milee
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Post by milee on Feb 12, 2014 13:45:24 GMT -5
I am not referring to something like the Iraq war. When I say "major war" I am saying something like the Chineese and Russians team up and launch a land invasion of the west coast. I'd worry when they got to the Mississippi. You'd have a while. Taking California and some of the hippie areas might not be tough, but then the invaders would have to pass through areas that tend to sprout crazy militias like Arizona, Idaho, Texas, etc. I think in some of those states, there are more guns than people.
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aliciar6
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Post by aliciar6 on Feb 12, 2014 13:46:06 GMT -5
If I were drafted, I would go and do my best. However, I am not sure how much use I'd be in a front line combat role. I am legally blind without contacts. We wouldn't want to end up in a situation where Lt. Swamp was yelling at me to lay down supressive fire so Sgt. Dark can run out and drag Cpl. Archie to safety because he took a bullet to the thigh and suddenly find out I lost a contact or got some dust or dirt in my eye. Also I couldn't realistically be out in the field for more than 24 hours or so without access to fresh water and contact solution. But I'd do my best if I were in that situation. I could probably serve okay on a warship, on a base, or in an airplane. don't worry, they would replace your contacts with BCG's (birth control glasses) In Iraq, I would not wear contacts for the life of me, I took my glasses. The super fine dust and sand storms...um yeah heck no. And we had to wear eye protection or goggles everywhere when we were outside anyway, but still, that dust was nasty. no one knows how they will react until it happens. And sometimes no matter what position you hold you may find yourself in direct combat or at least getting rocketed on the FOB. But the military has enough different places/positions that they need people that with a certain skill set, they'd probably rather not have your primary role be something in combat arms.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Feb 12, 2014 13:49:33 GMT -5
Ooooohhhhh Canadaaaaaaa, my (new)hooome and (new)Native Laaand.... It's a world war and Canada ìs a member of NATO.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Feb 12, 2014 13:49:52 GMT -5
Absolutely, but they'd not want an over 50 year old woman on disability....even if I am a pretty good shot!
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Feb 12, 2014 13:49:57 GMT -5
I am not referring to something like the Iraq war. When I say "major war" I am saying something like the Chineese and Russians team up and launch a land invasion of the west coast. Seeing as the US has something like 10X the number of guns per capita of both those countries I don't think there would be much left to clean up once I got there. I acutally seem to recall a Chinese (I think) general who once stated anyone who tried to invade the US in a land war had already lost because of the number of our citizend who are armed. Now I gotta go see if I can find the quote.
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milee
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Post by milee on Feb 12, 2014 13:52:13 GMT -5
I am not referring to something like the Iraq war. When I say "major war" I am saying something like the Chineese and Russians team up and launch a land invasion of the west coast. Seeing as the US has something like 10X the number of guns per capita of both those countries I don't think there would be much left to clean up once I got there. I acutally seem to recall a Chinese (I think) general who once stated anyone who tried to invade the US in a land war had already lost because of the number of our citizend who are armed. Now I gotta go see if I can find the quote. Yeah, but the guns are concentrated in certain areas, so it still could be interesting.
It was a Japanese general and he's the one who recommended the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and not the mainland, for that very reason - too many armed citizens.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 13:52:22 GMT -5
Ooooohhhhh Canadaaaaaaa, my (new)hooome and (new)Native Laaand.... It's a world war and Canada ìs a member of NATO. LOL! You hush over there!!
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Feb 12, 2014 13:54:32 GMT -5
During WWII, huge numbers of young men voluntarily enlisted. Young women voluntarily served in the WACs, WAVES, and nursing corps. People on the home front did their part, with rationing, metal drives, blackout restrictions, and so on. I think in a major war today, people would react in the same way, and contribute however they are able.
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Feb 12, 2014 13:55:56 GMT -5
Go ask the Taliban how well militia groups with small arms did stopping an invasion of a modern military force. Random guys with small arms holed up in a compound in the middle of nowhere lose to one guy piloting a missile armed drone. If they get really really lucky they'll down the first drone before it fires and it will take two missions to wipe them out completely.
This isn't the 1940s anymore, people on the ground with small arms have been greatly reduced as a viable military threat.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Feb 12, 2014 13:59:16 GMT -5
I don't think I can answer that. My gut says hell to the ever loving no for the same reason as honeybbq. My kids need me. If I believed in the cause and felt that I could protect my kids by fighting then I would. I'd need an extended bootcamp to pass the physical at this point though.
