decision to go to war is an uneducated one. If you choose to not get an education, you too can make uneducated decisions like him." I took it entirely as a jab at Bush. In my opinion, he butchered the statement, but he in no way tried to belittle a single soldier. I mean, he is a vet himself, of Vietnam. That would be calling himself uneducated.

It is all up to interpretation, but the media spun it to be more than it was meant to be.

here is the quote:

QUOTE

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

P.S. I just want to say, I have a huge amount of respect for everyone in the service. There is definitely not a lack of education, if you believe there is, then you are the one who lacks education.

This post has been edited by throwingks: Mar 17 2007, 12:36 AM

[pug_ster]

Talking about Kerry. During the 2004 election, he proposed to getting the troops home but many other Democrats didn't agree what he said.  Now almost of the Democrats are putting a date of when to get the troops out.

[damam]

QUOTE(throwingks @ Mar 16 2007, 11:55 AM)

I took it entirely as a jab at Bush.

well i interely mis-interpreted that.  i have been living in a proverbial cave for a while.  no internet, no tv, etc.