Someone Let the Cat Out of the Bag

[BMT (RIP)]

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/articles/20090215.aspx



:D


BMT

[Kosta]

Wait, different cultures instill different values in their members that make members of some better soldiers or participants in democracy than others?

:eek: SAY IT AIN'T SO.

What's the over/under on how long until the PC crowd starts making a stink?

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

Absolutely a good quick read. We always know and have known. The hardest to advise are the Regular Army leadership. Blitzzz

[Richard]

Yep. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

[Team Sergeant]

We have over 300,000,000 Americans.

We have just over a million three on active duty.

Less than a forth of those are "Combat Arms" personnel.

We cannot keep the Army Special Forces Groups "manned" even with those numbers.

That article not only reflects on other nations but us as well.

I remember the movie "The Last Samurai", the next one will be "The Last Green Beret".

We are also a nation of "sheeple".

Team Sergeant

[Richard]

That article not only reflects on other nations but us as well.

Yep. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

[rltipton]

That article not only reflects on other nations but us as well.

Team Sergeant

Yessir, on an extremely large (and growing) scale.

[abc_123]

We have over 300,000,000 Americans.

We have just over a million three on active duty.

Less than a forth of those are "Combat Arms" personnel.

We cannot keep the Army Special Forces Groups "manned" even with those numbers.

That article not only reflects on other nations but us as well.

I remember the movie "The Last Samurai", the next one will be "The Last Green Beret".

We are also a nation of "sheeple".

Team Sergeant


Very true, I'm afraid.

I look at the hoards of kids playing youth soccer as compared to football or wrestling and I am not encouraged that this situation will reverse itself in the near future.

[mark46th]

My son was a high caliber soccer player two levels away from the national level- Now he is a cop, young and hard as nails physically and mentally, just like I taught him. Soccer taught him team work, how to think without panicking when things are headed South and made him an athlete. When he started the Police Academy, he could only do one pullup, so they put him in the fatman squad. Then he ripped off a 5:15 mile...BTW, when he finished the acdemy, #2 in his class, he could do 12 pullups....

I guess what I am trying to say is that which sport you play as a child isn't important as long as you compete. It's up to the parents and other positive examples to give them courage and heart...

[abc_123]

My son was a high caliber soccer player two levels away from the national level- Now he is a cop, young and hard as nails physically and mentally, just like I taught him. Soccer taught him team work, how to think without panicking when things are headed South and made him an athlete. When he started the Police Academy, he could only do one pullup, so they put him in the fatman squad. Then he ripped off a 5:15 mile...BTW, when he finished the acdemy, #2 in his class, he could do 12 pullups....

I guess what I am trying to say is that which sport you play as a child isn't important as long as you compete. It's up to the parents and other positive examples to give them courage and heart...

Of course, your're right. Generalization on my part that won't hold up when taken down to the granular level. Also a spurrious correlation, like saying eating Tomatoes causes death (everybody who eats tomatoes dies at some point, right?) Achieving excellence in whatever you do be it sports, music, academics, take dedication, hard work and sacrifice. Things that are uncommon.

I guess where I was going is the coincidental explosion of youth soccer and the whole entire "soccer mom" thing with our society's seeming increasing unwillingness to let kids have unstructured play and roughhousing...where arguments happen and are settled where kids experience conflict and are forced to resolve it through all the various means. Where they first learn (usually after coming home and getting advice both wanted and unwanted from parents) about the role of aggression and violence in the problem solving process....and that it's OK to be physical.

I just don't remember the "be nice and not play rough" concepts when I was growing up not too very long ago and participating in more "traditional" American youth sports like I saw during my boys brief experience with youth soccer.

[Defender968]

Of course, your're right. Generalization on my part that won't hold up when taken down to the granular level. Also a spurrious correlation, like saying eating Tomatoes causes death (everybody who eats tomatoes dies at some point, right?) Achieving excellence in whatever you do be it sports, music, academics, take dedication, hard work and sacrifice. Things that are uncommon.

