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qimaster, the more succint truth of it is that when you are a soldier you do what you are told to do by the chain of command.
You act on orders. whether you feel "duty" or not doesn't come in to play. Surely you must know that seeing as you either are or have been in the service.
If you commander tells you to sit on your ass then you better do that. If your commander says go out on these co-ordinates and throw grenades til you don't have any, then you better do that.
Hopefully the training you receive will make sure you have the sense not to get yourself killed by your own stupidity but in some cases this does not occur.
Killing does not make anyone a better person in any context. It is a cryin shame that wars must be fought at all. War is a testiment to the lack of "common sense" that humanity shares wholly.
People serve their countries every day by teaching other peoples children, by taking care of the old and infirm and by seeing to it that those who cannot feed themselves recieve nourishment, by driving ambulances, by putting out fires, by any number of other acts.
These, in my opinion outweigh and have more value than any killing done in the name of patriotism or god and country or political and economic interest.
Now, if you don't pay your taxes, well you are not worthy in my opinion to even live on the soil that keeps you.
peace
Kung Lek
Martial Arts Links
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The views of a military man do not line up with the views of the general populace.
His advice is sound if you are a person in a position of power or someone who is a likely "target" for organizations seeking to upset that power.
Actually Kung Lek, everything that Col. Hack mentions in his piece is almost to the letter exactly what I teach to all the college girls in my Self-Protection for Women course every semester.
From a statistical standpoint, and as a cultural segment, women of the ages 16-24 are the targets of violent assault more than any other segment of society.
I think Hack's advice goes a long way beyond military and political figures.
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once, i didn't pay my taxes, but the driver beat my ass with a bat :(
All i wanted was some RICE CAKES! Now? WE MUST BATTLE.
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and having read the article, he didn't even say anything that amazing, odd, or new, did he?
All i wanted was some RICE CAKES! Now? WE MUST BATTLE.
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there are always people who will live off of our societies privliges without contributing. So what, thats one less person in my way of accomplishing what I want to build in my life. After processing out of the military all I got was a measly 5 points for civil service job. It was cheaper to bypass my VA loan and go another way to finanance my home. I had to contribute to my education and then got major hassels from the VA to get it back. The old GI bill does not exist anymore. Like most veterans after leaving the service I was on my own. Thats the way I like it. Im not whining here just stating facts. I also get irked when someone says that a person who serves in the guard or reserve was ducking duty. They served too. Does that mean they are less than full time soldiers? You seem to be awed by medals and ribbons qimaster. Hell I got a couple of the ones Hack has but that doesnt make me more of a citezen than anyone else. By the way I noticed that you signed off SGT US ARMY, did you retire as an E-5?????
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Being aware in an urban setting is just plain horse sense.
People who go to classes for this information are looking for the information and in many cases feel threatened to begin with.
If you perpetuate an armed fortress society, then that is what you will live in eventually.
A police state where everyone wants to look up your butt everytime you get on a bus is not where i want to live.
Are there sickos in society? yes. Do they know what the defenses against them are. If they are real wackos yes they do and all the lessons in "self security" will not stop them 100% of the time.
Fear, breeds more fear, it is that simple. Perpetuation of the armed fortress mentality breeds suspicion and fear.
There are better ways, it begins with what we teach the children and how we treat the children.
Learning is generational. If peace is instilled in the first it will perpetuate into the next.
Being peaceful does not mean being a sucker. If anyone has taught us that it was buddhist monks who learned to kick ass ;)
peace
Kung Lek
Martial Arts Links
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tsunami re retired
I was injured in the line of duty, and was retired as an E5. I see many E5's retiring at Sheppard AFB these days. Sad thing was, I was up for E6, and awaiting entry into OCS at the time
I was injured.
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Being aware in an urban setting is just plain horse sense.
It is, but you'd be amazed at how rare "plain horse sense" really is. Awareness is a learned skill, and some of us have developed it to a higher degree than others - often to the point where we take it for granted.
People who go to classes for this information are looking for the information and in many cases feel threatened to begin with.
You'd go looking for this type of information as well if you happened to be a member of a demographic that experienced the highest numbers of violent assault in your society (1 in 4 women will experience some form of sexual assault before the age of 24).
The reason they sign up for the class is because they plain have never been taught what you and I consider "common sense", or have learned it the hard way (by being assaulted), and are looking for answers.
Have you ever been stalked? That is not a common worry for men, yet in a class of 30 women each semester, every time I ask how many of them have been stalked - MORE THAN HALF of them raise their hands.
