TheAnvil

Perhaps you should learn a bit about what you're discussing prior to making such generalizations. This in particular is false: You might want to actually look at what officers are paid and reconsider that. You might then want to speak with someone who actually has a bit of recruiting experience and rethink that generalization. Your thoughts on the motivations of people who opt to stay in the military vice leave also bears a bit of reconsideration. Many officers stay for advanced education and the chance to use said advanced degree a bit in service to the nation on some really interesting things. Many enlisted fellows stay for the same reasons. The 'scared to get out' reason exists, true, but those people are in the minority. Several companies make their profit from recruiting military officers and enlisted people with technical skills and placing them with companies. I'm sure all of them would disagree with you about corporations not liking miitary service very much. I think the value of a miiitary fellow to a corporation highly dependent upon the position to be filled and the experience of the individual person who would fill it. For some corporate positions, military folks are the ideal fit. For others - not so much. It's highly dependent on many variables so sweeping generalizations don't really work very well. Kerry's remarks were stated to the wrong audience. What he said would go over well in circles of the far left. He simply forgot where he was. Deal with it. The average level of education of military enlisted personell varies greatly. If you look at the technical ratings of each service, you'd find them quite well educated. The opposite would be true of the less technical ratings. Having dealt with a lot of college students, contractors, and corporate folks in many industries, I'd say they run the gamut of the intelligence spectrum as well. There are some who are quite bright and others who wouldn't be qualified to proof-read the title page of my high school term paper. Your post is indicative of the hubris pervading many circles of the left today. This hubris is but one of many reasons the military leans to the right politically. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

This is true. THe Army has the right model with regards to aviators - the warrant officer. Perfect. Working with those aviator guys at the higher levels is akin to working with JO's in so many regards because their administrative/leadership skils with respect to their peers is simply not there. They've spent too much time sleeping and flying to develop them - as a general rule of thumb. There are exceptions - and I know several. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

>Again I point back to the prior administration and say why is it >that more than an entire decade passed between when the Army first >started seeing body armor with the plates and when the last soldiers >finally had them. If the media were interested in the actual answer to this question, they would have interviewed the person who would have been able to answer it. They didn't. I'm interested as well, but feel I already know the answer. Secretary Rumsfeld's quote in that regard was quite apropos, though used out of context to slander the man shamelessly. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

A master's degree is preferred, but not required for getting past the O-4 level.

Niiiiiiice. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

That would depend a lot on who is chasing me... Haven't timed myself in the mile in a long time. Low six-ish would be my guess.

The military is an interesting microcosm of society. I'd place the Dem/Republican breakdown at about 25/75 among its enlisted ranks and about 10/90 in its officer corps. I think there are myriad reasons for this, including the nature of the military itself and the nature of the issues each party supports and the methods employed to support them.

Hope he's OK. Vinny Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I think those guys are skirting the Hatch Act and shouldn't have done that and released it so close to an election. I think it's hilarious, though. Bill - I think the people to blame are the terrorists themselves. The SecDef really has little role in the tactical day to day operations or tactics the military employs. That's part of the reason Kerry's 'I would have guarded the ammo dumps' comment made him look like such an idiot. For tactical errors, 'tis the commanders that are to blame. Strategic ones, the civilian heads of the DoD come into play and may share the blame. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Hi Kelly! Andrea's new avatar is most excellent. However, she has consistently refused to go midnight beach yodelling with me, regardless of how I compliment her. I guess my yodelling skills are substandard. I think Kelly needs some Patron... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

We're all too enthralled with your new avatar... Glad you're free, Kelly! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Well, Vinny, you stupid, short, poppy-eyed JACKASS, Bill O'Reilly disagrees with you on this Kerry gaffe. I was channel surfing last night and saw the man saying something about this incident, so I decided to listen in. Apparently Mr. O'Reilly was defending Kerry last night saying it was an honest mistake on his part. Thought some here would find that interesting. I only rarely watch O'Reilly anymore, though I've heard his new book is quite good.

