National defense

71-1085092892 · Post by **71-1085092892** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 6:18 pm

Posted by: GORDON on Aug. 28 2001,12:06

An amazingly stupid amount of money is spent in America to maintain an amazingly stupidly huge military.
I think Japan has the right idea......get the world's superpower to make Japan's defense a priority. Japan then maintains a small "Home Defense Force." Bully.

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Posted by: thibodeaux on Aug. 28 2001,12:19

Yeah, but who's going to be the superpower to defend us?
Not that I don't agree with you. I don't think we should be the world's policeman either.

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Posted by: GORDON on Aug. 28 2001,12:24

I'm not saying America II needs to replace the USA...I'm saying we split off and start elsewhere with the original ideas that the USA was founded on. Vince thinks Australia would be a good place to set up shop.
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Posted by: Leisher on Aug. 28 2001,17:01

Actually, could you set the terms on this new country?
Are we talking about a NEW country located elsewhere or revising the current system, IE revolution?

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Posted by: thibodeaux on Aug. 28 2001,17:53

How bout we build a space station?
Seriously, though, some folks have talked of building a new country on a floating platform. It sounds hokey, I know, but evidently there is a REAL floating hotel in Vietnam or somewhere. Failing that, it wouldn't be hard to use a big-ass boat. ####, an aircraft carrier is pretty much a floating city, and that solves part of the military problem right there Although, if we'd want to be feared more, we might want to use one of those Marine Amphibious Assault ships, eh Gordon?

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Posted by: GORDON on Aug. 28 2001,18:14

Few Marines manning the rails, and "all manner o' things'll be well."
Floating country...fine...what about industry? Same w/a Space Station....though I bet asteroid farming would be lucrative.

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Posted by: thibodeaux on Aug. 28 2001,18:52

Who needs industry? Go high-tech, baby: web hosting! Or tax shelters like the Cayman Islands. ####, if we're on an aircraft carrier, we got a nuclear power plant---we'll drop anchor in San Francisco and supply power to those poor benighted lunatics.
(forgot to mention tittie bars and gambling. The possibilities are endless!)

(Edited by thibodeaux at 6:03 pm on Aug. 28, 2001)

Post by **TheCatt** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 8:24 pm

I like Thib's idea... completely free (law-sense, not cost) web hosting, etc.

Post by **GORDON** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:07 pm

So I don't think we decided about whether or not to have a military.

If not, is service mandatory or voluntary?

Post by **TheCatt** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:10 pm

I prefer voluntary. I like the fact that our army wants to be there.

Although, a 1-2 month stint so that people can see what it's like would get my support.

Post by **GORDON** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:17 pm

Now we're talking. I think a population of people who know what the world is like outside of their small town is better, overall.

Lots of self-loathing americans would change their tune if the spent a couple months in Haiti, Malaysia, or hell, Europe.

So we're deciding on a small border-defense force.... with maybe strike capability to hit a neighboring country's nuclear program, just in case? I don't think we need any expeditionary forces.

Post by **TPRJones** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:33 pm

I don't know, I like the idea of everyone having that experience, but on the other hand I hate laws that require such compulsion. I'm divided.

Post by **GORDON** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:36 pm

See, we're flirting with the idea that maybe... maybe... we actually do owe the gov't/society something. This is not, strictly speaking, complete freedom.

Post by **TheCatt** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:08 pm

I don't know, I like the idea of everyone having that experience, but on the other hand I hate laws that require such compulsion. I'm divided.

Ditto.

And to Gordon's point: that's part of why I could accept a smaller tour of duty. 2 years is too much to me, 1 year is a lot... 3-6 months?

Post by **TPRJones** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:10 pm

I wouldn't say that people automatically owe society/government anything. Not at all. But I do think that if more people served a little there'd be less general flakiness around.

I like the idea in the other thread where people are earning something for it better. That would serve to increase the percentages without making it compulsary.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:43 am

I don't know, I like the idea of everyone having that experience, but on the other hand I hate laws that require such compulsion. I'm divided.
Ditto.

And to Gordon's point: that's part of why I could accept a smaller tour of duty. 2 years is too much to me, 1 year is a lot... 3-6 months?

Mayhaps some sort of nat'l guard reserve or whatever shit. Enough to throw your ass thru basic.

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:47 am

I don't know, I like the idea of everyone having that experience, but on the other hand I hate laws that require such compulsion. I'm divided.
Ditto.

And to Gordon's point: that's part of why I could accept a smaller tour of duty. 2 years is too much to me, 1 year is a lot... 3-6 months?

I don't think 3 to 6 months is enough time to have any horizons really broadenened.

Two years is too much, even if you can voluntarily quit at any time? Even Starship Troopers had that.

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:49 pm

Oh, sure, if it's all voluntary then 2 years as the minimum sounds just right. Maybe have it tiered where 2 years gets you enfranchisement, 4 years gets you the right to run for public office, 6 years gets your college paid for (if we do such things) ... etc.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:17 pm

Oh, sure, if it's all voluntary then 2 years as the minimum sounds just right. Maybe have it tiered where 2 years gets you enfranchisement, 4 years gets you the right to run for public office, 6 years gets your college paid for (if we do such things) ... etc.

This would be interesting. If the education system didn't suck, you could take people directly from high school, ship them off for some period of time, & perhaps pay for part of their schooling. By the time all is said & done, they'd be in their early 20s if it was done right.