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milee
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Post by milee on Feb 12, 2014 14:00:14 GMT -5
Go ask the Taliban how well militia groups with small arms did stopping an invasion of a modern military force. Random guys with small arms holed up in a compound in the middle of nowhere lose to one guy piloting a missile armed drone. If they get really really lucky they'll down the first drone before it fires and it will take two missions to wipe them out completely. This isn't the 1940s anymore, people on the ground with small arms have been greatly reduced as a viable military threat. Good points. I do wonder, though, if after the "invasion" was complete, how easy it would be to occupy and govern a population that is so heavily armed as Americans in certain areas are. Or maybe that doesn't make a difference either. In either Iraq or Afghanistan, how much of the general population was armed? Did just the random Taliban guys have small arms or does most every house over there have them (and ample ammunition), too?
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Feb 12, 2014 14:02:19 GMT -5
They're still fighting after 10 years.
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doxieluvr
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Post by doxieluvr on Feb 12, 2014 14:05:34 GMT -5
I would not go. We would move to Canada first.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 14:08:06 GMT -5
I would probably go. It might depend on the reason for the war though.
I was leaning towards joining the Marines after high school, because I really thrived in wrestling, always pushing my limits and learning combat, and clear hierarchies suit me.
In the end I didn't join because Dad was from the Vietnam era though.
Dad and his 3 brothers all volunteered for Vietnam early, figuring they'd be drafted anyway, but were all rejected for very minor things because they weren't desperate for bodies at that point.
Dad saw the fallout though, and figured Bush was "a blithering idiot playing with lives like tinker toys" and that Bush was leading everyone into another bloody quagmire. I was graduating just as that was getting rolling, and he didn't want me caught up in it. It was a hill he wasn't going to back down on. I wasn't pleased, but I respect dad a lot, so I did go to college instead.
I'd have to do a major overhaul to be fighting fit again, but I could settle into a supply line or something immediately. My primary skill in work is efficiency and making sure everyone has what they need, so things flow smoothly.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Feb 12, 2014 14:11:14 GMT -5
Absolutely. God, Country, Family. It's one of those times again when I don't know if you are kidding or not
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Sum Dum Gai
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Feb 12, 2014 14:15:30 GMT -5
In parts of Afghanistan every male over about 16 has an AK-47, and they carry them in public.
Kind of. They're fighting in an asymetrical way because they don't stand a snowball's chance in hell in a direct fight. They hide among the civilians and take pot shots. That's all the militias in our country would be able to do if we were invaded as well. The days of actually standing up and facing an invading army directly are long long over. Unless you have air support, air defenses, heavy artillery, satellite and high altitude imaging, etc, etc, etc, you're going to get completely obliterated if you and your buddies mass in a field with your hunting rifles, pistols, and assorted military style semi-automatics. Sandbag foxholes don't stop modern munitions.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Feb 12, 2014 14:17:22 GMT -5
I always find it interesting when people start judging if "this" war is better than "other" war.
A war is a war. Through out the human kind history it has always been about one thing and one thing only - power. You can break it down to some smaller categories like land and religion, but at the end of the day - it's always about power.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Feb 12, 2014 14:23:09 GMT -5
::Um, I have a child IS my answer. I'm sorry you think that's a cop out.::
I might be wrong, but I believe the reason that "i'm a woman" or "i have kids" was listed as a copout originally is that the goal is to eliminate people saying "I don't have to worry about making that decision because I'm not eligible because... (i have kids, I'm a woman, etc)." The goal was to put as many people as possible in a hypothetical where they would have to make a decision. The reasons for the decision can be varied (such as having kids, not believing in war, etc)>
But "I have a child" is not an answer to "would you go?". Obviously, your answer is no, you wouldn't go. Your answer is no, your reason for no is "i have a child".
I'd probably go unless it was something ridiculously offensive to me (i.e. I'm not going somewhere to murder a bunch of kids or something. I'm not going to invade Canada because Terrance and Phillip are offensive. etc).
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Feb 12, 2014 14:28:38 GMT -5
I always find it interesting when people start judging if "this" war is better than "other" war. A war is a war. Through out the human kind history it has always been about one thing and one thing only - power. You can break it down to some smaller categories like land and religion, but at the end of the day - it's always about power. Power is completely different in different circumstances though. I certainly think a war where we are overthrowing a dictator who murders children is "better" than a war in which we are attempting to murder the inhabitants of a country because their leader spit on our leader or something.