Oh Lord. A profound Vinny. Thanks, Scarlett! I must ponder on this...profoundly... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Profound? Moi? Ich? Yo? Oh dear God help us... Thank you, mi bonita amiga. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Errr...just because we sometimes don't understand girlie, doesn't mean we don't like what we don't understand... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I agree. I'm bored with it. The vitriolic rhetoric about the incident still going on is amusing though. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

JACKASS '08 May I count on your support?

You're both incorrect. Kerry was commissioned as an officer - not enlisted, though he did choose his branch of service. Regardless of what anyone may think of the quality of his service, his reasons for service, how he conducted himself, or what he did afterwards, he DID serve. I too have been aboard Naval vessels in the Arabian Gulf and consider the Navy the safer service in many regards. It isn't a slap in the face of the dangers Navy men and women face - it's a statement of fact. The majority of the Navy folks are not SEALs or EOD or NECC people (though with the advent of NECC I'm not so sure that will remain so). Navy folks do face danger every day - but in Vietnam, and in today's environs, it is the safer service. Service on a surface combatant today as compared with being in the field in Iraq is quite safe. Now the carrier flight deck would be a bit more dangerous, but I'd still say being on patrol in Fallujah would be far more dangerous than that. There are army positions that are not as dangerous as being on a ship as well. Each service has its own character, mission, and dangers intrinsic to each. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

So Kerry, a polished speaker from the far left, made that much of a goof up? Only in the imaginations of leftists. Face it - we all know what he meant and the underlying attitudes that would generate such a remark. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Dude, there is no way you can infer that from the context of what he said. Period. All the hubub is a bit amusing. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

My run-waddle was about 3 miles tonite.

Actually, I'm not pissed at all - merely amused. It's unlike Kerry to say something that dumb. He is sticking to his guns and not apologizing though - out of character for him not to flip-flop or backpedal, but commendable in a way I suppose. I don't like his insinuation, nonetheless. There are more options out there than college and the military for young people. Some people entering the military's enlisted ranks aren't that bright, and some others are some of the sharpest people you'll ever meet - the same holds true for its officer corps. The military itself being somewhat of a microcosm of society, the intellectual abilities of its members does vary a bit. There are minimum entrance requirements, however. I digress. The military recruiting commands can't be all that pleased with Comrade Kerry's remarks, that's for sure. Kerry's lies back in the 60's were despicable then and despicable now. I am a bit suprised at the level of vitriol coming out of him today, however. Quite surprised, in fact. Political rhetoric has gotten much more vitriolic as a general rule of thumb over the past few years, I've noticed. Bill - the military itself often refers to its members as resources and human capital at the flag/SES level. The term Human Capital Strategy has been a buzzword at the five-sided wind tunnel in DC for the past couple of years, in fact. I don't recall the 'fungible' gaffe GWB made, but if he was briefed by military officials on troop strengths, disposition, recruiting levels, manning projections, etc, I'm quite sure the word 'resources' would have been used to describe soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen more than once or twice during the brief. 'Fungible' - that's pretty funny. I think I like 'misunderestimated' the best, though.

I think they're lazy idiots and their lawyers should be sanctioned for filing a frivolous lawsuit. The fact that they were able to file the suit in the first place is a testament to the anti-personal-responsibility aspect that seems to be so prevalent in society today. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

My, my, but was the rhetoric from Monsieur Kerry most vitriolic today or what? LoL. Though I'm sure he meant his remarks to be a swipe at the White House more than anything else, I believe the remarks for which he is being castigated would not have come out of his mouth if Kerry truly had a respect for military service today. I think such remarks indicative of the contempt with which many on the ultra left - most certainly not moderate or even most left leaning folks - have towards the military. Such remarks would go over well in the presence of Dean, Soros, Pelosi, and their ilk. "I apologize to no one." said Mr. Kerry. Well, I'm wondering who was expecting an apology. If memory serves, he never apologized for his despicable remarks he made in front of Congress after leaving the army so many years ago. Why should anyone expect an apology now? Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Cookie cutters are for kitchens - not foreign policy. Read up a bit on the Darfur situation and rethink. What you propose is impractical. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!