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To keep filling the ranks, the Army has had to keep lowering its expectations. Diluting educational, aptitude and medical standards has not been enough. Nor have larger enlistment bonuses plugged the gap. So the Army has found itself recklessly expanding the granting of "moral waivers," which let people convicted of serious misdemeanors and even some felonies enlist in its ranks.
Last year, such waivers were granted to 8,129 men and women - or more than one out of every 10 new Army recruits. That number is up 65 percent since 2003, the year President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq. In the last three years, more than 125,000 moral waivers have been granted by America’s four military services.
Most of last year's Army waivers were for serious misdemeanors, like aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and vehicular homicide. But around 900 - double the number in 2003 - were for felonies. Worse, the Army does no systematic tracking of recruits with waivers once it signs them up, and it does not always pay enough attention to any adjustment problems. Without adequate monitoring and counseling, handing out guns to people who have already committed crimes poses a danger to the other soldiers they serve with and to the innocent civilians they are supposed to protect. [my ems]
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Queers ... not so much:
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But the Pentagon is discharging more than 700 people a year who are determined to be homosexuals -- who in nearly every case have performed their service honorably on behalf of their country and uniformed service.
But it goes beyond troops on the front line. The military apparently has little problem putting major weapons systems into the hands of criminals while at the same time discharging Arabic-speaking linguists.
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Okay, listen to me. If somebody wants to serve this nation, and they're not a criminal, I don't give a fuck if they wear a pink tutu and act like they're Tinkerbell when they're off duty. You're telling gays, homosexuals who are willing to serve and die for their nation in a critical specialty, they are valued less than convicted felons.
I served with gays. So what? We had some serious redneck cracker motherfuckers in the unit. They didn't have a problem with serving with gays either. Know why? We were all in it together and we depended on each other. If they culled most of the Jesus freak pastors out of the Chaplain Corps, homosexuality wouldn't be an issue in the military. Trust me, when the balloon goes up, no body gives a shit if the sign on your ass says 'exit only' or not. Only that you're pointing in the right direction when the shooting starts.
For a nation in the midst of a recruiting crisis, our priorities are sadly misplaced.
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