Submitted by Eugene, Dec 4, 2006 09:07

>>John Kerry forgot himself for a moment, albeit a very unfortunate moment for Democrats everywhere.

Kerry's attempt at humor was completely idiotic, and probably completely thoughtless, but the opposition's attempt to make shrill political hay out of it is revealing of something I discuss below.

>>Despite his challenged career in the Navy, he's still a Yale alumnus who put on the green fatigues and went through the training to get him sent to Hell on Earth, where he did in fact find himself for a time. That must have been a difficult decision for a young man out of Yale with a world of opportunity. Some have said that Kerry pursued the military in order to kick start a political career.

Even if one accepts uncritically the swiftboated image of Kerry, he is still a man who put himself in harm's way, regardless of motivation. There are very, very few denizens of official Washington who have done the same.

>>>"...these great minds attending America's elite schools..."

The correlation between the former and the latter is questionable: Washington certainly has demonstrable examples of negative correlation. Greatness must always include character & wisdom: commodities even more rare in the Potomac region.

>>>It makes sense that many students from elite schools do not serve in the military. It is not their calling.

In the immediate post-Vietnam era, an all-volunteer military sounded like an obvious curative. (I certainly thought so myself.) However, I now view it as a grave mistake - for it has eliminated the 'citizen soldier' and given rise to that most repulsive late-20th century phenomenon: the neo-patriot. NP's have never served their country in any capacity, do not have children, nieces & nephews who serve, and deep in their bosom have embraced the double-think that "talking the talk" is "walking the walk". The treatment of Max Cleland, John McLean, and yes, John Kerry, during the last Presidential election was repulsive beyond all measure, and most revealing of the deficient character and honesty of the national NP mindset. I doubt that it is politically possibly to bring back the draft, but you can be sure that NP's would fight the effort tooth & nail. For after all, service is someone else's responsiblity, not that of themselves and their family. This is a dangerous insult to the social integration of our society and sets an unfortunate example for those who have newly arrived on our shores.

My own son elected not to serve - a decision which engendered mixed emotions. It interrupted a near-continuous line of service in my family reaching back to the Revolutionary War, and it underscores the inequity of service in the current conflict. On the other hand, the notion of 'offering' ones children to the current Commander-in-Chief is unsettling, to put it extraordinarly mildly.

Lt. Stern, I salute your service and appreciate the "Semper Fidelis". However, for the upper echelon of your chain of command, I offer the following: "Aude Sapere" (dare to be wise). I'm afraid that for the highest echelons, that may be rather a stretch.

Eugene (U.S. Army 1967-1970, including Vietnam)

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.