At 04:50 PM 11/8/06 -0500, James B. Byrne wrote:
>   This is demonstatably so given the present abysmal
>recruiting and retention rates of the U.S. Military and the
>social-economic backrounds of those presently in service.


This sounds pollitically motivated.  Does the Canadian military do it 
better?  Differently?  How so?


>I do not deny that there are many that serve in the military for
>altruistic reasons, but there are always far more that serve for want of
>anything better to do.  And there are many, many more that never serve at
>all and yet declaim their "patriotism" at every turn and will fight to the
>last drop of someone else's blood.


One need not shed blood in order to be patriotic.  They could devote their 
life in many other equally sacrificial ways and be quite patriotic.  And 
the rigors of political office, if taken seriously, are 
life-shortening.  I'm not saying that any particular office-holder is or 
isn't sacrificing, but shedding blood for your country is only one form of 
patriotism.

John Lee

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