Who will win in 2004 ?

[Guest]

Im glad men your age Pix can find humor in things like South Park The Movie. Humor should be a universal bonding tool, and lets face it, that shit was just hilarious.

[Wha?]

Humour is good. Especially when it comes to politics. Political satire helps keep the parties in check, as well as keeping them in touch with the people.

[FreeFall]

as well as letting the people laugh their asses off (assuming the joke is funny enough)

[PIX]

I have seen the movie like 40 times now. Even bought the sountrack to listen and sing along with in my Jeep.

"The sun is shining and the grass is green.
Under the 3 feet of snow I mean.
This is a day where it's hard to wear a frooown.
All the happy people stop to say hello.. (Get out of my WAY)
Even though the temperatures low.
It's a perfect day in this redneck mountain town."

I also like the "Operation: Get behind the darkie"
"Sir, have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclimation?"
"I don't listen to hip-hop."

[Guest]

Im still laughing about this, since im nearing 17 I keep getting things from various branches of the Armed Forces. They make it so convincing! Up to 8000 dollars for enlisting, up to 68,000 for college! I could be stationed in Hawaii!
Or in the words of Private Joker from my favorite movie Full Metal Jacket "Well, I love going to exotic places, and learning about new cultures. I love to meet to new and interesting people, then blow the crap out of them."

[g-boy]

I think many people in the LA area have experienced a Marine named Sgt. Brown. He called me and apparently called many people I know in the last two years of high school, and was trying to convince us to join the Marines. The guy is a bit of a screwball in the sense that he sounds like what you'd expect a marine to sound like, loud voice from saying "Sir yes sir!" a few too many times, but he would use slang. And every other sentence he'd call me "Bro." He called my friend about five times, he wouldn't leave him alone. For me, it was one long conversation, about an hour of me trying to convince him that I'd prefer to go to a University of California rather than go into the military. I respect people who go into the armed forces, I think it's awesome, but it's not for me. The guy wouldn't take no for an answer. His attitude pissed me off though... first he went through the usual, have I ever been arrested or done drugs or anything... when I said no on both counts, he wouldn't believe me! "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm very damn sure I haven't been arrested." I finally just went with his line of questioning and he asked the question about my medical history, and I completely forgot to mention it earlier in the convo... I told him I had a heart problem a couple years prior and I also have asthma... his response? "I'm very sorry... I can't say for sure, but in all honesty I'm not sure you could make it with that medical history... sorry again." Sorry for WHAT??? With his tone of voice and all he made it sound as though I had called him and was an eager recruit... I had told him again and again the military wasn't for me, then he wanted to let me down gently when I couldn't get in.

Sorry for the rant... just a great story my friends and I like to laugh about.

[PIX]

I think the US should do like Israel with the required service for EVERYONE when age is reached.
I think a good portion of the population could use a little discipline and realize their potential away
from playing Playstation 2 all day once they graduate from high school. It also gives you a few hands
on skills that you might not have had upon leaving school as well as paying for your college when you
get out.

Come on g-boy...you KNOW you'd like to put on that Ghille suit and shoot a Barret .50 sniper rifle for a job?:D

[g-boy]

It is flawed logic to think that the military disciplines everyone. Yes, they are forced to obey authority when they are active in the military, but you know what else you learn in the armed forces? How to kill. It's basic psychology, they train the mind to squeeze a trigger at the sight of a stimulus, which on a shooting range would be the target. Particularly in the Marines and special forces, you are officially a killing machine. Just because a human being learns to obey the authority of a loud mouth superior does not mean all of their other personality traits disappear. There can be lots of a-holes unleashed on the public when they become civilians again.

Also take into account that being forced into something can piss someone off. Find a friend or acquaintence (for your own safety) and grab them from behind, hold there arms down, and don't let them move. Instinctively, they will try to squirm away. Hold them tight so that they can't get away, and they will go nuts. It's just human nature. I frankly would be pissed off if I was required to be in the military, because it's simply not appealing to me. I'm a rather gentle and stable person, now think of an unstable person forced into something. And imagine the same person not enjoying it even after the fact. I don't want to meet that person. It's over-simplification to assume people will suddenly become disciplined and hardworking JUST because they went through military training. Lots of people out of the military are just that, disciplined and hardworking, educated, healthy, but they went in because they CHOSE to do so, sans those forced by their parents.

