I went to the local Navy recruiting office today, for a little chat.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

It's next to my grocery store, and I've said hello to them before. Usually one or two of them standing out on the sidewalk having a cigarette break.

They've commented on the Purple Heart plates on my van before, etc.

So today I walked up to one that was outside and asked him how recruitment was going, in general terms.

He laughed long and hard. When he stopped laughing he said, "It ISN'T."

It isn't?

Nope, he said. Recruitment office like a graveyard. Been that way for a long time. He joked around, asked if my husband would like to go back in, be a squid this time, I said no, he'd probably pass up that offer. He's been all he could be. We had a good laugh.

So then I asked him why he thinks recruitment is so far down. He said this, after giving me a surprised look: "Because no one wants to go to Iraq! Or where ever else we're going next."

Well. I thought THAT was interesting. Then, the $64 million question:

"Do you think young people who voted for bush, especially, should be signing up?"

He laughed again, the Jovial Navy Recruiter. His answer?

"Hell, yeah. But they obviously aren't." He waved an arm to the barren office on the other side of the glass where his fellow recruiters looked horribly bored.

Hmmm. Sounds like the young bush voters are falling down on their obligations. The guy they rubber stamped has got a war on, he's short of troops, and yet they aren't willing to ante up.

Their vote wrote a check their asses can't cash.

[mark11727]

1. Bush Voters:

They Can Talk the Talk, But Can They Walk the Walk?

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

2. The answer would be no.

Think maybe I'll stop in my local Army recruiting station tomorrow. See how things are going over there.

[jdots]

5. maybe they are joining the Marines

Recruiters hit all the high schools in poor areas in California,i don't know about the rest of the country

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

6. Oh they hit the poor areas here, too.

I'll see if I can amble on by a Marine recruiting center, too. Air Force, too, for that matter. All four branches.

They are usually in strip malls next to grocery stores around here so it isn't but a thang to casually engage one of them in conversation while having a cigarette out on the sidewalk.

[Gloria]

3. "Or wherever we're going next" is also interesting......

eom

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

4. Yeah

that one made my ears perk up. I was tempted to ask him to go a little further with that thought, but I didn't want to mess up the easy repartee we had going!

[Ian David]

7. You know where this leads...

Unless I am mistaken, many people voted for Bush becase they thought it was wrong to change pResidents in the middle of a war.

You know what that means?

That means from now on, any president who wants a second term needs to have their own war.

But if we MUST have a war, maybe it will at least be the RIGHT war.

Iraq??

What, he thought Siegfried and Roy would wave their arms and Bin Laden would magically appear in Sadam's "spider hole"?

I'm sorry, but Saudi Arabia.... WHERE THE TERRORISTS AND THEIR MONEY CAME FROM would have made much more sense than invading Iraq.

Although I would have happily settled for invading The Vatican.

[VivaKerry]

8. Every DUer should get the list of registered repubs in their area

and send registration cards for the service...with a pointed letter explaing... "you republicans really need to put action behind your words... sign up, get your kid or grandkid to sign up. Bush NEEDS you, and you voted for his wars. Put up or shut up"

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

9. Just go to opensecrets.org

type in your zip code and you won't see every registered repuke, but you will see all the ones who gave to repuke campaigns and causes.

That would be a lost cause, though. They want OTHER PEOPLE to fight the war. Not THEM, silly!

[VivaKerry]

10. mmmm, but in my small town, I could make a wave!!

thanks for the idea on going to open secrets!

I AM going to invest a few bucks on postage .... I Want to send a special message to the pukes in my god-forsaken republican town. Uh huh!

[insane_cratic_gal]

11. Just send brochures to Senate

with a little post-it-note:

Dear blah blah..

Being a compassionate conservative I thought you'd be willing to risk your childs life or limbs over in Iraq, for our freedom.

Sincerly,
the other 57 million american's who don't agree with you.