I guess where I was going is the coincidental explosion of youth soccer and the whole entire "soccer mom" thing with our society's seeming increasing unwillingness to let kids have unstructured play and roughhousing...where arguments happen and are settled where kids experience conflict and are forced to resolve it through all the various means. Where they first learn (usually after coming home and getting advice both wanted and unwanted from parents) about the role of aggression and violence in the problem solving process....and that it's OK to be physical.

I just don't remember the "be nice and not play rough" concepts when I was growing up not too very long ago and participating in more "traditional" American youth sports like I saw during my boys brief experience with youth soccer.

I have played and coached soccer for the past 25 years and I can tell you there is every bit as much conflict and aggression in soccer as there is in football, the competition is fierce and physical aggression is every bit as real as in football, the ways of taking it out are simply different.

I think what you're describing has more to do with the everyone gets a trophy style of thinking that has become so pervasive in nearly all sports and in our society today rather than the aspects of the individual sports children are playing today.

The problem as I see it is as others have stated, we are simply raising fewer and fewer sheepdogs and more and more sheep.

I can vividly remember my father teaching me to never start a fight, but to always defend myself, consequently I learned that if the fight came to me, I should seek to finish it quickly to protect myself and others. From what I've seen today most parents teach their children not to fight for any reason, they teach their children to simply walk away. Which I have to say I can understand in some ways when you consider what would have been a simple fist fight in my youth may end up with a shooting or stabbing today.

[mark46th]

You are both right- America is getting pussified. Too many Americans these days feel that everything should be a Win-Win, makes me feel good deal. Wrong. It should be we win, they lose. If they want to be civilized, the U.S.can be benevolent. If they want to play hard, they will suffer the consequences.

Most people don't understand that most of the world doesn't like us. How the U.S. conducts itself should depend on what policies the country we are dealing with has with the U.S.

My foreign policy would be along the lines of an Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove...

[greenberetTFS]

You are both right- America is getting pussified./quote/Mark46th........:rolleyes:

I remember the movie "The Last Samurai", the next one will be "The Last Green Beret". We are also a nation of "sheeple"./quote/ TS.........:rolleyes:

We are becoming a "paper tiger" like some countries call us.......Why?.......:rolleyes:

GB TFS :munchin

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

The Nation can't be taken any more serious than the leadership projects. While Bush did project some toughness he failed in the depth of it. Obama is a Pussy so shall we be unil the next "Reagan" gets in. For too long the Nation's posturing has been by the likes of Carter, Clinton and now the "apologist" Obama. When he bowed to the Saudi King, so did we all.


Dave's forgien Policy would be based of an army made of entirely Regimemtal Combat Teams, and when "anyone" made a funny face or any other disrespectful politcal atonations to this country. I would deploy enough RTCs to stomp a mudhole in their asses and the return the troops home with a message to the offending Nation to "fix it" or we would return for round two, and so on. No occupying, no policing,no nation building, just punitive ass kicking and leave the fix to them. Yes, I would demand respect from anyone that wished to deal with US. just Me, Dave

[Utah Bob]

I would deploy enough RTCs to stomp a mudhole in their asses and the return the troops home with a message to the offending Nation to "fix it" or we would return for round two, and so on.

Now that I like!:D

[abc_123]

I have played and coached soccer for the past 25 years and I can tell you there is every bit as much conflict and aggression in soccer as there is in football, the competition is fierce and physical aggression is every bit as real as in football, the ways of taking it out are simply different.

I think what you're describing has more to do with the everyone gets a trophy style of thinking that has become so pervasive in nearly all sports and in our society today rather than the aspects of the individual sports children are playing today.

The problem as I see it is as others have stated, we are simply raising fewer and fewer sheepdogs and more and more sheep.

