Uncle Sam's Desperation -- and a Recruit's
By Brian Ford
Saturday, March 25, 2006; A19
"Can you give a psychological clearance for someone who wants to go into the military?" asked the caller, in a crisp, authoritative voice.
Having heard so much about the military's recent recruiting difficulties, I was intrigued. "Sure, assuming the person's okay."
"Now, I'm only authorized to pay for one session, but we don't want you to do psychoanalysis. You just need to say that this kid is okay to rejoin the Army."
"Rejoin?"
"He signed up three years ago, but then he got homesick and depressed, didn't feel comfortable handling weapons or with all the violence. He was generally discharged."
To my knowledge, a general discharge was both negative and not that easy to get. The kid must have been in pretty bad shape. "Why would he be any different now?"
"Says he sees the opportunity he gave up and now he wants to make the Army his career. We'd like to help him do that." "Help him" seemed to hang in the air, like a hawk above some oblivious fledgling.
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God, this is the least
God, this is the least surprising thing I've read all week (and I've been reading John R Common's Legal Foundations of Capitalism). Timeless and awful.
You know, P6, when I named my blog "Hobson's Choice" it was merely supposed to be a pun: John A Hobson's shrine on the internet. His preferred blog, I would like to imagine. And a familiar, elegant expression. About imperialism and why it's bad.
But imperialism is all about Hobson's choices. It's about your money or your life. Destitution or the army. Surrender with utter dispossession, or fight on suicidally. Prisoners' Dilemma. And so on.