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skafather84
Platypus God
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Age: 23
Posts: 4478
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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 Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:41 pm Post subject: Moral waivers? |
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The US army doubled its use of "moral waivers" for enlisted soldiers last year to cope with the stress of the Iraq war, allowing convicted sex offenders, people convicted of making terrorist threats* and child abusers into the military, according to new records released today.
The army gave out 511 moral waivers to soldiers with felony convictions last year, relaxing its recruiting standards in order to admit them. Criminals got 249 army waivers in 2006, a sign that the high demand for US forces in Iraq has forced a sharp increase in the number of criminals allowed on the battlefield.
The felons accepted into the army and marines included 87 soldiers convicted of assault or maiming, 130 convicted of non-marijuana drug offences, seven convicted of making terrorist threats, and two convicted of indecent behaviour with a child. Waivers were also granted to 500 burglars and thieves, 19 arsonists and 9 sex offenders.
The new data was released by the oversight committee of the House of Representatives, which also noted that "poor record-keeping and maintenance" prevented the military from tracking how many convicted criminals had received moral waivers before 2006.
Henry Waxman, the Democratic chairman of the oversight panel, wrote to Pentagon personnel chief David Chu to seek more details on how directly the rise in waivers stems from Iraq-related recruiting needs.
Waxman told Chu that while "providing opportunities to individuals who have served their sentences and rehabilitated themselves" is important, the waivers are a sign that the US military is stretched too thin.
The total number of moral waivers in the military reached 34,476 in 2006, or nearly 20% of all enlisted soldiers, according to the Palm centre at the University of California.
Recruits with felony convictions are more likely than other soldiers to drop out or be released from the military, often at a significant cost to the US government.
More than one felony conviction disqualifies recruits from the army or marines, even with a moral waiver, but the navy and air force can admit those with multiple offences. Still, the army and marines have stepped up their moral waivers while the navy and air force have cut down since the Iraq war began.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/21/usa1
*weren't we supposed to be in a war on terror? |
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skafather84
Platypus God
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Age: 23
Posts: 4478
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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so no one cares that our representatives to the middle east are felons?
god...it is the crusades all over again.  |
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Awesomelyglorious
Destroyer of worlds, reaver of souls
Joined: Dec 18, 2005
Posts: 5529
Location: United States
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, given that we have anemic military strength in some ways, so really, this is just an issue of trade-offs. |
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Cyanide
Leader of Shadaloo
Joined: Sep 25, 2006
Posts: 1262
Location: OR
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh boy...so when they run out of criminals, THEN they'll start the draft? |
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Awesomelyglorious
Destroyer of worlds, reaver of souls
Joined: Dec 18, 2005
Posts: 5529
Location: United States
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyanide wrote: | | Oh boy...so when they run out of criminals, THEN they'll start the draft? |
No, we'll start offering amnesty to Mexicans in exchange.  |
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Sand
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 16, 2007
Posts: 1523
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Considering the moral implications of the president and his cohort in using lies to get involved in a war in Iraq and the implications of sponsoring torture it seems the employment of people with criminal capabilities in the process is only conforming all levels to the same moral standards. |
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jfrmeister
Velociraptor
Joined: Aug 11, 2007
Age: 38
Posts: 439
Location: #2309 WP'er
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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Having people with criminal records isn't necessarily a bad thing. I did 4 years in the Marines on a drug waiver. Some of the most decorated units in the military also have the highest cout-matial rates. Most famous of these was VMF-214 "The Black Sheep"
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"The christian god is a being of terrific character; cruel, vindictive, capricious and unjust" - Thomas Jefferson |
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skafather84
Platypus God
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Age: 23
Posts: 4478
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:07 am Post subject: |
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| Awesomelyglorious wrote: | | Cyanide wrote: | | Oh boy...so when they run out of criminals, THEN they'll start the draft? |
No, we'll start offering amnesty to Mexicans in exchange. |
yeah...they had a story about a couple week ago about a mexican who just recent received his US citizenship.....after having served a few tours of duty in iraq.
i swear....starship troopers. |
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snake321
phoenix
Joined: Mar 26, 2006
Age: 29
Posts: 3126
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| jfrmeister wrote: | | Having people with criminal records isn't necessarily a bad thing. I did 4 years in the Marines on a drug waiver. Some of the most decorated units in the military also have the highest cout-matial rates. Most famous of these was VMF-214 "The Black Sheep" |
What is a cout-matial rate? |
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skafather84
Platypus God
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Age: 23
Posts: 4478
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| jfrmeister wrote: | | Having people with criminal records isn't necessarily a bad thing. I did 4 years in the Marines on a drug waiver. Some of the most decorated units in the military also have the highest cout-matial rates. Most famous of these was VMF-214 "The Black Sheep" |
criminals and thugs make the best soldiers, really?? |
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monty
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 05, 2007
Posts: 1920
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Macbeth
Thane of Bar and Cellar
Joined: May 28, 2007
Posts: 1279
Location: UK Doncaster
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:45 am Post subject: |
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Is that better or worse than having soldiers who are rapists, thieves etc etc and NOT knowing who they are? Better the devil you know...
Some of the most successful armies in history were made up of the dregs of society. Career soldiers were officers, the rich, those with station.. the rest were mostly whatever could be dragged out of the local pub and made to stand upright.
Certain criminal skills are surely of capital use in the military? The sneaking about and not getting caught skills of a burglar could well be useful in sneaky-about-not-get-caught-behind-enemy-lines sort of units.
Besides, its not like the armed forces of the USA have been making a great name for themselves, with or without drafted criminals.
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zendell
Free Thinker
Joined: Nov 11, 2007
Posts: 1174
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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If we advertised this throughout 3rd world countries, maybe we could have a military composed entirely of immigrants. Then we wouldn't have to fight any of our own wars. |
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Odin
Supreme Genius
Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Age: 22
Posts: 1884
Location: Moorhead, Minnesota, USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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| zendell wrote: |
If we advertised this throughout 3rd world countries, maybe we could have a military composed entirely of immigrants. Then we wouldn't have to fight any of our own wars. |
Right, and Rome did just fine stuffing it's military with Germans... 
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Odin
Supreme Genius
Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Age: 22
Posts: 1884
Location: Moorhead, Minnesota, USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Macbeth wrote: | Is that better or worse than having soldiers who are rapists, thieves etc etc and NOT knowing who they are? Better the devil you know...
Some of the most successful armies in history were made up of the dregs of society. Career soldiers were officers, the rich, those with station.. the rest were mostly whatever could be dragged out of the local pub and made to stand upright.
Certain criminal skills are surely of capital use in the military? The sneaking about and not getting caught skills of a burglar could well be useful in sneaky-about-not-get-caught-behind-enemy-lines sort of units.
Besides, its not like the armed forces of the USA have been making a great name for themselves, with or without drafted criminals. |
I agree. You get the criminals of the street and use that person's skills of sneakiness in a more productive fashion.
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