How do you think about Conscientious Objector? Please give me approval opinions in detail?
355356
I think any honest conscientious objector should be respected. Many are subject to derision. If they are completely honest as to their motivations for objecting- for instance, not as an excuse for cowardice- they should not, in my opinion, be released from service, but perhaps transferred.\n   However, I think anyone who is completely serious would anticipate the possibility of serving during war when they enlist. It is, after all, the military. People who feel that strongly should not have considered becoming soldiers.
368506
Good choice. I am proud of you for just thinking about serving your Country. It shows that you or at lease willing to do your part in protecting and serving and making our nation great. It also shows that you care enough to help make our nation a better place for our children. My hat is off to you and I wish you the best of luck. Be careful.
1014921
Republican as their aim was spot on.\n\nI saw that documentary too on UK tv about how well a military person performs depending on their country's leadership.\n\nIt kinda got lost on our US cousins though as the program was only shown on UK TV.
773734
I'm not a fan of the draft, but I do like the part of his bill about a mandatory 2 year service period for everyone.  According to his proposal, you could do your two years in the military, mentoring youth, and stuff like that.  That's actually a pretty good idea, but it'll never pass.
880223
I was in the Army for two years, and I was honorably discharged. For me, it was not a positive experience. When you join the Army, or any military branch, you go into a situation in which you are constantly controlled by others. In a very real way the military owns you, and can dispose of you as it wishes, just as it can dispose of its inanimate material.\n\nI don't exactly consider myself anti-military, as I believe we need a strong military force to defend our country. I am definitely not against, or negative about the personnel who serve in the military. I suppose my feelings are somewhat complicated. I definitely don't think military service is a "growth experience".  If you decide to join up you should realize you may very possibly be mis-used. I feel I was, and I was serving when a war wasn't going on.
346450
It is enjoyable and rewarding. I have enclosed the following excerpt that we (police/military) have passed along, maybe it will help.\n\nON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS\nBy LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D.,author of "On\nKilling."\n\nHonor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? \n- William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997\n\nOne Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: \n"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.\n\nSome estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.\n\nThus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation:\nWe may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.\n\nI mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.\n\n"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds.\nThe moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.\n\n"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." \n\nIf you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.\n\nBut many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in the
67682
As a former Marine recruiter I must say yes. I support all branches and their recruiters. I myself was straight forward, to the point about business. I wanted people to join the Marines to be a part of the team and become successfull. Unfortunately recruiters have a bad reputation of deceiving applicants. That's what makes recruiters look bad. The things is that those recruiters that did those kind of things don't represent the others like myself and others who wanted to make a difference in young peoples lives. Their moral standards diminshed what the rest of us stand for. If we could just keep the honest recruiters like myself in the offices then there would be no problems. All I have to say to keep anyone safe from mistakes is to do their research.
926959
it would not affect my thinking one bit. \n\nI have served my time. i would do it again. ASAP. If my country needed me. It is about time the "trash-talkers" bucked up and earned a little freedom.
1097137
First of all, if you have never served in the military since the war in Iraq, then I don't think that you would be in a position to judge the calibre of todays armed forces. Now since I served 4 1/2 years in the army, in the grunts, and 20 months in Iraq, I will comment on the possibilities of your question. \n \nWWII was a clearly defined war. Everyone was aware of what was at stake. We knew that civilization as we knew it was either going to prevail, or that the dark fascists states of Germany and Japan were going to rule the world, exploiting whatever and whomever they wanted. I'm sure that if the conditions were right the US would rise to the occasion once again. Remember, this war is not even in the top 3 as far as unpopular wars that the US has been involved in. The first was the Mexican American war, second was Vietnam, and believe it or not, the war of 1812 became so unpopular that we almost lost it. It's okay to have differing opinions, that's what makes this country great. I don't care if you're a liberal or a conservative, all I care about is that you're a concerned citizen. As long as we have concerned citizens, then this country will continue to prosper.\n\nNow, as far as the comment made about "We can't even win the war in Iraq" I suggest to that person that they inform themselves on some history, and try to grasp the complexity of a guerrilla war. The British citizens said the same things about their military during our Revolution because we employed guerrilla tactics against an Army that by all means should have beat us within a fortnight. They didn't understand how to fight an insurgency much the same way we didn't understand how to in Vietnam. If you are implying that we are not "winning" in Iraq because of the quality of our armed forces them I must veheamently protest. The soldiers and Marines that I worked with in my time in the service were by far the MOST proffesional people I have ever had the honor of meeting. I think that they have made our forefathers proud THROUGH this proffesionalism. \n\nFinally, I think you should apologize to the men and women of the armed forces forces for your blatent ignorance, disrespect, and utter disregard for the price that warriors like us pay so that you can remain in the pitiful world you know as your life. In other words, SHUT THE FVCK UP.