I can vividly remember my father teaching me to never start a fight, but to always defend myself, consequently I learned that if the fight came to me, I should seek to finish it quickly to protect myself and others. From what I've seen today most parents teach their children not to fight for any reason, they teach their children to simply walk away. Which I have to say I can understand in some ways when you consider what would have been a simple fist fight in my youth may end up with a shooting or stabbing today.

Defender,

You cannot equate aggression and conflict in footbal/wrestling with soccer... that is until they start issuing "yellow cards" for "excessively hard hits" or "moves that hurt" in football or wrestling. With all due respect to your 25 yrs, soccer does not equate with football or wrestling with respect to physical violence. Period.

That does not mean that one can't be tough and play soccer. I already stated that the generalization does not hold up in each and every case.

I agree with your opinion that it has a lot to do with the "everybody gets a trophy" mentality.

For the record, I was also raised that way with respect ot starting/finishing fights.

abc

[greenberetTFS]

Defender,

You cannot equate aggression and conflict in footbal/wrestling with soccer... that is until they start issuing "yellow cards" for "excessively hard hits" or "moves that hurt" in football or wrestling. With all due respect to your 25 yrs, soccer does not equate with football or wrestling with respect to physical violence. Period.

That does not mean that one can't be tough and play soccer. I already stated that the generalization does not hold up in each and every case.

I agree with your opinion that it has a lot to do with the "everybody gets a trophy" mentality.

For the record, I was also raised that way with respect ot starting/finishing fights.

abc

abc,

You guys forced me to have to say this...... :rolleyes: First of all, I agree with you on your response.......:D However, HOCKEY is the most physical violent sport in the USA....Anyone who has played it,really played it, will tell it's not for "pussies".;)

GB TFS :munchin

[ZonieDiver]

abc,

You guys forced me to have to say this...... :rolleyes: First of all, I agree with you on your response.......:D However, HOCKEY is the most physical violent sport in the USA....Anyone who has played it,really played it, will tell it's not for "pussies".;)

GB TFS

For all the "fights" that occur in NHL Hockey, no one every seems to get hurt too much. Lots of swinging and hitting padded areas is what I see. Almost as sad as baseball "fights"! At least in NBA Basketball, when someone gets a "hard foul" there isn't anything between them and the hip, hand, forearm, scorers table, stands, or the floor except their modern-day "Daisy Duke's"! :)

[Defender968]

Defender,

You cannot equate aggression and conflict in footbal/wrestling with soccer... that is until they start issuing "yellow cards" for "excessively hard hits" or "moves that hurt" in football or wrestling. With all due respect to your 25 yrs, soccer does not equate with football or wrestling with respect to physical violence. Period.

That does not mean that one can't be tough and play soccer. I already stated that the generalization does not hold up in each and every case.

I agree with your opinion that it has a lot to do with the "everybody gets a trophy" mentality.

For the record, I was also raised that way with respect ot starting/finishing fights.

abc

ABC_123 I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, I would agree with you on the wrestling but not football.

Yellow/red cards are no different than some penalties in football, they are meant to try to keep players safe from illegal or overly dangerous moves and to try to control the game. In soccer you can't tackle from behind, in football you can't spearhead, there are prohibited moves in both sports which are highly likely to cause significant injuries. I would also argue that in soccer more control is necessary as the players aren't covered head to toe in pads and wearing a helmet, just two little shin guards.

[Utah Bob]

One can be tough and play soccer.


But one doesn't have to be.:D;)

[wet dog]

1940: 30,000,000
1960: 60,000,000
1980: 120,000,000
2000: 240,000,000
2020: we should have 480,000,000 living Americans. Given this is 2009, we are on target, but in...

