I've decided.....

[Colonel Flagg]

Originally Posted by DeadKennedys

Not only have we failed to suppress them, we've only strengthened their ranks; Al-Qaeda says the Iraq war is their greatest recruitment tool, ever.

Originally Posted by Dr. Octogonopus

[...] I think it's very misleading to say we're declaring war on terrorism; terrorism in itself is a great military plan. The ideal (I'm sure you know this) is to scare the shit out of them so it kills their morale.

This is starting to look like a political thread.

At the risk of derailing this discussion entirely, I'd like to point out that the turning point of the Vietnam war was, in fact, an incredible defeat inflicted on the VC during the holidays. Dubbed the "Tet" offensive, the VC's defeat was overshadowed by the penetration of their soldiers into "safe" territory. This was incredibly demoralizing to the South, and as such strengthened the ability of the VC to recruit soldiers.

The parallels to the Battle of Trenton (conducted on Christmas) are eerie. It seemed as if the VC took a page out of our own struggle for independence nearly 200 years later, when we were viewed as the imperialist aggressors.

The relevance? We are obstinate in our inability to learn from our own history. 200 years ago or yesterday, the same tactics are being used time and again against us, and in my opinion, we cannot win any war in this way.

Strange, that Bush Sr. and Gen. Schwarzkopf figured out the way to beat the "enemy" - demoralize and decimate an existing government into submission, then leave and let them pick up the pieces. Too bad Jr. didn't inherit his "intelligence".

Getting back to the topic (sorry, rant off!) Doc Ock, I can say truthfully, were I in your shoes, I'd do anything I could to not go into the armed forces. However, I will respect your decision grudgingly - I'd respect it more if you at least waited until you had experienced some life after high school, whether it be living on your own, going to college or trade school, or anything else. It seems to me that you're making life choices too early that will affect you in life too profoundly.