You're In The Army Now (How Counter-Cultural Of You)

Defense Secretary Gates warns of a military that is culturally disconnected from the nation it is defending:

DURHAM, N.C. — The United States is at risk of developing a cadre of military leaders who are cut off politically, culturally and geographically from the population they are sworn to protect, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told an audience at Duke University on Wednesday night.

In a speech aimed at addressing what he sees as a growing disconnect between the country as a whole and the relatively few who fight its wars, Mr. Gates said that although veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan were embraced when they came home, “for most Americans the wars remain an abstraction — a distant and unpleasant series of news items that do not affect them personally.”

...The defense secretary said that military recruits came increasingly from the South, the mountain West and small towns, and less often from the Northeast, West Coast and big cities. The military’s own basing decisions have reinforced the trend, he said, with a significant percentage of Army posts moved in recent years to just five states: Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas and Washington.

First of all, let's give props to Maine for its anomalous behavior - as of 2006, it ranked third in the nation in Army recruiting, so it is carrying the honor of the Northeast (and memory tells me that Maine has been an outlier for years.)

Secondly, the Defense Department risks a vicious cycle with its basing decisions - people not near a base will never see soldiers, and the already-distant notion of military service will become even more remote.

Thirdly, let's hark back to a glorious spring day in 2008 when our current Commander-in-Chief was exhorting the newly minted graduates of Wesleyan to a commitment to national service.  Never did he broach the possibility of enlistment arise, which is fine since people in prosperous blue Connecticut would have fallen over in a faint if he had. 

To be fair, Obama's leadership on this topic improved (as I noted somewhere, but not here), and by the Fourth of July he was actually acknowledging the value of military service.

Still, one does not get a second chance to make a first impression - the commencement speech made it clear where his heart and head are on this topic.

PRAISE BING:  It was in a late PILING ON update to this post about Obama's likely Nobel speech that I noted his non-reflexive sense of military service as having value.

Comments

[Clarice]

He is in PUK's famous f
phrase "a Lincoln Continental". There's a lot he doesn't know about this country. Like this:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_041a6a1e-cd0f-11df-b9c5-001cc4c03286.html>This is not Obamaland

[Sue]

"a Lincoln Continental"

Classic.

[Sue]

I can only imagine the fun PUK would be having watching the "Lincoln Continental" crash and burn.

[Comanche Voter]

Head and heart of our "current Commander in Chief" are both subject to permanent cranial rectal insertion syndrome. He walks among us--but he is not one of us in spirit.

[Sue]

Where's Jane?

The running mate for Democrat-turned-independent candidate Tim Cahill in the Massachusetts governor’s race has defected to Republican Charles Baker‘s campaign today.

[Ignatz]

--The United States is at risk of developing a cadre of military leaders who are cut off politically, culturally and geographically from the population they are sworn to protect, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told an audience at Duke University on Wednesday night.--

Obviously Karen Owen hasn't been working hard enough.
She should be able to reintegrate our military leaders to civilian life singlehandedly.

[bgates]

Ignatz - she could do it with no hands at all.

[Ignatz]

Joe Sobran RIP.
In his early incarnation he was perhaps the best writer commenting on American politics and morals.
I still read him occasionally but unfortunately he descended to a realm in which only someone like anduril could appreciate his idiosyncracies.

[Don]

Got to disagree about the basing. Our service men and women already are doing their duty. They do not need to 'take one for the team' regards the bases as well.

I know the rest of the liberal world doesn't see service members. So what. I don't care. There is no reason why during the time of war, our service men and women need to run the gauntlet overseas then do the same here every time they go to the store.

The other side of this is we ought to reward those who are sending their husbands, wives, children overseas to serve. It is a tangible reward to be based near your family. You can best serve that need by putting the bases where the people who serve come from.

[Ignatz]

--Ignatz - she could do it with no hands at all.--

Yikes. What was she a Saudi pickpocket prior to being a Blue Devil with no dress on?

[Army of Davids]

Meanwhile congress wants to extend Fannie/Freddie explicit guarantees (in essence subsidies) for high end mortgages.

LA, NYC, DC (and I believe San Francisco, Boston) mid to high end housing markets will benefit from these mortgages which have the highest foreclosure rate of Fannie and Freddie guarantees.

The taxpayer?

Well you can't have everything.

[centralcal]

God, I love Rush. He is going after all the "clean toga" crowd as only he can!

How many of you . . .? Had affairs, took a long time to pay off a loan, have ex-wives, youthful pregnancy, want your tax returns scrutinized, etc. etc. etc.

How many of you would even have the guts to run for office?

This is going to become a classic and needs to be replayed over and over again.

[Extraneus]

No kidding, cc.