In 1940, we had aprox. 30M living Americans, we were world ranked 43rd in armed forces strength. After, 7 Dec. 1941 we pushed recruitment to 10% of our population to enlistments in the Army, Navy, Marines. By 1945, aprox. 13,000,000 US citizens wore a uniform, over 1/3 of us. An equal labor force of men, (9,000,000) and women, (2,500,000) worked in factories building planes, tanks, trucks, rifles and ammo in all sizes. The Boy Scouts started the first recyling efforts, (Pots, Pans, rubber tires, old shoes, Coke bottles, etc.). The Girl Scouts baked cookies for the Red Cross. And yes, they had uniforms. We had major city curfews after 10pm, lights out over East and West coast cities after midnight. Hollywood made war movies and sold War Bonds. In short, 75-80% of our citizens were directly involved in the war effort.

If you feel alone, consider, in todays role, we have less than 1% serving in all armed forces, and one might find an open Starbucks after midnight.

We might put the enemy on their heels if we start acting like a nation at war.

Does anyone know that we have today more Generals on active duty then we did when we had 13,000,000 in uniform.

By the way, if you're wearing a uniform tonight, THANK YOU.





Very true, I'm afraid.

I look at the hoards of kids playing youth soccer as compared to football or wrestling and I am not encouraged that this situation will reverse itself in the near future.

[Razor]

I have to agree with abc123 regarding contact sports. While there are important lessons on perserverence, teamwork, dedication, practice and being a good citizen (aka good sportsmanship) available through non-contact sports such as soccer, there's a lot to be said for looking a guy in the eye knowing that in the next few seconds you'll be coming into violent contact in an effort to physically overcome one another. That level of confidence/courage just isn't something you get in sports that aim to prevent all but incidental contact with another player.

[zuluzerosix]

I wonder if on a regional scale what kind of G's Americans would make, if say SF was training G's all over the U.S.? Would folks from the South make better guerillas than, say West Coast "dudes?"

It seems resonable to me that the SF would experience the same things here that they would experience in other "Guerilla communities." Some would be good, some would be bad. But I am
curious, as to what kind of Guerilla today's Americans would make.

[The Reaper]

1940: 30,000,000
1960: 60,000,000
1980: 120,000,000
2000: 240,000,000
2020: we should have 480,000,000 living Americans. Given this is 2009, we are on target, but in...

In 1940, we had aprox. 30M living Americans, we were world ranked 43rd in armed forces strength. After, 7 Dec. 1941 we pushed recruitment to 10% of our population to enlistments in the Army, Navy, Marines. By 1945, aprox. 13,000,000 US citizens wore a uniform, over 1/3 of us. An equal labor force of men, (9,000,000) and women, (2,500,000) worked in factories building planes, tanks, trucks, rifles and ammo in all sizes. The Boy Scouts started the first recyling efforts, (Pots, Pans, rubber tires, old shoes, Coke bottles, etc.). The Girl Scouts baked cookies for the Red Cross. And yes, they had uniforms. We had major city curfews after 10pm, lights out over East and West coast cities after midnight. Hollywood made war movies and sold War Bonds. In short, 75-80% of our citizens were directly involved in the war effort.

If you feel alone, consider, in todays role, we have less than 1% serving in all armed forces, and one might find an open Starbucks after midnight.

We might put the enemy on their heels if we start acting like a nation at war.

Does anyone know that we have today more Generals on active duty then we did when we had 13,000,000 in uniform.

By the way, if you're wearing a uniform tonight, THANK YOU.


I agree with your sentiments and description of what we did, but the numbers are off.

http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/1990s/popclockest.txt


National Population Average Annual
Date Population Change Percent Change


July 1, 1999 272,690,813 2,442,810 0.90
July 1, 1998 270,248,003 2,464,396 0.92
July 1, 1997 267,783,607 2,555,035 0.96
July 1, 1996 265,228,572 2,425,296 0.92
July 1, 1995 262,803,276 2,476,255 0.95
July 1, 1994 260,327,021 2,544,413 0.99
July 1, 1993 257,782,608 2,752,909 1.08
July 1, 1992 255,029,699 2,876,607 1.14
July 1, 1991 252,153,092 2,688,696 1.08
July 1, 1990 249,464,396 2,645,166 1.07