Additionally, out of a group of 30 women every semester, fully 1 in 5 of them have experienced some form of sexual assault.
These girls feel threatened for a reason.
Do they know what the defenses against them are. If they are real wackos yes they do and all the lessons in "self security" will not stop them 100% of the time.
Yes, there is absolutely no such thing as 100% security, but there IS such a thing as minimizing risk. Also, if you understand the psychology of assault/victimization, those who HAVE taken measures to both minimize their risks of assault and to protect themselves should an assault happen (both physically and psychologically) recover from assault three to four times faster than those who have not prepared themselves.
If you perpetuate an armed fortress society, then that is what you will live in eventually.
There is a huge difference between an armed, free society and a police state.
Fear, breeds more fear, it is that simple. Perpetuation of the armed fortress mentality breeds suspicion and fear.
IMO, their is also a huge difference between unwarranted paranoia and a cold, hard look at reality.
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I would never wish anyone to enter that dehumanizing institution. I for one have much more respect for the diplomats who work in our embassies and work towards peace, rather than a mindless peon on the frontlines.
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And as Watchman knows, as a man it's our job to protect our families. Therefore it's important that we know how to safe guard them even if we're not the immediate target.
Living in the yellow is better than being a victim in the green.
"Americans don't have the courage to come here," Mullah Mohammed Omar, leader of the Taliban who right about now is getting jiggy with his first of 70 virgins.
“Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” Last words of Todd Beamer heard over his mobile line right before rushing a hijacker.
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Celestial
If you would be talking of peace, you need to have the firepower to back it up.
Not everybody is cut out for the military way of life, but all should serve in their own way, and add to the society in which they live, to perpetuate its goals and stimulate its growth.
The weapons of war, and the men who wield those weapons, make a world of difference when the
going gets tough.
peons? Audie Murphy was a young man when he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, Sgt Alvin
York was a conscientious objector for a while.
Both prior examples were men of low birth, and poor circumstances, but they rose to the occaision
when the time called for action, and they stand out as examples of bravery by which all others can be compared to.
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Watchman, your points are valid. And what you offer has value.
I agree, there are major problems with society. I do think there is a major problem with an armed populace also. There are so many piles of stats that indicate what the problems are, it's not worth going into without getting on the tired dog topic of gun control and all that.
What we inundate ourselves with as "entertainment" is a problem, we're pratically still freaking living in the roman empire!
The amount of psychopaths walking free is inversely proportional to the amount of apathetic people out there.
When you say "cold hard reality", is this the same cold hard reality that has always existed?
men do get stalked also, statiscally less than women but nevertheless there it is.
Men also get raped and more often than not men commit crimes at a greater rate and they commit felony crimes with guns at a greater rate than women. In the states and elsewhere.
If we look at the lowest common denominators in our societies (mine and yours canada and the usa) we find very similar problems in our societies that have remained essentially unchanged no matter what action is taken.
Only thing is, nobody has really taken a good go at perpetuating a lasting and deeply rooted peace at home or in our dealings with other nations.
It seems it is too difficult a path for most to walk. It is easier to punch a guy in the mouth for whatever reason than it is to see that some things are simply errors or accidents that can be forgiven.
The current state of affairs is an ugly thing that has a lot of people very, very screwed up in their thinking on it and actually has forced many people to take sides.
People are now getting back into a McCarthy state of mind and frankly that disturbs me deeply.
But we can only change ourselves as individuals.
peace
Kung Lek
Martial Arts Links
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To Qimaster
Hey Qimaster, just curious. Who told you all the stuff about citizen/civilian? Are you taught that in the military, or is it a commonly held belief? Have you ever read the book "Starship Troopers" (the movie was based very loosely off it)? It says exactly what you said (Verbatim-I checked) and I wondered if this was a common military dogma (sorry, couldn't find a better word).
Personally I would not make a good grunt. I hate taking orders off anybody. I don't trust anyone (except for an elite group of friends who have stood the test of time) with my life, especially those who make a career of it. Compulsory military service is not for me. As I once heard a Shaolin monk (when asked on a documentary) say "Modern warfare has no need of me". Likewise. All respect to the brave souls who do though.
If you haven't read "Starship Troopers", read it. Whoever wrote it shares exactly the same beliefs as you.
Peace :cool:
"Pain is merely weakness leaving the body"
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Security Tips
This is nothing new,
I have been taking these measures as second nature
for years,does that make me paranoid??
Those who wish to be compliant do so at your own risk.
I was neither shocked nor surprised when the Sept.11th attack happened or the bio attacks,
I expected more and expect more to follow.
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