<p>Hey unfair you called GWB a dumbass if you can call him a dumbass why cant I say that this is stupid And im not spaming the thread im responding to your posts!</p>
<p>four times in a row though? within minutes of each other?</p>
<p>Yes, I know you would like it if I would stop posting, actually im considering it! Dont adcoms from schools come here wasnt there a post about that??</p>
<p>That's not the point of this thread, so please do not post nonsense.</p>
<p>Which nonsense are you talking about? The cellphone nonsense, or the adcom nonsense? But seriously could they track me?!</p>
<p><em>insert flame here</em>x100@Getmetocollege</p>
<p>anyway, bush is a complete blockhead.
-raised national debt by 4 trillion
-iraq war (nuff said)
-goes to aircraft carrier, dons pilot suit, and says "mission accomplished" in the middle of the pacific ocean
-tried to walk out on a chinese conference and walks into a door, then says curtly "I was trying to escape from China"</p>
<p>what an idiot.</p>
<p>Females might be drafted sometime, but they'll never be on the front lines. The US Military /Gov't has deemed that the male psyche could not handle seeing women get shot - ie we would all go ballistic and try to shoot anything that moved (which is almost the point of war, anyway...).</p>
<p>War is NEVER, EVER, EVER the answer to anything. War is a COMPLETE, UTTER waste of time, money, and human lives. War is COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. War is evil. War is hateful. War gets you NOWHERE. War is mass murder, mass vandalism (what do you call bombing someone's house? VANDALISM), and misuse of MY money. I paid the government money to feed the hungry, keep our schools intact, provide aid to University students who got into Harvard but can't go because they're too poor, NOT to murder innocent Iraqi civilians, mass-vandalize a country (or two) OR to make the rest of the world hate us so that I'm afraid of going to SFO and getting on a UA flight. (where do you think the $ for the Iraq War is coming from? From ALL THE SALES TAX-8% in CA- I PAY WHEN I BUY STUFF!!!!)</p>
<p>To all you radcons out there: War is more of a murder than abortion is. War is MASS murder, vandalism, and a crime against humanity. Yet I see Bush campaigning against all forms of abortion but hawking war as a smart policy. He doesn't make sense.</p>
<p>You should try living in a communist country.</p>
<p>Gloria Steinem's opinion was that women aren't allowed on the front lines because there'd be no way for a husband could dominate his wife if she'd killed men in combat. That's probably part of it.</p>
<p>It's illegal not to register, but when was the last time you heard of anyone being prosecuted for it? They went after a handful of activists when they first reinstated draft registration.</p>
<p>There are countries---Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Taiwan---that draft men up to age 55. I say send the middle-aged to war. They have better jobs, more money----they owe the country a far greater debt of gratitude than any eighteen-year-old.</p>
<p>Is that because I believe that warfare in general is a MASSIVE-SCALE form of VANDALISM?
Or is that because a student who was accepted into Harvard but is too poor to go there should have every opportunity to go there? (I believe in free higher ed, such as the system in England)
Or is that because I believe that people who can't really support themselves should AT LEAST be fed and clothed, and have the OPPORTUNITY to make a living for themselves?
Or is that because I have SERIOUS objections to the fact that the money I pay in sales taxes (ultimately ends up in IRS) goes into paying for MASS VANDALISM AND MURDER?</p>
<p>BTW, Bush should have gotten 102,000 (approx. number of people dead in Iraq war-Iraqis are people too) life-in-prison sentences (for the murder part) AND a couple hundred quadrillion in fines (for the vandalism part) for his SERIOUS lack of judgement.</p>
<p>Scottb: I don't think so.</p>
<p>If we lose middle-aged men (and/or women) the economy's going to disintegrate. The country will fall apart. As much as I would love for more job openings to happen, we're less experienced, and more impulsive. That's a bad combination. Middle-aged men/women are probably the biggest source of IRS income so if they were to be drafted, the funding will go with them as well.</p>
<p>Oh, furthermore, they don't owe this country anything. They're the reason why the government doesn't fall apart due to lack of money. There are plenty of countries that do MUCH more for their citizens than in the US. Take France for example. They a) pay for higher ed, b) try to find jobs for you if you're unemployed, and c) mandate a certain amount of paid vacations so that you don't lose your sanity at work and d) they have a government retirement funding system similar to the US Social Security Admin. In comparison, the US a) makes higher ed MORE EXPENSIVE, b) only give you money for awhile if you're unemployed, c) don't regulate vacation days or workdays to maintain people's sanity, and d) has social security.</p>
<p>Yeah...but now, there were recent reports that the total cost of the war in Iraq will be in the trillions of dollars when you figure in the cost of life-long care for troops who've been permanently disabled. If those troops were middle-aged, they'd be half-way to the grave anyway and would cut those costs in half.</p>