July 1, 1989 246,819,230 2,320,248 0.94
July 1, 1988 244,498,982 2,210,064 0.91
July 1, 1987 242,288,918 2,156,031 0.89
July 1, 1986 240,132,887 2,209,092 0.92
July 1, 1985 237,923,795 2,098,893 0.89
July 1, 1984 235,824,902 2,032,908 0.87
July 1, 1983 233,791,994 2,127,536 0.91
July 1, 1982 231,664,458 2,198,744 0.95
July 1, 1981 229,465,714 2,241,033 0.98
July 1, 1980 227,224,681 2,169,194 0.96

July 1, 1979 225,055,487 2,470,942 1.10
July 1, 1978 222,584,545 2,345,120 1.06
July 1, 1977 220,239,425 2,204,261 1.01
July 1, 1976 218,035,164 2,061,965 0.95
July 1, 1975 215,973,199 2,119,271 0.99
July 1, 1974 213,853,928 1,945,140 0.91
July 1, 1973 211,908,788 2,012,767 0.95
July 1, 1972 209,896,021 2,235,344 1.07
July 1, 1971 207,660,677 2,608,503 1.26
July 1, 1970 205,052,174 2,375,228 1.17

July 1, 1969 202,676,946 1,970,894 0.98
July 1, 1968 200,706,052 1,993,996 1.00
July 1, 1967 198,712,056 2,151,718 1.09
July 1, 1966 196,560,338 2,257,375 1.16
July 1, 1965 194,302,963 2,414,172 1.25
July 1, 1964 191,888,791 2,646,993 1.39
July 1, 1963 189,241,798 2,704,061 1.44
July 1, 1962 186,537,737 2,846,256 1.54
July 1, 1961 183,691,481 3,020,323 1.66
July 1, 1960 180,671,158 2,841,530 1.59

July 1, 1959 177,829,628 2,947,724 1.67
July 1, 1958 174,881,904 2,897,774 1.67
July 1, 1957 171,984,130 3,081,099 1.81
July 1, 1956 168,903,031 2,971,829 1.78
July 1, 1955 165,931,202 2,905,348 1.77
July 1, 1954 163,025,854 2,841,662 1.76
July 1, 1953 160,184,192 2,631,452 1.66
July 1, 1952 157,552,740 2,674,851 1.71
July 1, 1951 154,877,889 2,606,472 1.70
July 1, 1950 152,271,417 3,083,287 2.05

July 1, 1949 149,188,130 2,556,828 1.73
July 1, 1948 146,631,302 2,505,231 1.72
July 1, 1947 144,126,071 2,737,505 1.92
July 1, 1946 141,388,566 1,460,401 1.04
July 1, 1945 139,928,165 1,530,820 1.10
July 1, 1944 138,397,345 1,657,992 1.21
July 1, 1943 136,739,353 1,879,800 1.38
July 1, 1942 134,859,553 1,457,082 1.09
July 1, 1941 133,402,471 1,280,025 0.96
July 1, 1940 132,122,446 1,242,728 0.95

[greenberetTFS]

1940: 30,000,000
1960: 60,000,000
1980: 120,000,000
2000: 240,000,000
2020: we should have 480,000,000 living Americans. Given this is 2009, we are on target, but in...

In 1940, we had aprox. 30M living Americans, we were world ranked 43rd in armed forces strength. After, 7 Dec. 1941 we pushed recruitment to 10% of our population to enlistments in the Army, Navy, Marines. By 1945, aprox. 13,000,000 US citizens wore a uniform, over 1/3 of us. An equal labor force of men, (9,000,000) and women, (2,500,000) worked in factories building planes, tanks, trucks, rifles and ammo in all sizes. The Boy Scouts started the first recyling efforts, (Pots, Pans, rubber tires, old shoes, Coke bottles, etc.). The Girl Scouts baked cookies for the Red Cross. And yes, they had uniforms. We had major city curfews after 10pm, lights out over East and West coast cities after midnight. Hollywood made war movies and sold War Bonds. In short, 75-80% of our citizens were directly involved in the war effort.

