Alex - take your hate somewhere else. Hate is an ignorant emotion, not a reasoned attitude. Feel free to disagree with people who are opposed to the military. Hatred, however, only makes you a bigot and a dangerous fool.
Jack - I largely agree with your last post. I would probably not go so far as to say "when there is no more military" but only because that seems like believing in the tooth fairy to me. I was going to write a longer reply about the way military training (in my experience) coexists with a quiet culture of brutalisation which brings quite vicious hazing and, yes, sexual assault, along for the the ride. This hidden culture is almost "necessary" in order for soldiers to do what they sometimes have to do. But I think Artemis covered all that quite well with her usual wisdom.
I also accept that when you referred to the US that you were posting based on the knowledge you have and not intending to specifically paint the US in a highly prejudicial way. But I do think, regardless of intent, it didn't come across so harmlessly so maybe an apology wouldn't go astray. Not because you said something untrue, but because the post did appear to represent it as a specific nation's flaw when it really isn't.
Me - I return to... war is ugly. The military is made up of some crappy individuals but many more individuals who actually want to do something useful for their communities, and for the global community as well. And I think they pay a high personal price for that. But they are not "heroes" and there is no glory in their work. And cultures which glorify their soldiers (which mine most certainly does) perpetuate myths about war which are inexcusable in my opinion.
I am not a pacifist, but I certainly don't support the military decisions my own country has made, nor those of many others. But Jordan's suggestion of all soldiers just refusing orders, or dreaming of a time when no military exists... That makes no sense to me. Perhaps with age I have become too pragmatic and accept more of reality than I should.
