Military Draft

[Jackson_Slugger]

Can't think of a single instance where Canada did anything remotely like that. Canada is the best ally the US ever had and vice-versa.

Canada's military, for whatever shortcomings it may have in size and budget, has produced possibly the best Tier 1 special operations unit in JTF2, heralded by a SEAL admiral for their work in Afghanistan and other places...

 

[thastinger]

Make sure you tell that to the Canadian Forces that served and died in Afghanistan after 911....

"You're either with us, or you're against us". That was the flavor of the day but I don't recall being attacked by Afgans, those were Saudis.

 

[thastinger]

We are also two times running with our tail between our legs.....

Political wars, we could glass top any of those places and make them uninhabitable for hundreds of years if we chose to do so. Its not that we couldn't, its that we chose not to. We'll need someone to fight in the future.

 

[IndyIan]

Canada is like your obnoxious GF that picks a fight with the biggest dude at the bar and expects you (the US) to handle it.

Hmm I don't think we start too much? Our big territory conflict over Hans Island with Denmark consisted of leaving bottles of Schnapps and Canadian Club whiskey for the "enemy", the only casualties were a few hangovers.... There is the potential for large oil and gas reserves there too but everyone played nice, common sense prevailed over greed, and we split the island down the middle.

It kind of goes both ways though, sometimes I think the US acts like your loud mouth buddy on the hockey team, who picks fights no one needs while we are winning, and then you've got jump in to back him up and try not to get to beat up?

For sure though, the US is the best superpower to be beside by far, but sometimes I wonder if we should join the EU and get out from under the US economic thumb.

 

[Pew]

"You're either with us, or you're against us". That was the flavor of the day but I don't recall being attacked by Afgans, those were Saudis.

Canada is like your obnoxious GF that picks a fight with the biggest dude at the bar and expects you (the US) to handle it.

Who ended up being in Pakistan. I don't recall Canadians wanting an illegitimate second invasion of Iraq.

 

[IndyIan]

Political wars, we could glass top any of those places and make them uninhabitable for hundreds of years if we chose to do so. Its not that we couldn't, its that we chose not to. We'll need someone to fight in the future.

I think you've shown the voter attitude that allows the US foreign policy not as well received globally as it could be...

 

[KrisZ]

Force women, problem solved. Many of them already think they are as capable as men, time to prove it.

 

[andrew_j]

Up the numbers and standards of those on path to citizenship for serving in US military.

 

[GON]

1) Singapore's international politics is very neutral. They don't send solders elsewhere to die. They do need a military so Malay wouldn't just stomp on them if they got into an argument.

2) Singapore isn't really a democracy or has a lot of freedom. If you spit chewing gum on the sidewalk you get fined. If you do graffiti on someone else's car you get whipped.

3) Do you dare to talk trash about the government in Singapore? See 2) above...

Singapore's policy is not neutral. Not even close. Singapore's policy is to strongly, fully, and steadfastly support international law. That is not a neutral stance.

And for note, the US trains Singapore military officers. One might be amazed how many Singapore military officers are graduates of the U.S. Army ranger school and wear the coveted ranger tab.

Singapore has four distinct cultures in their tiny country. Singapore also has little natural resources. Standards and discipline are a strong part of the Singapore culture. Chewing gum is illegal in Singapore- it is not spitting chewing gum on the sidewalk being fined as the center of gravity. For a tiny densely populated country with hot/ humid weather, not stepping in gum while walking on the sidewalk is a courtesy to all that live in Singapore.

And you failed to address that Singapore's youth view military service as an honor and a rite of passage into being an adult in Singapore, and delay college until after completing their military service obligation.

 

[Astro14]

Folks, on request I have unlocked this.

We need to avoid the political commentary and we really, and I mean this, need to avoid bashing particular nations.

Canada, for example, has joined the US in overseas combat, even though their nation was not directly affected by the events of 9-11. That is a true ally.

 

[4WD]

Folks, on request I have unlocked this.

We need to avoid the political commentary and we really, and I mean this, need to avoid bashing particular nations.

Canada, for example, has joined the US in overseas combat, even though their nation was not directly affected by the events of 9-11. That is a true ally.

Canada was also a huge contributor when SH caused the largest oil spill in history - Canadian & US well control/fire fighters put their lives in danger to cap over 600 oil wells …

 

[PimTac]

Singapore's policy is not neutral. Not even close. Singapore's policy is to strongly, fully, and steadfastly support international law. That is not a neutral stance.

And for note, the US trains Singapore military officers. One might be amazed how many Singapore military officers are graduates of the U.S. Army ranger school and wear the coveted ranger tab.

Singapore has four distinct cultures in their tiny country. Singapore also has little natural resources. Standards and discipline are a strong part of the Singapore culture. Chewing gum is illegal in Singapore- it is not spitting chewing gum on the sidewalk being fined as the center of gravity. For a tiny densely populated country with hot/ humid weather, not stepping in gum while walking on the sidewalk is a courtesy to all that live in Singapore.

And you failed to address that Singapore's youth view military service as an honor and a rite of passage into being an adult in Singapore, and delay college until after completing their military service obligation.

Yep and considering how densely populated they are the country is clean. They have probably the best airport terminal in the world and a lot of sights to see.

On a side note, South Korea also has mandatory service. I believe it’s two years and it must be done within a specific age period.

 

[thastinger]

I think you've shown the voter attitude that allows the US foreign policy not as well received globally as it could be...

I'm curious as to what you may think "could be" is.
After all, we're a country that invented electricity, nuclear fission, the laptop you're typing on and the OS it runs on, the automobile, steel, railroads, shipping containers, assembly line production, industrial farming of cotton/soybeans/wheat & corn, home HVAC systems...essentially every aspect of your daily life that provides you with your present standard of living...what did I miss?