<p>Jesus, ihateCA, who stuck a corncob up your @$$?! None of us here like what is going on in Iraq, so shouting about how you can't afford to go to Harvard is slightly more than annoying.</p>
<p>You should try living here-10% sales tax - or in Canada - my friend pays 15%!</p>
<p>Also, try to not make blanket statements. Yes, war is counterproductive, but sometimes necessary. You wouldn't even be making these comments on your trendy little laptop if Hitler had been allowed to take over the world.</p>
<p>I never said I can't afford to go to Harvard(my grades are too low anyways). I said that there are people who are seriously poor who can't afford to go to Harvard, and they deserve every effort on the government's AND the university's part to make Harvard affordable for him or her. And I'm not seeing ANY effort from the government, though I'm seeing a lot of effort from Harvard University.</p>
<p>I never said war was unnecessary. If more people thought like I do, the world would be a better place.</p>
<p>
[quote]
War is NEVER, EVER, EVER the answer to anything.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Are you American? You still want to live under the rule of the British? Was that war not the answer?</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are countries---Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Taiwan---that draft men up to age 55. I say send the middle-aged to war.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Some of these are the countries that draft everyone for a year of service, like Germany, Switzerland, Israel, etc. It's not necessarily war or fighting, but a form of civil duty and service. It's not such a terrible idea.</p>
<p>If the draft does come around (which it very well might) I'm simply moving to Canada. Or maybe my flatfooted-ness will excuse me from enlisting.</p>
<p>I do think that if a draft is necessary, they got the age right. I would rather get the "waiting/wondering" period over quickly and move on with my life than have to be suspenseful of a draft into middle-age.</p>
<p>scartleavy- It's interesting that you should bring that up. Consider...</p>
<p>1) The American rebel colonists (our "patriots") were considered terrorists by the British.
2) The British fought to keep their empire intact. Our civil war was fought to keep the Union intact. The British were wrong and the Norh was right? Seems rather hypocritical to me.
3) The U.S. is involving itself in wars that do not directly concern it. Historically, this has been the fall of empires. Egypt fell after meddling in Rome. Greece fell after arrogantly invading Egypt and Sicily. Rome fell after meddling in Britain and Germany. The British empire fell after medlling in India. See a pattern?
4) We are not the world police. THAT IS THE JOB OF THE UNITED NATIONS, IF THE U.S. WOULD LET IT DO ITS JOB. </p>
<p>That said, here's a quote by Emma Goldman.
[quote]
Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Let me illustrate. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who have had the fortune of being born on some particular spot consider themselves nobler, better, grander, more intelligent than those living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others.
The inhabitants of the other spots reason in like manner, of course, with the result that from early infancy the mind of the child is provided with blood-curdling stories about the Germans, the French, the Italians, Russians, etc. When the child has reached manhood he is thoroughly saturated with the belief that he is chosen by the Lord himself to defend his country against the attack or invasion of any foreigner. It is for that purpose that we are clamoring for a greater army and navy, more battleships and ammunition. An army and navy represent the people's toys.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm not saying I'm against the draft. If I were drafted, I'd go and do something in the science/technology sector (like Archimedes did!). However, I don't think the draft should be used to support pointless wars, and I don't think it will be.</p>
<p>Scarletleavy-That's a strong accusation.</p>
<p>Let me defend my point here: The British Empire was too expensive to maintain at the time. The US was nothing but trouble. They weren't productive, they demanded all sorts of things from the Parliament, very much the opposite of India. I strongly believe that if we didn't go to war against Britain, they would have given us independence eventually anyways. To them we were a lot more of a liability than we were an asset. Same with Canada. The French were demanding all sorts of things from Parliament. The British willingly gave up Canada. It's an independent country, very much like the US or Britain. By going to war against Britain, we challenged the largest, most powerful naval and military power in the world at the time, AND caused that largest power in the world at the time to HATE US. That's a stupid move. The whole thing could have, and should have, been a peaceful transition of power. </p>
<p>crimsondreams: I'm right with you. Should the draft come around, I'll just move to Canada. I believe that all forms of violence are WRONG, and I can't support it directly or indirectly. How could I possibly support something that I believe is MASS MURDER, MASS VANDALISM AND A MASSIVE WASTE OF MONEY?</p>