The Widening Gap Between The Military and Society by Thomas E. Ricks

-The Atlantic Online

This piece appeared in The Atlantic Online in 1997. To date it is the best piece I have read regarding the culture war between the military and civilians. (Yes, a few things are a little outdated but it tackles a lot)

"In a striking indication of alienation from civilian society, an overwhelming proportion of the Basic School lieutenants -- 81 percent -- said that the military's values are closer to the values of the Founding Fathers than are the values of civilian society."

"What most congressmen know of the military is what they saw on television during the Gulf War. They learned two lessons: high-tech weaponry works, and the United States needs missile defenses."

"Overestimating the military is probably even more dangerous than believing that it is made up of incompetent buffoons, as Baby Boomers seemed to believe in the 1970s."

"With the evaporation of the Soviet Union, many Americans don't understand why the nation needs a large standing army. For the first time in its history (with the possible exception of the two decades preceding the Spanish-American War) the U.S. Army must justify its existence to the American people."

Enjoy!

Round-up.

I apologize for the lack of posts. I am currently without the Internet but it should be up and running soon! Hope you all are enjoying the summer!

Here are a few recent articles that have caught my eye.

If you haven’t read the Rolling Stone profile on Stan McChrystal, “The Runaway General” you should. Maybe you could also leave a comment. The piece only has 29, which is up from yesterday's lousy 12 comments.

The Runaway General

And here is a piece on how Rolling Stone fucked up their story of the year. Hence the reason why The Runaway General only has 29 comments. Bravo!

Oops!

VoteVets/VetVoice on the dismissal of General Stanley McChrystal.

Big Media Us

Finally! A great piece from The New York Times.

Is a Culture War Between American Soldiers and Civilians Inevitable? by Robert Mackey

Now everyone sip on a nice Bud Light Lime!

Vote to Assist Veterans and Wounded Warriors Transition to College!

Are You Headed to Debt Collections?

For those of you who received the $3,000 in emergency funds for the GI Bill and still owe money, did you get a letter stating that whatever you still owe needs to be paid back in 60 days or else you’d be in the hands of a debt collector? Please let me know, thank you!