Posted by
Shogrensus on Wednesday, May 02, 2007 3:16:22 AM
The women argue about why people are in the military:
***
Rosie: Wait. Can I say something? Why do people enlist in the army?
Lake: To get an education
Rosie: Thank you
Elisabeth: Actually the army
Rosie: The vast majority- Yes, Elisabeth, it’s true
***
So, basically, Rosie and Ricki Lake believe that the reason people join the military is to get an education that they can’t afford otherwise.
Newsflash: Anyone who graduates from high school with the ability to read can go to college. Poor people are actually in a pretty good position here because they will fill out their FAFSA form and then be told, based on the FAFSA, an amount of money they will be expected to pay. This figure will be respected by most school across the country but kids should shop around for the best deal available.
If people have no money, their contribution will generally be quite small. Between work study, student loans and summer employment, there are plenty of options for poor kids to go to school.
Kids in the middle class are another story- they often get stuck because their parents will have a parental contribution they may or may not be able to pay. Kids in the middle class often have to spread their education out over a longer time in order to work more while attending school. No one has to join the military to go to college. An education may be a nice perk available to enlistees, but the military is not their only option.
Then Rosie suggests she is a patriot because she loves the troops and wants the troops home, now. I wonder what her popularity ratings are amongst the troops. I’m thinking they are not feeling the love.
***
Rosie: Elisabeth, I do everything I can to support the troops- financially and emotionally. I love them as much as you do. I am as much of a patriot. I want them home.
Elisabeth: I want them home too
Rosie: I don’t want to see them with broken off bodies again.
Elisabeth: Do you understand that there are troops there that believe they should be there?
Rosie: I do yes- because its their job in the military to follow orders not to question. That’s their job. And they signed up because they believe in the American Dream. They can’t get to college unless they sign up. That’s why they do it. And do those children deserve to be killed because of George Bush’s money?
***
Not only has she implied that the new recruits are all felons, but she goes on to say that they are basically brainwashed and can't say what they really think about the war because it is their job to do whatever they are told.
She is really showing her respect for the troops now.
Her assessment of the situation: These poor chumps signed up for the military so they could go to college and now are stuck fighting a war that they don't agree with because they can't speak out. Oh, and they are sacrificing their lives so George Bush can make more money.
Wow- what can be said about her position?
There is a reason the members of our armed forces are more likely to vote conservatively. It is because they are conservative- not because they are directed to do so. If she keeps talking about the troops in this way, she may become the best recruiting tool the military could get.