Did he just propose starting a mercenary army?

[rhiannon55]

WTF?? A PRIVATIZED branch of the armed services, for crissake. Fuck. Is that scary, or what? Wars can go on forever if you can just hire crazy violent people to fight them. There will always be plenty of people like that. OMFG.

[tyedyeto]

1. That's what it sounded like to me. n/t

[peacetalksforall]

I understood it would be a War Core - opposite of a Peace Core.

Volunteers - no uniform.

[AGiordino]

2. Transitioning the burgeoning prison population

to entrepreneurial roles freeing up more space in the system for the rest of us citizens.
Hello V for Vendetta

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. yeah pretty much...and they don't have to worry about those pesky Geneva Convention rules

[uppityperson]

4. Here is what he means... (Seriously) (copied again since another thread)

He wants to increase the # of people in the military (yeah, as if). AND, to get the numbers up more, he wants to change all the military into infantry, or perhaps the term is people who can shoot at each other. All the people who are cooks, drivers, laundry people, etc etc etc, he wants to hire civilians into the Civilian Reserve and pay them to do these jobs. Without uniforms. Without vets benefits.

I wonder if they will have to sign a term of contract? How the fuck will this be any different except you get less benefits for the same thing? Who the hell is stupid enough to sign up for this? I have just talked with my retired military relative and he concurs with this description. At first he said "wtf, that is the reserve we have", then "mercenaries?", then he came up with the description above also.

FU Mr.bush. No fucking way.

[many a good man]

5. Not mercenary, VOLUNTEER !

He's off his rocker.

[blondeatlast]

6. Yes. Yes, he did, indeed.

:scared:

[Ioo]

7. Yes, I think he said just that!

[Rex]

8. That's what I was wondering.

Very creepy SOTU.

[AndreaCG]

9. I will ask my coworker

If more people and/or recruiters have been coming in trying to get their criminal transcripts cause they want to join the military.

I bet the recruiters have been there, or asking by letter. And forgiving felonies.

[Generator]

10. The Cheney Corps

Oh yes, this is their dream. They are a science fiction novel come to life, aren't they?

[aaronbees]

21. How frightening! A Cheney Corps

"'Til death do we march."

Actually, this part of the speech was one of the most frightening.

[itsmesgd]

11. no, the "volunteer civilian reserve corp"

is his way of saying a "skills draft"

[Justpat]

12. Yes, he did. n/t

[Maddy McCall]

13. And we regress to the Dark and Middle Ages with that proposal.

Didn't work to well then. I have no idea why he thinks it would work well now.

[peacetalksforall]

14. Don't forget his words of last year - thinks an African peace keeping

force would be great. Then, a few weeks ago - proposed citizenship in exchange for serving in our military.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheCowsCameHome]

16. You bet he did. Maybe the twins will sign up.

After they stop partying.................

[ellenfl]

17. is he finally getting tired of paying out our *ss (not his)

for blackwater, kbr, etc. for jobs done by minimum wage workers in this country? perhaps he is planning to enlist illegal immigrants.

ellen fl

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

18. Sounds like a place he'd like...

To force all the welfare recipients into. And I am sure its been discussed.

[kcass1954]

19. Bottom line - some company with deep repub ties will make shitloads of $$$. n/t

[Divernan]

20. Also, it's the millions of $$ "fighting malaria" that will pay off Big Pharma

You know that Big Pharma has not developed any new anti-malarial drugs for decades, because there's no profit to be made in the impoverished countries where malaria flourishes. Now I can see Bush's budget paying millions to Big Pharma to peddle the same old drugs, rather than researching more effective drugs, or god forbid, some kind of vaccine.