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aliciar6
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Post by aliciar6 on Feb 12, 2014 14:28:46 GMT -5
I think my dad is betting on some kind of invasion or coup....he bought body armor with plates for him and my mom. Note that mom did NOT want body armor. Let's not even go into the arsenal and ammo cache
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 14:29:00 GMT -5
Absolutely. God, Country, Family. It's one of those times again when I don't know if you are kidding or not ; ) Acutally I don't know whether I am kidding or not. I would like to think that I would answer the call of duty, but it is hard to say. I can imagine peeing in my pants and getting on the first plane to Canada if they pulled my number.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 14:34:48 GMT -5
I'd probably go, but I'd be shocked if it ever happened. They wouldn't take me 25 years ago when I wanted to join. My Dad was drafted to Vietnam just a few weeks before I was born and didn't make it back until I was almost 2.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Feb 12, 2014 14:39:05 GMT -5
How are you all getting into Canada? I thought they were pretty picky these days and they raised to price to buy in to $800,000. They would kick my ass out of their country in a heartbeat if I tried to sneak in.
I would fight it I considered it a just war - if we were invaded or had what I considered to be a just cause. If we were fighting someone for our corporate interests to be able to drill in the newly exposed arctic oil fields (or something along those lines) I would probably end up in jail as a conscientious objector. There is an off chance I would head to Costa Rica or Nicaragua, which would be warmer and less expensive to buy residency, but probably I would suck it up and go to jail.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Feb 12, 2014 14:39:40 GMT -5
I am not referring to something like the Iraq war. When I say "major war" I am saying something like the Chineese and Russians team up and launch a land invasion of the west coast. I'd worry when they got to the Mississippi. Okay, what if it's World War III and it's NATO vs. everyone else. As Tennesser said, Canada is a member of NATO and they're just as likely to draft you as the U.S. Or what if Canada is the agressor? What if Canada has enough of us southerners and decides to invade? What are you going to do when the Canadian horde comes locked and loaded across the unsuspecting border into upstate New York?
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Feb 12, 2014 14:41:26 GMT -5
I'd worry when they got to the Mississippi. Okay, what if it's World War III and it's NATO vs. everyone else. As Tennesser said, Canada is a member of NATO and they're just as likely to draft you as the U.S. Or what if Canada is the agressor? What if Canada has enough of us southerners and decides to invade? What are you going to do when the Canadian horde comes locked and loaded across the unsuspecting border into upstate New York? Canada's military is pretty lacking................
And if they come charging, I'm going to shoot back.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Feb 12, 2014 14:43:19 GMT -5
I'd worry when they got to the Mississippi. Okay, what if it's World War III and it's NATO vs. everyone else. As Tennesser said, Canada is a member of NATO and they're just as likely to draft you as the U.S. Or what if Canada is the agressor? What if Canada has enough of us southerners and decides to invade? What are you going to do when the Canadian horde comes locked and loaded across the unsuspecting border into upstate New York? I'm sorry, I like our Canadian friends, but the only aggressive Canadian I've ever seen was wearing ice skates.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Feb 12, 2014 14:43:21 GMT -5
I am not referring to something like the Iraq war. When I say "major war" I am saying something like the Chineese and Russians team up and launch a land invasion of the west coast. I saw Red Dawn. We're fine. Hubs is a Quaker. I hope that whole conscientious objector thing applies to me too! We are opposed to war in general. It'd have to be a pretty epic event (aliens, zombies, AND commies!) for me to support it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2014 14:44:29 GMT -5
My gut answer is "hell no", because I'd be so scared. But I've faced things before that scared me, so I don't know. How useful I'd be, pee pee pants and all, is a totally different question.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Feb 12, 2014 14:45:03 GMT -5
I am not referring to something like the Iraq war. When I say "major war" I am saying something like the Chineese and Russians team up and launch a land invasion of the west coast. I saw Red Dawn. We're fine. Hubs is a Quaker. I hope that whole conscientious objector thing applies to me too! We are opposed to war in general. It'd have to be a pretty epic event (aliens, zombies, AND commies!) for me to support it. Well, since your husband is a quaker, I guess you'd have to go to war and kill twice as many mooks.
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Green Eyed Lady
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Post by Green Eyed Lady on Feb 12, 2014 14:45:34 GMT -5
I'd go. I'm not ashamed to admit I'd be scared witless and probably not much good to anyone, but I'd go. And it wouldn't depend on whether I think it's a "good" reason for war or not. If I was that much of an expert on the subject, I'd probably be in a position of giving orders - not taking them. Since I'm not, I'd STFU and do as I'm ordered.
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