US youngsters are too fat to fight, warn generals

File pic of ban measuring his waist
Former generals want Congress to act to give children better food in schools

Rising rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, two retired generals have warned.

More than a quarter of young Americans are now too fat to fight, they said.

Writing in the Washington Post, the ex-commanders said the fat crisis ruled out more potential military service recruits than any other medical factor.

news.bbc.co.uk...

reply to post by baddmove


damn, is it that badd already? are our young people so fat that now they can't join the military, c'mon American youth, go on a damn diet..

Obviously, obesity is a serious problem in the States, but in this instance I can sorta see the bright side. To quote John Lennon, "What if there was a war, and nobody came?"

Obesity is becoming real bad with kids now I agree, but you're telling me the kids of this country are supposed to slim down to become cannon fodder?

That's the wrong reason for encouraging a healthy weight.

reply to post by Judohawk


No, not at all, we still need people to join our military so we still have a functioning army in this country..you want Billy Joe bubba to come to your rescue, you better hope he is shape to do it.

Nah what I'm saying is this.

Is that there's another way about going through this.

How about banning the use of stuff like HFCS in our food.

Making school food healthier(like they could make it healthy) isn't going to solve the problem.

Originally posted by baddmove
reply to post by Judohawk

 

No, not at all, we still need people to join our military so we still have a functioning army in this country..you want Billy Joe bubba to come to your rescue, you better hope he is shape to do it.

What rescue? Did someone invade DC and I missed it?

You mean the kids are too fat to protect our oil interest overseas? Occupy other nations?

Obesity is a problem in this country of course, but the military seems to be doing just fine dominating the world. With the drones and other devices, all our fat kids can sit at a computer screen and dominate the world via drone (and now space drones).

Originally posted by Ace High

Originally posted by baddmove
reply to post by Judohawk

 

No, not at all, we still need people to join our military so we still have a functioning army in this country..you want Billy Joe bubba to come to your rescue, you better hope he is shape to do it.

What rescue? Did someone invade DC and I missed it?

You mean the kids are too fat to protect our oil interest overseas? Occupy other nations?

Obesity is a problem in this country of course, but the military seems to be doing just fine dominating the world. With the drones and other devices, all our fat kids can sit at a computer screen and dominate the world via drone (and now space drones).

well if you need help from the national guard or other factions in this country..who ya gonna call? ghost busters?
sometimes you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself...

Enough with the obesity bullcrap...

Have you checked out the girls who are throwing up after every meal or the girls trying to match last month's Maxim cover with a cottage cheese diet?

Obesity is a fraction of the problem and it takes away from the REAL problem when you separate it from its cause.... WE ARE NOT HEALTHY!!!!

It goes to all ends of the spectrum...

There are people who are way obese and then there are people that look like they're starving themselves. What does not help any of this is the horrible food that is available to us at the grocers. We're eating things most people can't even pronounce. Monsanto is named in like 50 lawsuits for cancer caused by their genetically modified crops... The FDA says walnuts are a drug and doritos are healthy.... We play video games for hours and hours a day... we watch television hours and hours a day...

No one wants to hear it, let alone say it... THE TYPICAL AMERICAN LIFESTYLE IS AN UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE!!!!!

There is no escaping this and you can blame it all on fat kids if you want but IMHO that is only skirting the bigger problem. Targeting the fatties of the world isn't going to do anything to fix the FDA, our food, or the choices that people are making....

And I also want to say I agree whole heartedly with the poster that said this is a horrendous way of trying to force health on people. There needs to be better, more honest, education on the subject and a serious overhaul of our regulatory agencies in the food industry. lol Look at me dreamin......

reply to post by ImaNutter


"There are people who are way obese and then there are people that look like they're starving themselves. What does not help any of this is the horrible food that is available to us at the grocers. We're eating things most people can't even pronounce. Monsanto is named in like 50 lawsuits for cancer caused by their genetically modified crops... The FDA says walnuts are a drug and doritos are healthy.... We play video games for hours and hours a day... we watch television hours and hours a day...

