On the RINO Horn

Chickenhawks: I hate that term. I hate that term because i know the US Armed forces would not take me. I have dental problems that friends who have the same problem to a far smaller degree have gotten booted out on medical screenings. So I know they wouldn't take me period point blank. But i also have quite a few friends who have experienced some of the following

1. In medical screening be told they have disorder x,y,or,z but no other doctor before or since seems to be able to find it.
2. Be told they are to heavy to go when their bodyweight meets the standard for recruitment, which is bellow a normal body weight

I've also had some recruiters tell me that their CO told them they had a quota of people to turn away.

Here is how it works

They have a "recruiting shortage"
they then can break into "emergancy recruiting funds"

and everyone makes a big pay day.

I've had friends who are recruiters say they slacked off on recruiting people till it was time for their performance review then they hustled in tons.

So I am from this fact leary of the stories of the recruiting "crisis" by our armed services. Also things like recruiting crunches in the Reserve units and in the Guard units happened because those people are still in their active duty units do to the time of war.

But that is not the most insulting part of the whole "chicken hawk" thesis. no the most insulting part is impuning the honor of people who don't go into service. and imply that people who saw combat wouldn't be so caviler

Lets review shall we?

Only real wars will be included (things like Gulf War I and grenada are out)

Worst War in American History Death toll wise; The Civil War
Was the president a Vet -yep Abe Lincoln fought in the black hawk war, though he'd argue how much fighting he did-
Two worst wars from the W/L perspective: Korea and Vietnam
Presidents who served in combat as soldiers, and even as officers during that time
Harry S. Truman-Gerald R Ford
Best War in popular American history: WWII
Did the president do time as a soldier? that would be no
Mexican-American War: where we gained the entire western states
Polk -not a soldier as near as any bio i can find

So guys who never served in a trench or fired a firearm in anger did pretty good as War leaders. Guys who know the horrors of War... less so.

But lets also take another look here

We have a place where you make far less with skills then you would anywhere else that uses those jobs.

You have a proffession that is smaller then 1% of the population.. and is smaller then .01% of the nation... Not everyone can volunteer to serve, we just don't have the support for it nor is it good for people.

so with the implied "you wouldn't support war if you went" attitude of this argument we are saying "Only 1 tenth of 1 percent of the population should be allowed to lead us."

the argument is frankly unamerican and very dictatorial in nature. If FDR was good enough man to lead us into war, and if the all volunteer service performs better ( which is why even israel is doing away with conscription) that means that everyone has a right to his opinion... and has the right not to be called a coward if he chooses not to vote with his feet.