Yes PIX, let's do like Israel, because we know THEY are in great shape. Maybe we should start building giant electrified walls too :P

[PIX]

Israel's 'shape' has to do with it's surrounded location. One country...surrounded on all sides by people who HATE them due to religion.
They have been hating each other for 1000's of years. I think it's quite impressive that Israel has been kicking their asses for the last 50 years.
We'd probably be in the same boat if Canada and Mexico has a military and hated us for our beer choice beliefs.

[FreeFall]

Well one thing's for sure, if people were forced into it, there'd be a lot more Private Pyles. (Another Full Metal Jacket reference)

[kermit]

yeah, if we had a situation like israel, i bet we would enact mandatory military service out of necessity. plus, if you had that much of a threat to your sovereignty, you would probably change your mind and rush to talk to sgt. brown.

personally, after talking with some south korean men (all of which had to do required military service), i think our system currently in place is better because, often, we get the people who want to be there.

if i was ever drafted (i'm too old now) for a war like iraq or a "military police action" like in veitnam, haiti, somalia, etc...i would be in canada or mexico so fast. i just don't see that kind of cause worth my life.

[GRITS]

you know one thing that use to keep you out of the military without traveling? getting braces....I wonder if it still does

[kermit]

i heard of people sticking an icepick in their ear or shooting themselves in the foot.

braces would be preferable.

[Guest]

My local recruiter is Sergeant Thrasher.

[Guest]

That's something proud to tell your grandkids..."Yeah, I deafened myself so I wouldn't have
to go in the military". As an adult, unless you were Frank Zappa who was a filthy bastid as it is,
you would probably regret it. Look at how bad the public and press hits politicians when their
military history comes up and shows that they wimped out somehow from duty by running to Canada,
going off to college at Oxford or getting assigned to a non-combat role in the National Guard.

Americans love to fight, it's in their blood was paraphrased from the original comments from General George
S. Patton. As American society 'numbs' itself into the 'leave me alone, I won't be offended' role; people soon
forget why and how America was started; every man and woman performing their duty and service to make
this country great, to keep it safe and to pass this concept to their following generations.

My how times have changed in the last half century. I remember footage in the 40's of all the men (famous and unfamous)
rushing to the recruiter office to sign up for their country. All the big time actors signing up to fight. Now you couldn't find
a single actor, aside from Bruce Willis, Rob Lowe, Arnie and Mel Gibson who would speak kindly of our military. The 60's
were such a cancer on our country. A malignant tumor which is still spreading and shutting down the morals of the
greatest gdamned country in the world.

[g-boy]

There was a little thing in the 40's called WWII, and people were definitely encouraged to help out. If I lived in a time of a World War and there was not the kind of technology we have now, I would join up. You understand, though, that right now we do have many soldiers, all highly trained, very skilled, brilliant, with the best technology the world has to offer. It's unnecessary for everyone to go sign up in the armed forces. I agree that people who do nothing, like go straight from high school to flipping burgers, should probably do something in the military. But someone like me, I am going to a university and I'm looking towards my future at a good career, one to help out this country and the world in general in a way not related to the military.

We're not farmers fighting an oppressive empire, we're not young recruits fighting the German war machine, we are smart bombs and special forces fighting a bunch of terrorists.

The cancer of the 60's was the Vietnam War, not the lack of morals of civilians. It was a dumbshit war that never should have happened. I support the current war, but I would never have supported Vietnam. And as I said, we don't NEED anymore soldiers, we're pretty good as it is. It's not as if we're going to get conquered, which were the threats of the previous wars you used in your examples of people eager to join and fight.

Again, nothing against the military, but I don't see any necessity in my joining, it's not what I want to do, it would be a hindrance in my goals, and I think it would be retarded to have a country of this size, with our technology, with the current size and skill of our military, to make armed services a mandatory thing out of high school.

[[CAKE]anonymity]

In our province's youth criminal justice act, there is an option, for a judge to send a young offender to a boot camp. I dont know how similar our boot camps are to the stereotypical ones you see on TV, but it will be punishment. Military service would be a lot better then turning into a criminal. But most teens dont turn into criminals, nor do they need the disicipline, assumeing military service does that.