If you feel alone, consider, in todays role, we have less than 1% serving in all armed forces, and one might find an open Starbucks after midnight.

We might put the enemy on their heels if we start acting like a nation at war.

Does anyone know that we have today more Generals on active duty then we did when we had 13,000,000 in uniform.

By the way, if you're wearing a uniform tonight, THANK YOU.

WD,

Your bringing back some really old memories.......:boohoo I remember flattening metal cans for the tin can drives as well as rounding up old newspapers and bringing them down to our grade school to get weighed in to see who won the prizes which consisted of Uncle Sam pin buttons to proudly wear at school.....:cool:
Worn out rags,old bald tires were also items we would be looking for,but enough about the early years..........;) I doubt their are many guys here that remember that far back.

GB TFS :munchin

GB TFS

[greenberetTFS]

For all the "fights" that occur in NHL Hockey, no one every seems to get hurt too much. Lots of swinging and hitting padded areas is what I see. Almost as sad as baseball "fights"! At least in NBA Basketball, when someone gets a "hard foul" there isn't anything between them and the hip, hand, forearm, scorers table, stands, or the floor except their modern-day "Daisy Duke's"!

ZD,

That's where your making the mistake......It's not the fights I'm talking about,it's the stamina that it takes to play your shift. To be able to take the checks(both legal and the cheap shot ones).....:rolleyes: I was a defense men and I had two basic responsibilities,first to protect the goalie,which meant you take out anyone who tries to injure him and God help you if you didn't.The second is to protect your wings and center if they get pushed into a fight. I was nick named the "enforcer" by my team mates...... ;) I,like Colonel Jack Moroney whom I never knew personally,but shared many PM's with talking about our days in the early 50's when we played without helmets or mouth pieces,that was HOCKEY......:D

GB TFS :munchin

[wet dog]

I've seen personal behaviors change in the same tribe as family or economic stresses increase or decrease. But I think any "Texas G" would be welcome on my patrol.

WD



I wonder if on a regional scale what kind of G's Americans would make, if say SF was training G's all over the U.S.? Would folks from the South make better guerillas than, say West Coast "dudes?"

It seems resonable to me that the SF would experience the same things here that they would experience in other "Guerilla communities." Some would be good, some would be bad. But I am
curious, as to what kind of Guerilla today's Americans would make.

[iamwill]

Edit

[thecomedian]

One could argue the idea that as a sigifigant amount of people in the United States become increasingly ignorant about the acuality of world politics and become less active in keeping the United States safe from any foreign threat there is a minority becoming more knowledgable about world politics and more active in the protection of the United States and the retention of our freedoms. Ying and Yang, when the sun rises the moon falls....Figuratively speaking.

[bluebb]

NOT...:p

If you don't play rugby you are a puss.

Football and wrestling are borderline tough:D

Blue

[greenberetTFS]

NOT...

If you don't play rugby you are a puss.

Football and wrestling are borderline tough

Blue

Blue.

I've never played rugby, but I may agree with you,it's the kind of game I'm sure I'd loved to have played.......;) Only problem is when I was a kid in Chicago we didn't even know what rugby was........:rolleyes: But, any contact sport is all right with me...................:D

GB TFS :munchin

[zuluzerosix]

I've seen personal behaviors change in the same tribe as family or economic stresses increase or decrease. But I think any "Texas G" would be welcome on my patrol.

WD

Well then, Kind Sir, I am at your service. I will let you decide if I am qualified. I am from Texas so you know I will fight. I can carry much weight and am very quiet in the brush. I have small children at home, so you know I never sleep. I think I napped once about 12 years ago-but that was 12 years ago and I am better now. I keep my powder dry and I own 1 head of cattle, 11 chickens, a pig, two goats and finally 15 lbs of salt. At the very least we would eat well.

