WP: General Encourages Military Recruitment

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON -- America's parents should not stand in the way of sons and daughters who want to join the military, but should let them follow their patriotic instincts, the nation's No. 2 general said Wednesday.

"Those who are looking to serve this country should be encouraged to do so," said Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A Marine whose son also is in the Marine Corps, Pace said the key is "to encourage our young people ... to come forward to help defend this nation ... and to encourage the families of those young folks to let them follow their instincts."

(snip)

Polls by the Pentagon and others show that while military-age people may be inclined to enlist, it is often their parents who consider it a bad idea.

In an Associated Press poll this month more than half of those surveyed said they would discourage a son from enlisting in the military, while two-thirds said they would discourage a daughter from joining.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062902298.html

[MichiganVote]

1. We are not defending this nation...we are defending an ideology of fear

an ideology of what if's, and if only....

[proiowadem]

2. I have a plan

I say we Dem's go to our local recruiting station and say will join up only if bushco gets impeached.

[rpannier]

3. I served in the military

Great decision on my part. I learned a lot and grew up considerably. If my son or daughter wants to join I'll be fine with that. If they don't want to join Ill be fine with that too.

[w8liftinglady]

13. the rules have changed...

my son has served one deployment in Afghanistan ,and is on his second in Iraq.He doesn't know when they will let him out.He spends most of his time doing guard duty,even though his MOT is heavy equipment repair.He HAS learned a lot-I just hope he gets to live long enough to use it.

[saigon68]

15. WAIT TIL HE DOES HIS 3RD AND 4TH TOUR

THERE WILL STILL BE A LOT OF CHICKEN-HAWK COWARDS WAVING THEIR NEOCON FLAGS

[w8liftinglady]

16. no kidding...eom

[stickdog]

21. In the words of my wiser older brother, "I was thinking about signing up

for the military, but then I realized there was an ACTUAL WAR going on."

[jimshoes]

4. Sounds like the stage is being set

for the you know what. Hint: (it starts with a D) It would be unpatriotic to stand in the way of your kid wantin' to become a shrapnel catcher. That is the angle I think they are getting at.

[saigon68]

5. Peter Pace is a Thug and a War criminal.

Leading a bunch of ill equipped people to their deaths in a religious war supported by the bush criminals and their corporate pillaging auxiliary.

[Neverarepublican]

6. I say Go to Hell Gen Peter Pace.

I will stand in my children's way till you have to shoot me down.
We are not defending our nation, we are guarding corporate interests.

[tanyev]

7. Dear General Pace,

Here are a couple of parents you can contact:

George and Laura Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1414

[finecraft]

8. "Patriotic instincts" - What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Personally I don't think patriotism is instinctive - I think it is more of a learned response. So my son wants to go stand in the middle of the highway because of his "highway instincts" and I don't say squat about the possibility of being run down by a semi while he is walking the yellow line. Yep- I'd say that would make me a good parent. Are these people nuts?

[Mizmoon]

9. Does this mean George and Laura will encourage the twins to serve?

Cause as far as I can tell they spend their time doing a whole lot of nothing ...

[VegasWolf]

10. Screw you General. I would do everything I could to keep my kids

from dying in Iraq or Afganistan to support Bush's oil Crusades.

[kaygore]

11. Let Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, etc.

send their relatives, children, and grandchildren who are between the ages of 18 and 38 to the front lines, then may be the rest of us will be willing to send ours.

[saigon68]

12. I will never allow mine to go and kill brown people

For Cheney and his fellow Halliburton stockholders "OILY PROFITS"

They are scum sucking leeches.

[daleo]

14. Parents are supposed to have better judgment than their kids.

At least until people are in their mid 20's or so (maybe older). Parents ought to discourage their young adult offspring from taking stupid risks for low pay, to benefit rich criminals.

[True_Blue]

17. Where's all the ChickenHawk Republicans when you need them?

The Bush war machine needs more cannon fodder...

[Solly Mack]

18. Fuck Pace. He can take his patriotic bullshit and choke on it

"serving your country" isn't instict....that type of thinking directly stems from straight out indoctrination

[Ilsa]

19. The right wing is trying to claim now that enlistment is way up

and it isn't a problem because people are so patriotic that they want to serve their country. They are saying that the signon bonuses and educational benefits aren't why they are joining up.

[ninkasi]

20. If their claims are correct...

then our kids don't need to enlist. I suggest they try the Young College Republicans, who think this fiasco is such a great idea. We don't see them signing up. In a war of absolute necessity, which this clearly is not, there is supposed to be shared sacrifice, and taxes are raised.

When as many rich white kids enlist as poor minority kids, or poor kids of any color, then maybe we can talk. When the rich have their tax cuts rolled back to pay for this quagmire, maybe we're coming closer to a shared sacrifice.

Until then, I suggest the neocons and chickenhawks shut the f... up.