Joining the military doesn’t make you a hero (Triple Bagger)

Boston Globe ^ | 7 Dec 14 | Stephen Kinzer

[all the best]

“At sports stadiums, many games now include a ceremony at which a uniformed “honor guard” marches in formation bearing ceremonial weapons.”

Just another step in total state idolatry. All hail the savior state. More fitting for totalitarian regimes.

[SkyPilot]

Or better put:

I have seen military all over the world act in different ways. Some were heroes, in the truest sense of the word. Selfless. Many died or were maimed. It was horrific. I cannot even describe the pain.

Others were sad sacks and should have never been in the military, but I will tell you, those are identified quickly. However, a sad truth is that today the DoD will bend over backwards for a minority female who is overweight. They are even allowed (under Obama and Hagel) to wear their hair in strange fashions and wear sneakers for any "profile" they have or if they are pregnant (which unfortunately many of our "warriors" often are).

The true military warriors and their families have been under assault for almost 7 years, and it has to stop."

[skeeter]

Perhaps soldiers are just average people, but who would you rather have living next door - one of them or the cupcake who wrote this essay?

[grumpygresh]

Although it was honorable to serve in the US military in the past, I don’t think that you can make that statement today without accepting the totalitarian goals of the Federal government.
The only honorable reason to go into the military today is to learn the necessary skills and then go out to fight the emerging totalitarian federal government.

[puppypusher]

To the left Gwyneth Paltrow would be considered a hero or Heroin.

[SkyPilot]

On Pearl Harbor Day, the Boston Globe prints this?

Amazing, isn't it?

[kearnyirish2]

Last year at the Meadowlands Flea Market (next to Giants Stadium here in NJ) I saw a pair of pants with a “pregnancy pouch”; they were current-issue digital camo.

We will never win a war again.

[Puppage]

One reason Americans have come to view soldiers as our only protectors is that we have accepted the idea that our country is under permanent threat from fanatics who want to kill us and destroy our way of life.

As if 9/11 never happened.

[SkyPilot]

About the author:

http://watson.brown.edu/people/visiting/kinzer

Biography

Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent whose articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him "among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling."

Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for the New York Times, most of it as a foreign correspondent. He was the Times bureau chief in Nicaragua during the 1980s, and in Germany during the early 1990s. In 1996 he was named chief of the newly opened Times bureau in Istanbul. Later he was appointed national culture correspondent, based in Chicago.

Since leaving the Times, Kinzer has taught journalism, political science, and international relations at Northwestern University and Boston University. He has written books about Central America, Rwanda, Turkey, and Iran, as well as others that trace the history of American foreign policy. He contributes to the New York Review of Books and writes a world affairs column for the Guardian.

[jsanders2001]

I think liberal ideologues who write such tripe of this are just envious and deficient of people who have character. I’m tired of their class envy and character deficiencies. The American people are waking up to what they really are - ungrateful, irresponsible,,disrespectful little brats who think that just because they attended a few more years of school that they are mentally superior to others and can tell others what they can or can’t do. I hate to break it to them but intellect is only one small component of the human experience and has little to do with getting respect. You can’t just toss courage, wisdom, and integrity aside and say they’re not needed (because liberals seem to prove this daily).,Well if they think school makes them “better than you” I can go down a very long list of people of great accomplishments and wealth who never attended college.

http://elitedaily.com/news/business/100-top-entrepreneurs-succeeded-college-degree/

[txrefugee]

No one outside their circles admires Leftist scribblers and college professors, so they have to write junk such as this to make themselves feel better about there incredibly small lives. When they die, no one mourns them, and another worthless dweeb takes their slot in the Joyless Factory.

[Cincinatus]

The author of this garbage is Stephen Kinzer.

His resume is exactly what I would have expected:

Stephen Kinzer.

[SkyPilot]

"When soldiers were part of society, people recognized them as ordinary human beings. Now, with the emergence of the all-volunteer army, society has transferred the burden of war to a small, self-contained caste cut off from the American mainstream."

Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe

______________________________________________________________________

Baloney. Most Americans, especially the Obama Voters, could give a flip about the military. They are too busy going to Burger King and Taco Bell to spend their EBT "benefits."

[HotHunt]

I would bet it is a “coupon” shopper who collects coupons for free and cheap deals. I’ve seen programs on TV about them. They load up their shopping carts like the ones in the photo and when they get to the cashier with their coupons, their cash register receipt shows some ridiculously low figure, like $12.95. They have whole rooms in their homes for storage of all these goods, like huge pantries. It’s akin to an obsession for these folks, abeit they do get lots of groceries for almost nothing.

[Ghost of SVR4]

‘One reason Americans have come to view soldiers as our only protectors is that we have accepted the idea that our country is under permanent threat from fanatics who want to kill us and destroy our way of life’

This idiot seems to believe nations, countries and borders never change. He has a very short sighted view of history and subscribing to his wisdom (or lack thereof), we have nothing to fear. The only problem is there are a multitude of nations that would love nothing more than to wipe America out; they only play nice because we can currently wipe them off the face of the map with hardly batting an eye if our "will" is there.

It was barely over a decade ago that two very large buildings came tumbling down, the Pentagon attacked and a soon to be attack was thwarted all perpetrated by "fanatics", our enemy; those out to destroy us.

[Paradox]

I sort of agree. John Kerry is no hero

[SkyPilot]

Yes, that is a WalMart.

What happened was that, one weekend, EBT cards experienced a glitch and had no limit.

The Takers went wild. When the stores were almost empty (this happened over several US States), they cut them off.

The Takers in line simply abandoned their planned loot and ran from the store.

See this:

< ahref="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebt-benefit-card-glitch-sparks-walmart-shopping-sprees-in-louisiana/">EBT benefit card glitch sparks Walmart shopping sprees in Louisiana

But, we have to cut our DoD and military families and retired veterans. We "don't have the money" you see.

[Old Sarge]

A-friggin-MEN!

[HotHunt]

Well, one this is for sure. This Kinzer guy is no hero. Trying to make himself relevant in the irrelevant world of ivory towers and liberal newspapers.

[DJ Taylor]

The author intentionally put his "Thesis Paragraph" at the very end:

"It is far easier to spend a few seconds applauding a smiling soldier than to contemplate a troubled veteran left behind by an uncaring country. The soldier acknowledging cheers at a ball game is a fantasy figure we can easily admire. Veterans in need are more disturbing, so we keep them invisible. If we truly considered our uniformed fighters heroic, we would show them real gratitude rather than the phony kind that gives us a shiver of momentary pride but does them little good.