 

[GON]

Yep and considering how densely populated they are the country is clean. They have probably the best airport terminal in the world and a lot of sights to see.

On a side note, South Korea also has mandatory service. I believe it’s two years and it must be done within a specific age period.

PT,

Thanks for the comment-- your comment supports bring this discussion back to the title the OP posted "military draft".

I have worked with conscripts from Singapore and the Republic of Korea. Although being a conscript does suck for many reasons in any military, their is a distinct difference between Singapore conscripts and Korean conscripts. Both fulfill their duties with honor, but the Singapore conscripts have a much better attitude/ outlook than their Korean conscripts counterparts.

I think the US should study why 18-year-olds in Singapore view military service as a rite of passage and serve to country. That may lead to proving some solutions on how the US military address its recruitment issues.

 

[OVERKILL]

I'm curious as to what you may think "could be" is.
After all, we're a country that invented electricity, nuclear fission, the laptop you're typing on and the OS it runs on, the automobile, steel, railroads, shipping containers, assembly line production, industrial farming of cotton/soybeans/wheat & corn, home HVAC systems...essentially every aspect of your daily life that provides you with your present standard of living...what did I miss?

We invented the telephone, and Canadian deuterium was critical to the Manhattan Project. Canada also invented its own nuclear reactor, based on that heavy water research, which runs on unenriched (natural) uranium (the CANDU). This is the only reactor technology to achieve international commercial success outside of the US-centric sphere of influence, which pushed the GE BWR and Westinghouse PWR designs (the UK had the AGR, but it wasn't successful outside the UK).

- The Germans invented the automobile, see: Carl Benz
- Steel originated in Europe, long before the US even existed
- The British invented modern rail transport with the introduction of the steam engine
- During the industrial revolution, the modern assembly line concept originated in the UK, Ford was the first to later apply this concept to the construction of the automobile.
- Red Fife wheat was a Canadian invention
- The British invented the Jet Turbine

While it's fun to peddle the "US is the origin of everything" story, it's abject fiction and makes you look like a jackass.

 

[OVERKILL]

Canada is like your obnoxious GF that picks a fight with the biggest dude at the bar and expects you (the US) to handle it.

Who the hell is Canada picking fights with? And how did you develop and embark upon this tangent based on his post?

 

[IndyIan]

I'm curious as to what you may think "could be" is.
After all, we're a country that invented electricity, nuclear fission, the laptop you're typing on and the OS it runs on, the automobile, steel, railroads, shipping containers, assembly line production, industrial farming of cotton/soybeans/wheat & corn, home HVAC systems...essentially every aspect of your daily life that provides you with your present standard of living...what did I miss?

All that stuff is mostly good, and no country is perfect, certainly not Canada. But the "we could glass top any of those places" but choose not to because "We'll need someone to fight in the future" is pretty much psychopathic thinking IMO. You do realize, most of the people over there in those countries just want to live their lives in peace?

 

[thastinger]

We invented the telephone, and Canadian deuterium was critical to the Manhattan Project. Canada also invented its own nuclear reactor, based on that heavy water research, which runs on unenriched (natural) uranium (the CANDU). This is the only reactor technology to achieve international commercial success outside of the US-centric sphere of influence, which pushed the GE BWR and Westinghouse PWR designs (the UK had the AGR, but it wasn't successful outside the UK).

- The Germans invented the automobile, see: Carl Benz
- Steel originated in Europe, long before the US even existed
- The British invented modern rail transport with the introduction of the steam engine
- During the industrial revolution, the modern assembly line concept originated in the UK, Ford was the first to later apply this concept to the construction of the automobile.
- Red Fife wheat was a Canadian invention
- The British invented the Jet Turbine

While it's fun to peddle the "US is the origin of everything" story, it's abject fiction and makes you look like a jackass.

Its not "peddling" if its true. The top four richest people on the Earth are US citizens, people get paid for their inventions, some of which you use everyday and are presently using to argue that you are marginally relevant. The world you live in would not be possible without Andrew Carnegie, JD Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney, George Westinghouse and Charles Goodyear. You know that to be true but still think semantics matters in your point of view.

 

[OVERKILL]

Its not "peddling" if its true. The top four richest people on the Earth are US citizens, people get paid for their inventions, some of which you use everyday and are presently using to argue that you are marginally relevant. The world you live in would not be possible without Andrew Carnegie, JD Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney, George Westinghouse and Charles Goodyear. You know that to be true but still think semantics matters in your point of view.

I gave you numerous examples that you've flagrantly ignored because it doesn't jive with the Amero-centric "the earth revolves around me, look how important I am" view you've invested in.

The world we live in would be quite different without Carl Benz, and Henry Ford wouldn't have an automobile to mass produce.

Red Fife wheat, a Canadian invention, is the basis for all modern wheat strains in North America.

Without the Canadian, British, French and German scientists, the Manhattan project wouldn't have happened, and the world would be a very different place right now.

The Internet we are currently arguing on wouldn't exist without Alexander Graham Bell.

It's not semantics, you've outright misrepresented or invented history to suit what you are peddling, a world I'll use again because it accurately describes the revisionist history you are pushing here for the sake of your massive, and totally unjustified ego, vicariously living successes you had nothing to do with while demanding the rest of us just blindly swallow your appalling perversion of history. That's not going to happen.

Amusingly, you continue to demonstrate exactly what @IndyIan was talking about, while not being bright enough to understand the point he was making.

 

[Astro14]

Gentlemen, please. I just asked that we not bash other countries, and this line of argument is both critical of other countries as well as way off topic.

Let‘s take a break.