427982
nikky_c2000 - You had better thank your lucky stars that the brave men and women in our military generally support your right to make such an ignorant, thoughtless, godawful statement.\n\nVietnam War veteran Wil Boc put it best when he wrote:\n\n"Since the American Revolution, we have learned\n\n"That it is not the poet, but the soldier who maintains our freedom of expression;\n\n"It is not the journalist, but the soldier who maintains our freedom of speech;\n\n"It is not the lawyer, but the soldier who maintains the greatest system of justice in the world;\n\n"And it is not the politician, but the soldier who provides for our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness."\n\nnikky_c2000 - You would do well to remember that next time you see a soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine. They are doing the job you refuse to do to keep all of us free. You should thank them.\n\nI see you are a Brit, so let me put it to you like this: If it wasn't for the men and women of the armed forces, you'd be answering this question auf Deutsch right now.\n\nEDIT: tink41503 - Thank you for your service!!
503080
What's wrong with boarder patrol in Iraq, or Afghanistan? That is what a conservative would say. I think there will be thousands of discharged military men looking to fill those positions already.
778067
There are rules for consciencious objection to being drafted.  Check it out.
911544
This question is such nonsense.\n We have a volunteer army whose choice it is to have a career in the military and are now finding out that that career means actually fighting, and that it's not just a free college education.\nWe should be supporting them.\n\nYour question would have validity if our military were made up of conscripts and there were people trying to weasel out of that conscription, whilst at the same time cheering the war effort.\n\n*additional*\n\nThis sh*t in Iraq as dragged on for as long as it has because of the USA's boy-scout approach to the whole thing.\nWant to end it quickly and minimise US casualties? Do the logical thing and institute a scorched Earth policy in the Middle East and kill as many Arabs as possible. They're animals, anyway, so the civilized world won't miss them.
990258
Well first off let me say thank you for all that you do and that your sacrifices and hard work is very much appreciated . I view our military as being true heros. Secondly,  I have to say that after responses that I recieved on my questions that I posted as to why we are so quick to get defensive when someone gives a personal opinion on this war, when in fact we live in a counrty that says we are entitled to freedom of speech and our own beliefs , it almost makes me think twice about answering this but you asked a fair question and Im going to give you my OPINION, in which by no means do I feel says that anyone else opinion is wrong but rather just different than mine. I am on the AKO and speak to a lot of soldiers on a daily basis. Some believe in what we're doing and a few don't. What I have found is that no matter what they believe they are proud to be called a United states soldier. I personally feel that this war is right. We have dealt with terrorists and know enough to know that if you don't send a strong , firm message that terrorism will not be tolerated than they will just keep coming back. I think that this should've been resolved while George Sr. was in office but hey better late than never. I am saddened by all of the deaths but I know that in war there is always sacrifices and as sad as it is it is also a reality. My heart goes out to every family who has had loss through this. It is a terrible thing to ever lose someone that you love, I know this by experience , not just because it sounds like the right thing to say. I am proud of our troops and what they have accomplished over there. Most people tend to focus on the bad that the media is so quick to put out there but noone seems to see the good things. That would be too easy and really would'nt make much of a story for the 11 o'clock news. You troops have gave these people a start to a life that we as american enjoy on a daily basis and so often take for granted. I being a female and knowing the how women there were treated take this very seriously. If I were in a country that was ran that way I for one would hope that someone would help me to become free. I guess that my view on this war comes from a lot of reasons. What I am absolutely certain of though is that no matter what anyones personal view on this war is they should support our soldiers because they did not ask to be there, they are just doing a job that they swore to do.
782477
I use this forum to witness to others about God and Christ. To each their own but I will continue to do what I do. Quakers are, as far as I know, very nice folks and they have their beliefs as I have mine. I was in the Army with a Quaker and he was a conscientious objector and would not go to combat. I respect him for that.
774131
It is not that we need a draft, it is a play from this gentleman, he thinks that congress and future presidents will be less likely to go to war, if there is a chance, their own children and kids from their home towns will be the ones fighting over there.  As of right now, no person who is high up in Government has a child in the military.  It is okay for my husband and others, but not for their children.  Also, there are a lot of young men that could use a wake up call.  To realize there is more to life than drugs, sex and drinking.  I think it is a great idea.  Your idea is also good, except there would probably be an increase in AWOL if convicted felons were sent to war.  I don't think I would trust my husbands life to a convicted person.  Your unit depends on the trust of every other soldier, and I don't know if that would fly to well with the other soldiers, having to depend upon a criminal, but if they worked in the kitchens and did janitorial work over there, that could be good.  It all needs to be refined.
5023
I respect the police at most of the places, ones where they have done or atleat have tried to do good work. \nBut mostly I have heard (ya , just heard) negative stories about how police man have used their position for undue favours. I would certainyl hate such a class. \n\nBut then, I think we need them, we depend on them. They mostly do a good job, or atleast their presence is a comfort to the common man.