"damn right bro...it is starting to get old, America needs to buff up instead of chunk up..

Well that is ok I guess.

They will be piloting drones and androids any time now.

Obese people can play video games just as good as anyone else you know.

I must say though, my two kids are not obese. We are not rich enough to be obese in this house.

Agree with the other poster, this is a ridiculous way of trying to get kids to be healthy. Get slim so we can send you to wars based on misinformation and disinformation all for the profit of a few, who incidentally couldn't give a rats arse about you! I'd be shoving those big macs down my throat quicker than i can blink.

[edit on 2-5-2010 by Solomons]

its probably because of all those growth hormones in chicken and beef

reply to post by DjSharperimage


could be, but, i still believe we need to stress more exercise here in America.. we are always gonna need people to join the military and keep our borders safe..right?

I think the numbers are higher. I think 25% probably are too fat to even defend themselves appropriately, more like 50% are too fat to fight competently.

I think it's parents that don't want to parent. Most kids eat what they want, like chicken nuggets, Lucky Charms, and Doritos.

I knew kids in school that wouldn't eat anything that didn't come with tons of different salts and artificial flavors. I'd have friends over that wouldn't eat cornbread, bananas, baked chicken breasts or pretty much any pasta, chili, or soup that wasn't from a can. I can remember on several occasions, my mother having to tell kids that our cheese was Velveeta so they'd eat it.

Sure, saying that kids are too fat to fight might be revealing a military agenda, but c'mon, who couldn't afford to lob off a few pounds?

So the truth comes out. The real reason pot isn't legal is because munchies leads to obesity.

They can clean up school lunches all day long. I barely ate anything at school lunch and was still a health 220 lb linemen. There are two ways to fix the problem. Either provide a punishment for being fat (I am very opposed to this idea). Or provide initiative to make health improvements. Don't know what they would be but a large problem is the fact that fatty foods are cheaper foods and with the poverty level, it ain't changin no time soon.

reply to post by baddmove


OK, to get kids to go to war they want thinner kids???

They want to make kids healthier so they will wage mindless wars and DIE???

Excuse me, time to get real.

Nice to know the government couldn't care less about the youth until they can't start showing up to catch bullets for them. Don't be upset that they aren't educated, they aren't in good homes, or that the culture for young people is in rapid decline. No! Be upset that they're too fat to carry rifles and dig latrine trenches. Can't wait to see what kind of cracker jack initiatives come out of this brain trust. So happy the years of public "education" are over for me. The next generations are going to get raped by these criminals.

[edit on 17-5-2010 by PatesHatriots]

reply to post by ImaNutter

Yup! and there are obese people in the UK of course, but there is a societal difference in how its handle and accepted..after living overseas the first time, i had lost a lot of weight, by the time i left America again to move back abroad, i was wearing a dress size 27. now down to a 14-16 i dont put on weight like i would have done by now living in America..it seems harder to do somehow. In the US its also about will power and self control.. something many, many people lack.. if they took control over what they ate and how much of it they consumed, there wouldnt be the same issue there is now. I recall vividly how difficult it was there to find an Organic section in any small or large supermarket, road side veg usually is blasted with Monsanto products, checking into some FDA laws some time ago, I came across the information that the US does NOT have to include 'GMO items used' on food packagings, so you litterly havent a clue what you are consuming and vegitarian options also were dire.. so the choices are more limited than they are here..education on nutrition though only helps to a small extent when you seriously cant buy decent foods at your local stores..when the government continues to let dangerous chemicals pass for flavorings or colours etc, education on the topic really cant be too effective.
hunting, fishing and growing ones own veggies is really the only way to be sure, and even then, who knows what the fish and wild game have eaten from human left overs and/or handouts. So even they are tainted these days.. a scary thought for any survivalist!!

To the OP, very interesting thread, and yeah, agreed it isnt the best method to persuade a person into a healthier lifestyle, personally though i wouldnt encourage anyone to join the military on any soil for any reason..

Its the first time you can say something positive about being fat. Its the only real positive about us being so over weight.