[Ann]

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto, cc!!! :)

[squaredance]

Golly...

to point out the obvious

1. It is not that the Military is based in areas that are "cut off politically, culturally and geographically from the population they are sworn to protect". It is just these areas that are cut off politically, culturally" from the rest of the nation. What an insult to all those members "the population they are sworn to protect" that happen to reside in "the South, the mountain West and small towns". These poeple evidently are not members of our "true culture" nor are part of the nation's "polity". Were I Governor of one of these apparently benighted regions I would be on the soapbox right now decrying this absurd formulation. It shows you just how beltway hacks like Gates think.

2. The basing "decisions" are in general made by the limo-lib political hacks of ultra blue states--sorry, those who evidently from Gate's POV live in the "legitimatize areas" where the "true culture" obtains and the "real polity" of the nation reside--have forced them out of their State or City. If you do not think this is so, have a gander at the fates of the Brooklyn Naval Yard or Treasure Island or the Presidio in SF. What utter rubbish. They are projecting their section's rejection of military service (at least among the lib elites) on DoD "basing decisions.

3. As pointed out by another commenter, why on earth do we have to subject our fine men and women in the military to in effect live in a zone "Occupied", as it where, by an internal enemy who just so happens to hate their guts. One need only to point out the incredible shabby treatment RTOC chapters and cadets receive on college campuses, particularly in these Ivy League schools in that NE quadrant where Gates apparently see our true nation residing, to clarify the matter.

The Quisling Gates should be more concerned with restoring the F22 or the FCS and less concerned with things like "diversity" or social engineering. It seems likely that is none of his business where recruits come form, but if it is his business what he should be about is lambasting the elite liberal, coastal establishment for their shameful lack of any sense of duty, honor or gratitude.

He, as a former university president himself, could well start with the faculty of Duke.

This man has been a disaster to the DoD. I do not know how he can live with himself. This sort of creature demostreates everything that is wrong with the GOP.

[squaredance]

^demostrates

[squaredance]

by gosh, he has me so angry i cannot type: demonstrates.

[Extraneus]

Russia arrests Polish reporters at plane wreckage

(Good points, squarance.)

[Rick Ballard]

"or Treasure Island or the Presidio in SF"

Or Mare Island or NAS Alameda or Hunter's Point. Progressive social disease in the form of Ron Dellums ran the military out of the Bay Area.

This is a 'save the Blue Hells' move by Gates and needs to be rejected forcefully by the incoming majority.

[sbw]

Duke? He's speaking at Duke? We're talking about air so rarified that oxygen deprivation has dulled the sense of 88 of the faculty who officially signed a statement admitting they were out of touch with reality . . . and then refused to face the reality of their unreality in the face of overwhelming evidence.

[centralcal]

Once again, I am off topic and no thread is appropriate, but my gawd what is Catherine Herridge (Fox News reporter) up to????

You really should read the LUN.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

The running mate for Democrat-turned-independent candidate Tim Cahill in the Massachusetts governor’s race has defected to Republican Charles Baker‘s campaign today.

I just heard that on my way home from Court - where I actually spent a few hours working for a living.

Cahill now looks like a Dick if he continues altho he said last week he was not getting out. Baker may win in spite of him, but sheesh this is good news.

[larry]

Army might look good if your other choice is digging spuds. Ayuh.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

Bizarre CC - and they were so good to her while she had her liver transplant. I can't imagine this will be of help to the democrats.
If you hate Fox you already hate Fox. Everyone else knows it is a joke.

[Extraneus]

U.S. Considers 62 MPG Goal for 2025 Autos

The Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency said the fleet of new vehicles may need to meet a standard set somewhere from 47 mpg to 62 mpg by 2025. The mileage gains would be the equivalent of an annual decrease in carbon dioxide emissions per mile of 3 to 6 percent.

The new standards, while several years away, are closely watched by automakers who plan vehicle lineups years in advance, as well as environmental groups trying to curb oil dependence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. President Barack Obama has pushed for tougher fuel efficiency standards and the rules could take on added significance if Congress is unable to pass energy legislation capping greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

After little progress during the past three decades, rules adopted earlier this year will lift the new vehicle fleet average to 35.5 mpg by 2016, an increase of more than 40 percent over current standards. The administration's announcement Friday is just a beginning in the work on mileage standards for the 2017-2025 model years.

Don't worry, our rulers will still ride in limos and Chevy Suburbans.

[Cecil Turner]

It is a tangible reward to be based near your family.

Having your vote count is nice, too.

[Clarice]

Jane, check your email, please.

[Dave (in MA)]

Jane, I read somewhere that whatshisface the Lt. Gov. candidate told Baker about his move a day before he told Cahill. I figure on Cahill bitterly clinging to his campaign until the end. He gets free ad time in the guise of those unclaimed property ads that seem to be on the radio as frequently as the ones for the snake oil wrinkle creams and the ones with the annoying jingles trying to get you to donate your old car to fund indoctrinating kids into a cult.

[MarkO]

This and the Owen post make me think TM got word that Duke Basketball picked up the number one high school prospect. But, I do hate Broadhead and how he has ruined Duke.

