This guy wants to start the draft to fix Gen X & Y's "discipline problem"!

[bbernardini]

http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10582543&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17785&rfi=6

Once again, another display of genius from the people who read my local paper. (Of course, this is the paper that published the name of a teenager who crashed a car killing one of his friends, even though the families and the police department did not wish to release it. I guess they know their audience.) Anyway, go ahead and make liberal use of the "post your opinion" option. Keep in mind, however, that they will not appear right away, but they WILL appear. A sample:

"Our courts are outlawing the Ten Commandments and promoting an unreasonable relationship between church and state which is removing one important pillar of discipline our country has relied upon to promote a civilized lifestyle. If a free society can no longer provide for itself, the government will usually find a way to legislate a solution, which is not always a bad thing.

My solution to the generation Y’s and Z’s discipline problem is to reinstitute the draft. All males reaching 18 years should be required to serve one or two years in basic military infantry training. A separate service like the WAX and WAVES should be established for females who wish to volunteer service to their country."

[elperromagico]

1. This statement is particularly interesting:

"Our courts are outlawing the Ten Commandments..."

Good God, when did they outlaw the Ten Commandments? Those bastards! I do remember that instance where the courts ruled that a certain rebellious Alabama judge (who shall, of course, remain nameless) should remove his Ten Commandments monument from a courthouse. Surely this fellow's not referring to that!

[LincolnMcGrath]

2. No such animal <WAX>

What a dillhole!

[ulysses]

3. of course he does

"Saving youth from decadence" has been a feature of western militarism at least since 1914.

[Zomby Woof]

14. since Rome!

Or Greece, 1914 BC. :-)

[ulysses]

20. yup

I keep forgetting how ahead of their time the ancients were. :)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Great. They found their meme. Now they can make the draft look good. (nt)

Expect this line of reasoning to crop up in the media like mushrooms on a fallen tree after rain.

[markus]

5. Hell, I have junior colleague (and my wife a building full of staff)

of Gen X and Y that actually led me to think outloud: "I think these guys need a Great Depression to straighten them out, and tune them back into the real world".

If you work with younger people in a professional environment, it's a tempting world view (draft or disaster would do them some good) to hold.

These kids complain about having to do the job you hired them to, look at you funny when you ask them how much something costs, or to justify the cost, etc.

I'm not trying to tar all, here. However, there seems to be a pretty strong common thread of people who think their living out an episode of an MTV reality show.

[bbernardini]

6. Two responses so far...

One is just somebody remembering. The other seems to be on our side. :) Keep it up, folks!

[Tripper11]

7. I am assuming that Mr, Knuth

is well past the age of 18 and probably has no children around that age that it would affect hi personally?

[bbernardini]

8. Kick!

[eyesroll]

9. As a Generation Xer, how exactly am I responsible for Generation Y?

(that was stated in the bold headline)

OK, fine -- my assistant editor is a member of Generation Y. I guess I'm responsible for monitoring his conduct. But largely, Gen Yers are the siblings and cousins, not the offspring, of Gen X.

Besides, we already have an option for women who want to volunteer service to their country--the same military that the men serve in.

[camero]

10. I know quite a few boomers

Who could use that same 'discipline'. It's not a generational thing but a values thing. Just like the freepers should go to Iraq if they are all crazy for war.

I'll bet it was a boomer that thought this one up.

[Touchdown]

11. Do Gen Y & Z have a discipline problem?

He needs to provide proof of that. The last I heard,, violent crime went down dramatically during the 90s.

[mastein]

12. Right-wing Nut!

Is the only way to explain that one.

First I know plenty of Gen X, Y and Z ers who are pretty good workers (including myself) who show up on time or early, get the job done, and done well, without shooting off their mouth or anything of the like. This guy needs to get out more. He is suffering small n syndrome. Like any other generation before or since, we have slackers, and guys living in their parents' basemments way too long but we also have some very fine folks who as time goes on and the boomers retire will be making some fine contributions to society.

This guy is so backward that he has also forgotten that we have integrated our military on a gender basis and have had it so for better than 30 years.

As for the draft in general, if I were in high school now approaching 18 I would be shaking in my Nikes. With Shrub deploying so many to so many hot spots I think Rangle might have been right to think about restarting a limited draft.

[Kitsune]

13. Every generation has a 'discipline problem'

It's called "not agreeing with everything your parents say."

Every generation will always think that their kids' generation is absolutely nutso. It's like a law of physics or something.

[leesa]

15. People have been saying this ever since there was a next generation

I don't know that military training produces any better people, mostly just beaten down and obedient people which is what one desires in a autocracy or theocracy, but not a democracy.

[JanMichael]

16. He's kind of missing the boat on "Generation X"...

...We're getting too old to draft!

[bbernardini]

17. You're all sharing these opinions on the web site, right?

[bbernardini]

18. Kick!

[bbernardini]

19. Kick!