tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14879983.post4221432579092261648..comments2024-03-18T20:41:39.140-07:00Comments on C. E. Chaffin's Blog: Sonnet: WatershedC. E. Chaffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02639448512282317750noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14879983.post-22807057805168597382006-12-22T11:08:00.000-08:002006-12-22T11:08:00.000-08:00To say nothing of the adults, America's youth comp...To say nothing of the adults, America's youth comprise a nation of heartfelt bad poets. A middle class military wouldn't last a day. Better to maintain the charade of a 'volunteer' force, you know, those kids shoe-horned in due to limited further education access or decent job opportunties.<br /><br />norm<br /><br /><br /> "We’ve got a nation of teenage poets cultivating a rich crop of sensitivity. Where do I get my soldiers?" <br /> -- from Adriano Shaplin’s play 'Pugilist Specialist'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14879983.post-67166316209637335932006-12-21T11:42:00.000-08:002006-12-21T11:42:00.000-08:00it's leaking out into innumerable blogs, perhaps n...it's leaking out into innumerable blogs, perhaps not unlike this one, and not making it out to the street. A few keystrokes and the angst, oh so eloquently wrought, is wasted.<br /><br />normAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14879983.post-56920752760316873712006-12-21T10:31:00.000-08:002006-12-21T10:31:00.000-08:00Well, that was one factor to consider, as I mentio...Well, that was one factor to consider, as I mentioned in my string of questions. But the Vietnam protests were not just about the dead; they were about an antiquated vision of America's foreign policy delusions...I admit the fact that far fewer families are touched personally by this "war," that's obvious. But where is the philosophical righteous indignation?C. E. Chaffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02639448512282317750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14879983.post-44487577204741075872006-12-20T14:28:00.000-08:002006-12-20T14:28:00.000-08:00CE:
Even moreso in this narcissist age, public po...CE:<br /><br />Even moreso in this narcissist age, public policy is a function of scale or at least NIMBY. I had a recent conversation about this with a friend. Consider these crude metrics between today and the Civil War era:<br /><br />300,000,000 current US population <br />100,000,000 households<br />3,000 US casualties<br /><br />.003% of American households have suffered a casualty.<br /><br /><br />27,000,000 US (free) population in 1860 <br />9,000,000 households<br />620,000 casualties on both sides<br /><br />7% of American households suffered a casualty, probably more due to larger households.<br /><br />You can't tell me NIMBY isn't a big factor. Besides, it's a volunteer military too.<br /><br />take care<br />normAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com