[Tom Maguire]

Army might look good if your other choice is digging spuds.

AND it can be your ticket out of Red Sox Nation!

[Dave (in MA)]

Go Rays!

[Jane]

Clarice,

I sent you an answer - sounds like fun.

Dave,

I don't see why Charlie just doesn't offer him a job in the administration and be done with it.

[Tollhouse]

1877Kars4Kids Donat...... wait a second.

They are annoying. And how are you supposed to call them? That number is too long. Confusing.

Never realized that it's for a Jewish only charity until I was prompted to look for it by Dave's cult comment.

[Dave (in MA)]

Jane, it's not really "4KIDS", it's http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/item_qgX7T04F36aBWOQyephH2M;jsessionid=7EC6F5EB4ED74B2C6EFA60F6E67663DD>4KULT; sorry for the OT diversion.

[Thomas Collins]

"AND it can be your ticket out of Red Sox Nation!"

Looks good for your team, TM, with the Halladay and Oswalt pickups . . . oh, wait, that's the Phillies with the lights out playoff staff. Never mind!

[Inquiring minds want to know.]

'Moving outdated inventory is often a problem in the food business. Joy is one of our best solution to that problem.'
========================

[Mike Huggins]

I can see what Gibbs is saying here in SoCal since we lost Tustin and El Toro MCAS's (but San Diego obviously is still good), and my home area of upstate NY after Griffiss AFB in Rome and Plattsburgh AFB closed down, while still leaving Ft. Drum with the 10th MD near Watertown. You hardly see any Marines around OC anymore at all, when you used to see them all over the place. The F-18s at El Toro were always pretty loud, but I always felt good about having them around, and likewise the big copters at Tustin.

[Pagar]

If you like the 62 mpg car story, you'll be glad to know the energy dept has a">http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2010/09/energy-department-we-have-mandate-to.html">a mandate.

“The fourth one, which the secretary and I love,” said Zoi, “is where we have a mandate. Where we can actually just issue regulations and do market transformation.”

"Assistant Energy Secretary Cathy Zoi said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Energy has a “mandate” to issue regulations to determine what household appliances are available to Americans in the future."

You can learn more about this woman who "has the mandate" at www.discoverthenetwork.org
"Zoi shared her vision of a “neighborhood by neighborhood mobilization that may be like the Peace Corps-meets-the-military, where literally SWAT teams go into neighborhoods and they retrofit every single house, every single business on main street.” She then defended the high cost of such an undertaking, saying “that it probably isn’t as cheap as the calculations on paper, but [we must] organize ourselves the way we would a military organization"

If that statement doesn't scare you, what will?

[Rob Crawford]

but [we must] organize ourselves the way we would a military organization

And yet lefties scoff at Jonah Goldberg's book.

[Captain Hate]

I do hate Broadhead and how he has ruined Duke.

I figured as much; I know I've posted before that I'd prefer that college/university presidents should be replaced by high-priced hookers because the skillsets are almost identical and, speaking for at least male alumni, I'd rather be lied to by a hawt dollbaby about how much the school values my existence than some dorkus maximus. Still I can't imagine why de Debil alums haven't tarred and feathered Brodhead and the trustees by now.

[cathyf]

First of all, as a hick from the sticks I would point out that while the population split between red and blue states is roughly 50-50, we control about 80% of the territory. So staying away from the blue areas isn't really that much of an bother.

As far as basing decisions go, the Glenview Naval Air Station, Presidio, Brooklyn Naval Yards, etc. were on really really expensive real estate. And surrounded by really expensive real estate. Which meant that an enlisted with a family living off base could afford some tiny rundown studio -- whereas out in the vast hinterlands they can afford some nice house with a nice yard for less money.

So it's not just that our military shouldn't be subjected to blue-staters, but things cost too much there, too.

[bgates]

Cathy's right that Blue Hell real estate is still too expensive for full-fledged bases, but there's got to be something we could do.

Maybe something that would tie into blue state resident self-image as academically upscale, and interested in the youth....

Hey, I know! Why don't we put together some kind of military establishment that caters to high-achieving college-age kids? There could be one close to New York City, and one near DC, and one out west somewhere. North of Colorado Springs, perhaps.

[larry]

Don't know if you heard Rahm's farewell speech, but he said Obama was the "toughest president in the toughest time in the country's history". I'm flabbergasted by the arrogance and ignorance of this gang!

[Dave (in MA)]

"toughest president in the toughest time in the country's history".

Arguably true only if "the country's history" only includes the period of time since he got out of ballerina school. But only arguably.

[Dave (in MA)]

^
I've discovered that Allagash Tripel Reserve causes you to overuse the word "only".

[Captain Hate]

Great beer, Dave; at 9% I've been known to make a grammatical faux pas or deux.....

[larry]

Eureka, Dave. Sounds like serious research.

[Strawman Cometh]

A quick primer on the broader Duke issue.