While I'm here...

Since I was at the LA Times website anyway, I thought I'd do what I do for all newspapers, and stopped by the opinion section. I found this opinion from Rosa Brooks pointing out the obvious to liberals: The military doesn't represent you and your beliefs because you refuse to join it.

Consider the approach taken by university students to protest the anti-gay policies of the military: Get the recruiters off our campus! Obstruct recruiters! Waste their time! Do everything in your power to prevent people whose politics are close to yours from joining the military! Is it any wonder, then, that since these people who oppose current military attitudes which influence policy do not join, military attitudes do not change?

posted by Beetle Aurora Drake 8/13/2005 06:44:00 PM #
Comments (2)

. . .

Comments:

The military will never reflect my beliefs because it advocates killing, not because people with similar political beliefs to mine don't join. By extension, you couldn't persuade people with my beliefs to join the military exactly because people with my beliefs don't like killing.

DUH.

# posted by  Rebecca C. Brown : 8:59 PM, August 14, 2005

 

It's a bit of a stretch to say the military advocates killing. The military is dedicated to dealing with war efficiently and effectively, and a significant part of this involves being able to kill effectively. It's not advocating killing any more than doctors advocate dangerous surgical procedures.

Regardless, the "I won't support killing under any circumstances" attitude is not particularly common among military protestors, at least as far as their official complaints go. The example I gave, about anti-gay policies, suggest that the protestors actually want to give gay people a fair chance to get in on the killing.

# posted by  Beetle Aurora Drake : 9:26 PM, August 14, 2005

 

Post a Comment