Help Wanted

Above is a snippet from one of my job searches. This one searches these categories: Government/Military, Insurance and Legal; three fields I have experience in.

At the top is the omnipresent banner ad for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.The Border Patrol , it seems, is always hiring. That ad has been at the top of this particular search for weeks or longer...I can exclude that one. I'm looking for unarmed work.

The next job is offered by a private security firm and a military/law enforcement background is preferred. I forget the exact salary, but I think it was in the $80k range, which is probably more than an honest Border Patrol agent makes.


After that:
-Management Training- Infantryman : Army National Guard. WTF?
-Language and Translator Opportunities- Navy
-Weapon Systems Technician [read:artillery]-NG
and
-News and Media Opportunities-Navy. This one pops up on my 'telecommunications' and 'admin/clerical' searches as well.

The major downside to all of these jobs involves joining the military during what will almost inevitably be a time of escalating warfare. Also, those specific jobs are not guaranteed upon enlistment.

Here are a few ways that America can fill it's military staffing needs:

- Develop and/or encourage wide-spread socioeconomic conditions that present limited financial, employment and educational opportunities to young adults ; if lower-class kids are given a choice between poverty, incarceration or enlistment , then enlistment rates will increase.
The word 'opportunities' didn't accidentally find it's way into the wording of those ads- the military is fully aware that their target audience has a dire shortage of 'opportunities'. That $20k signing bonus must look pretty sweet to a great many 18-yr olds, but not enough, apparently, or they wouldn't be swamping the civilian papers with recruitment ads.

- A draft. It would be funny as hell if Blackwater mercenaries were drafted and forced to survive on G.I. pay- and with G.I. body armor. Delicious irony aside, I hope we never resort to that again.

-Peace.

My guess is that we'll see the first two items before we see the third.


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The Democrats seem to have forgotten that we, the people, don't want any more war.
I hope I'm wrong, but it seems like almost no one in our government really wants this war to end. On the rare occasion that a Democrat tells the truth, they are shunned and rebuked by their own party.

A day after successfully sustaining President Bush’s veto of a bill to provide health insurance to 10 million children, Congressional Republicans remained in an uproar over comments made by Representative Pete Stark, Democrat of California, who accused the Republicans, in a speech on the House floor, of sending American soldiers “to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”

On Thursday, Republicans immediately demanded an apology from Mr. Stark. “Our troops in Iraq are not fighting 'for the president's amusement',” Representative John Boehner of Ohio, the Republican leader, said in a statement. “Congressman Stark should correct and clarify his statement - our troops are fighting for the financial gains of a handful of defense contractors and their network of lobbyists. To say that they are there for 'amusement' undermines the seriousness of our profit motive. Mr. Starks should apologize to defense industry shareholders and their families.”

So, at the urging of Democrat 'leaders', Starks sorta said he was kinda sorry. What he should have said is:

" Are you fucking kidding me? This war is the biggest mess in American history and it's just one of dozens of reasons that we should be pushing for impeachment- the founding fathers gave that ability to us for a reason- we need to let this and future administrations know that they are not above the law or the Constitution. What I said was mild compared to the whole truth- but you bunch of milquetoast pussies are too worried about your careers to do what THE PEOPLE want you to do. "

He continued," I propose we attach the vetoed SCHIP legislation to the President's new request for a $46 billion dollar war budget. It would give Bush a chance to save face with moderates while allowing him to blame the 'wasteful' spending on us Democrats. Personally, I don't think there's any such thing as 'wasteful spending' when it comes to the well- being of the children who will inherit America- attaching it to the war budget is our best chance of getting this important bill expanded."

"Furthermore,' Mr. Starks went on," did you know that one Senator can put a hold on a bill, requiring a 3/5 override- and you can filibuster if you have the stones- but not one of you lamefucks decided to do that with the last war budget. I move that we applaud Sen. Dodd for putting a hold on the Bush administration's unconstitutional FISA wiretapping bill, a bill which most of you were more than willing to roll over on, and follow his example by putting our nation's interests ahead of our political ambitions."

"Sen. Dodd placed that obscene bill on hold without any help from us. Are you telling me that all of us, together, can't give this administration at least a bit of the ass-kicking they so soundly deserve? Damn, at least attach SCHIP to the war money...that's totally fucking obvious, but you haven't done it yet. Sometimes I think my colleagues are almost as bad as our opponents on the other side...sheesh.
We should be ashamed of ourselves.
And by the way- fuck you and your apologies. God bless America. "

That's what he shoulda said.