Please tell me where to report with my muskets and rapier.:D

[Bill Harsey]

NOT...:p

If you don't play rugby you are a puss.

Football and wrestling are borderline tough:D

Blue

read the whole thread and this is kinda off topic but in college I knocked out a rugby player once. He was bigger than me, does that count?

[Peregrino]

If tall-timber logging doesn't count for a contact sport I'm not sure anything else does either. :D

[TrapLine]

ZD,

That's where your making the mistake......It's not the fights I'm talking about,it's the stamina that it takes to play your shift. To be able to take the checks(both legal and the cheap shot ones).....:rolleyes: I was a defense men and I had two basic responsibilities,first to protect the goalie,which meant you take out anyone who tries to injure him and God help you if you didn't.The second is to protect your wings and center if they get pushed into a fight. I was nick named the "enforcer" by my team mates...... I,like Colonel Jack Moroney whom I never knew personally,but shared many PM's with talking about our days in the early 50's when we played without helmets or mouth pieces,that was HOCKEY......:D

GB TFS :munchin


GB TFS

From one defense men of the frozen pond to another....CHEERS! I would agree with those who have pointed out the weakening of youngsters. One example I see is the lack of kids on the outside rinks. It is too cold, too dangerous or too much of a distraction from video gaming I guess. Growing up, mom would drop my brother and I at the rink down the street and we would play sometimes till we had to walk home in skates because our fingers were too cold to untie the laces. There was no padding in the way of punches thrown on the outdoor rink, either.

As far as making a good G, I would like to think I might have an advantage over the Texas guys if there were an arctic op. :D

[frostfire]

I have no dogs in this fight, but how about the growing interest in MMA in the US?
Contact sport and (hopefully controlled and proper channeling of) aggression?

OTOH, I did whole spectrum of MMA and willingly checked leg kicks and endured busted lips, neck crank and shaken skull....but ice hockey and especially rugby just can't be good for health and/or sanity in my book. :p Likewise, I'd volunteer to jump out of airplanes but going downhill on a bicycle at 40mph and beyond is just not for me

[alright4u]

I had a company of mainly Rhade yards. The lowest paid rifleman was 220 a month. My top interpreter made 430 a month. I am not sure I would agree on who was the best of these INDIG in SOG. The Nungs were good, but; some were Cholon cowboys. Now, we had some Bru come down from CCN for a few CCS OPS, and; they were pretty fierce fighters. Not mentioned are the Cambodes that Sigma had who moved up to CCS in 69. Sigma swore by these Bodes. I think it depends on who trains them and how much.

My .02.

[greenberetTFS]

GB TFS

From one defense men of the frozen pond to another....CHEERS! I would agree with those who have pointed out the weakening of youngsters. One example I see is the lack of kids on the outside rinks. It is too cold, too dangerous or too much of a distraction from video gaming I guess. Growing up, mom would drop my brother and I at the rink down the street and we would play sometimes till we had to walk home in skates because our fingers were too cold to untie the laces. There was no padding in the way of punches thrown on the outdoor rink, either.

As far as making a good G, I would like to think I might have an advantage over the Texas guys if there were an arctic op.

TrapLine,

Your bringing back some old moments,outdoor rinks,fingers too cold to untie the laces........:rolleyes: Your also right that kids today play soccer only when you can pry them away from their video games.....:eek: The only hockey they play is on those games.......;)

GB TFS :munchin

[Costa]

i grew up wrestling and playing hockey.. ice hockey, not that limited contact roller blade stuff... but ive also played soccer, baseball, and just about every sport out there while being an academically sound student. why? probably because i had a dad who gave a shit and a mom that encouraged me to be a winner. if more parents were involved in their kids' lives, we wouldn't see a generation of pussified video game hippies that dont even eat meat and still tip the scales.

the rule of numbers combined with my own experiences have always told me that life hands you a few winners, and a whole lot of losers. unfortunately today, as children are products of their parents (most of whom shouldnt be parents to begin with) we observe the number of losers increasing exponentially. drug use is becoming a social norm and sedentary lifestyles are taking over. whats worse are the attitudes that this lifestyle imbues.

