Men pick military as their sentence

Hot on the heals of lowering the educational standards for enlistment, allowing gang members, those with criminal records and green card soldiers, Military Service is now being offered as an alternative to probation and jail.

Two young Bellefonte men entered Centre County court Thursday thinking they were going to be sentenced to two years' probation for taking part in the shooting of a $3,500 Scottish Highland steer.

While some may argue that the Military is just what these youths need - some 'tough love' - these youths were convicted for cruelty to animals. The Military is hardly the place to be indoctrinated with kindness and compassion.

Their actions, he said, were too serious an offense to warrant merely probation, saying they had "crossed that line of decency." He noted the pain they caused the cow's owner. They'd been drinking heavily, and driving around with a loaded rifle looking for something to kill. Their actions, he said, "were premeditated, senseless and your motivations were evil."

Is the military in such need of 'warm bodies' that they don't care where they come from? Is this the future of the US Military? Maybe it is only people like this who will be willing to engage in the horrors of Gitmo etc.

All this for the perpetual war of terror. I despair.

Original Source

[edit on 8-3-2007 by deessell]

Youths don't need love they need to be shown that they are needed for something and can be USEFUL with thier lifes instead of living in these GANGS ESPECIALLY !!!

well think about it this way, a criminal could make exactly the kind of soldier the military needs when it comes down to carrying out inhuman orders. inhuman such as abu gharib prison torture, and the killing of civilians as collateral damage to capture insugents.

funny though, many of the iraqi citizens america is trying to help are moonlighting as insurgents.

-adhd

Originally posted by ADHDsux4me
well think about it this way, a criminal could make exactly the kind of soldier the military needs when it comes down to carrying out inhuman orders. inhuman such as abu gharib prison torture, and the killing of civilians as collateral damage to capture insugents.

funny though, many of the iraqi citizens america is trying to help are moonlighting as insurgents.

-adhd

That's my point exactly. There used to be men who joined the Military because it was a noble thing to do. It used to mean something to love your country enough to protect it and be willing to die for it. It seems at the moment that the Military/Pentagon/DOD whomever has and is doing everything against the Military Codes of Conduct. Duty, Honor etc have become doublespeak.

The standards are being lowered, is there some big conspiracy here or they just that desperate for more 'pawns for foreign policy'.

I may be wrong, but I do believe going into the service or go to jail has been offered in the past.

Originally posted by Keyhole
I may be wrong, but I do believe going into the service or go to jail has been offered in the past.

Really? Was this when there was a draft?

Actually I had to do a Google search to find out for sure.

Flexible Recruiting Avoids Draft

For potential recruits who have been arrested or even incarcerated for a time, this does not necessarily make them worthless as a member of the military.

Even for older teens and adults recently or currently incarcerated, the military should be an option.

Many were convicted of minor crimes such cannabis or soft drug possession and use and other offenses that do not necessarily indicate the person is a danger to society or cannot become an effective member of the military.

This concept is not new. During the Vietnam War, many judges gave offenders the option of prison or the Army or Marines.

And you are right though, there was a draft during the Viet Nam war.



[edit on 12/3/07 by Keyhole]

There is somewhat of a catch to this “option”….the military has to want the offenders and they must meet certain criteria:

Army policy reflected in Army Regulation 601-210, paragraph 4-32a states ‘waiver is not authorized if a criminal or juvenile court charge is pending or if such a charge was dismissed or dropped at any stage of the court proceedings on condition that the offender enlists in a military service… Source The article also pertains to the OP’s position

Perhaps a slim few “don’t wannabe prisoners” and a smattering of "alien soldiers" do exist in the US military; however they are a proverbial drop-in-the-bucket compared to the whole.

The practice of enlisting professional “alien soldiers” goes back at least to WWII in the US…(Illegals, of course, being a different animal than “legal aliens” ) As I understand it, "alien soldiers" have served in almost all US conflicts since the revolutionary war...but today there are very limited options for duty as an “alien soldier”. However, if this is such an overall horrible practice, perhaps we should ask the French…


mg