Frank Schaeffer writes this in the HuffPo:
……What I didn’t know when I started to write on the subject of the military was that I would find that some people in the military perceive themselves as having been forgotten, underrated or disparaged by the larger society, even while at the same time there is a sense of superiority. I can’t help noticing a real “we” against “them” edge, even a chip on the shoulder.
Guess what, Frank? You still don’t get it:
……The growing disconnect between the military and the rest of society has increasingly caught the attention of sociologists, political scientists and others who study contemporary society. Samuel Huntington, in his study, The Soldier and the State, said the armed services have “the outlook of an estranged minority.” More ominously retired Admiral Stanley Arthur has suggested that, “The armed forces are no longer representative of the people they serve. More and more, enlisted as well as officers are beginning to feel that they are special, better than the society they serve.”
……A recent poll found that two-thirds of armed service members think they as a group have higher moral standards than the nation they serve.
Uh, yep. Especially since our higher standards are enforced. The theme of Shaeffer’s complaint is twofold: How dare the military think that we are better simply because we volunteered to do what leftwing milksops wouldn’t, and if we subjected all citizens to the draft, it will somehow prevent America from engaging in wars he and his fellow nihilists disagree with….like the one we’re fighting against Islamofascist swine.
His bellyaches about the all volunteer military include:
Wars of choice have become easier
We are not, “all in it together.” The military is no longer a level playing field contributing to the melting pot factor and integration of our society.
We have created a military class that sees itself as more patriotic, more American and more decent than the rest of society and looks down on those who do not serve.
Oh yeah, and he pulls a William Arkin with this insulting comment:
The line between and all volunteer force and a mercenary force has blurred.
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/why-progressives-should-s_b_95950.html
If Schaeffer pulled his head out of his ass long enough, he might come to the realization that we didn’t choose this war. Muslim extremists picked this fight.
We’re not representative of the melting pot in the U.S. population? Where in the hell did he come up with that opinion? Last time I checked, we came from all across America, from different walks of life.
The pay for an average enlisted person is equal to a Congressman’s lunchtab. We don’t get to negotiate our salaries; they’re determined by Congress, and ‘raises’ are usually out of proportion to the relative tax and cost of living increase.
Edwin Rommel put it best:
The difference between a Soldier and a civilian is that a civilian never does anything more than he is paid to do”.
Mercenaries, my ass.
What delicious irony; the anti-war mob calling for a draft. These moonbats cannot fathom or tolerate the fact that we have willingly served in harms way, inspite of THEIR support for the enemy. They just want to add another item to their bitch-and-moan list.
If Schaeffer and his so-called ‘progressive’ friends feel that strongly, why wait for an involuntary draft? If they really feel that guilty about the inequities between the military and the ‘never served’, then they need to march their asses right down to the nearest recruiting station and enlist.
Otherwise, have a nice big heaping plate of shut the fuck up.