HOWEVER, with all this negative stuff being said about the future, it just makes those few winners work harder. we may be seeing a surge of losers right now, but the winners are coming.

like patton said, Americans HATE to be losers

[afchic]

i grew up wrestling and playing hockey.. ice hockey, not that limited contact roller blade stuff... but ive also played soccer, baseball, and just about every sport out there while being an academically sound student. why? probably because i had a dad who gave a shit and a mom that encouraged me to be a winner. if more parents were involved in their kids' lives, we wouldn't see a generation of pussified video game hippies that dont even eat meat and still tip the scales.

the rule of numbers combined with my own experiences have always told me that life hands you a few winners, and a whole lot of losers. unfortunately today, as children are products of their parents (most of whom shouldnt be parents to begin with) we observe the number of losers increasing exponentially. drug use is becoming a social norm and sedentary lifestyles are taking over. whats worse are the attitudes that this lifestyle imbues.

HOWEVER, with all this negative stuff being said about the future, it just makes those few winners work harder. we may be seeing a surge of losers right now, but the winners are coming.

like patton said, Americans HATE to be losers

I am going to have to disagree with you to some point. I think alot of the problems now a days is that parents are TOO involved in their kids lives. They map out their kids day to the nth degree. What the hell is a play date??? You have too many parents out there who's little angles "deserve" s trophy for just being on the team. Too many parents try and solve all the conflicts in their children's lives for them instead of giving them the tools to do it themselves.

Too many parents feel guilty about not being home more, so they involve themselves in every aspect of their children's lives. Kids aren't kids anymore, they are little robots.

And I agree with the statement that if you haven't played rugby you are a pussy!! Nothing like seeing a big bad NCAA football player who decides to play rugby for the first time. "What do you mean you don't wear pads" What a joke.....:p

My bumpersticker says "Give Blood, Play Rugby"

[Costa]

I am going to have to disagree with you to some point. I think alot of the problems now a days is that parents are TOO involved in their kids lives. They map out their kids day to the nth degree. What the hell is a play date??? You have too many parents out there who's little angles "deserve" s trophy for just being on the team. Too many parents try and solve all the conflicts in their children's lives for them instead of giving them the tools to do it themselves.

Too many parents feel guilty about not being home more, so they involve themselves in every aspect of their children's lives. Kids aren't kids anymore, they are little robots.

And I agree with the statement that if you haven't played rugby you are a pussy!! Nothing like seeing a big bad NCAA football player who decides to play rugby for the first time. "What do you mean you don't wear pads" What a joke.....:p

My bumpersticker says "Give Blood, Play Rugby"

I agree with you in this aspect to a point as well. There are two sides to every story, and this happens to be the other aspect of the topic at hand. I see the lifestyle you're referring to in action every day at my university. Every semester, thousands of individuals graduate without any "street smarts" or common sense. I feel that you might agree with me in asserting that one of the reasons for this occurrence is that their parents live their kids' lives for them.

You put it well when you wrote that parents should give their children the tools they need to live their lives and overcome obstacles.

"Give a man a fish, and he can eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and he can eat for a lifetime"

[dr. mabuse]

My 14 yo plays everything (soccer, baseball, football) like he was playing rugby anyway. Just a lot of spirit in him.

We gave him the basic tools for problem solving and proper attitude when he was younger and seems to have worked out alright. :D

I have discussed this with many others my age and we do notice many of the boys out there are kind of sissyfied as compared to boys back in the early 70's.