Hey Smitty.....

I read over at "Da Udder Place" where you were really hitting the gym...

God knows I need to....

I got drawn and quartered over there, and am spending much less time at the computer on this and a few other sites...

Back to my more productive hobbies again.....

Ron

Yeah Ron, I got started back last Monday, so I've been back at it for just over a week. I took it fairly easy the first week or so, but have started kicking it up a bit. My work out tonight is probably going to result in some fairly sore muscles. The following is just part of the workout I did tonight.

Cable Tricep pull down extensions
First Set: 140 pounds 15 reps
Second Set: 160 pounds 10 reps
Third Set: 180 pounds 8 reps
Fourth Set: 200 pounds 6 reps
Fifth Set: 200 pounds 6 reps
Sixth Set: 200 pounds 6 reps
I could have gone heavier, but the stack only went up to 200 pounds.

Over head cable tricep extensions
First set: 130 pounds 15 reps
Second Set: 150 pounds 10 reps
Third Set: 170 pounds 8 reps
Fourth Set: 190 pounds 6 reps
Fifth Set: 200 pounds 6 reps
Sixth Set: 200 pounds 4 reps
I couldn't have gone much heavier on this one. My triceps were pretty much toast at the end of this.

I also did a light chest and shoulder workout, but I won't go into all the sets and reps on that. Needless to say, I think my muscles got the crap shocked out of them tonight. I'm tight as hell right now.

Smitty....

Holy She-it!!!

okay now here I was startin to feel better..yeesh..

for the most part, my 'workout' consists of 20 pushups and 40 curls and a 1/2 mile 'shuffle/jog' every other day, when able..and I have lost 23 lbs in the past three months doin it..

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Originally posted by USMC 7051 8083:
I think that Heinlein had it right in "starship troopers".
Some type of service, military or what he called "federal service" should be required for anyone to be able to run for any kind of elected office.
Heinlein took it farther of course, and required such service for citizenship, but thats a bit too far for me.

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I think you've got it right. One of the hidden dangers of an All Volunteer Military is to create a sort of caste system where the military is divided from the general public.

The rich certainly consider what we do beneath them as their children will be offered other options than to serve. I'll wager you can count on one hand the children of our political leaders and captains of industry who have children in the military.

I have been a proponent of Universal Federal Service for some time now. I think it should be a rite of passage for all able bodied Americans. We would not be so quick to go to war but when the balloon goes up we would have a unified nation instead of the divisiveness we have now.

As for the Military getting it's due respect in my area that would be affirmative. I am in the South and the Military is traditionally respected here anyway. Also being in between 2 major Army installations is another reason as well.

quote:

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Originally posted by Thud357l:

quote:

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Originally posted by USMC 7051 8083:
I think that Heinlein had it right in "starship troopers".
Some type of service, military or what he called "federal service" should be required for anyone to be able to run for any kind of elected office.
Heinlein took it farther of course, and required such service for citizenship, but thats a bit too far for me.

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I think you've got it right. One of the hidden dangers of an All Volunteer Military is to create a sort of caste system where the military is divided from the general public.

The rich certainly consider what we do beneath them as their children will be offered other options than to serve. I'll wager you can count on one hand the children of our political leaders and captains of industry who have children in the military.

I have been a proponent of Universal Federal Service for some time now. I think it should be a rite of passage for all able bodied Americans. We would not be so quick to go to war but when the balloon goes up we would have a unified nation instead of the divisiveness we have now.

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that is a very good point. You don't find that many willing to sacrifice a life of privilege to serve their country like Tillman. Most are from the blue collar class, although of course as with everything, there are exceptions, Tillman's being one of the most noted and prominent ones.

And I too am in favor of some kind of mandatory service, whether military or civil, for all.

quote:

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Originally posted by Thud357l:

quote:

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Originally posted by USMC 7051 8083:
I think that Heinlein had it right in "starship troopers".
Some type of service, military or what he called "federal service" should be required for anyone to be able to run for any kind of elected office.
Heinlein took it farther of course, and required such service for citizenship, but thats a bit too far for me.

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I think you've got it right. One of the hidden dangers of an All Volunteer Military is to create a sort of caste system where the military is divided from the general public.

The rich certainly consider what we do beneath them as their children will be offered other options than to serve. I'll wager you can count on one hand the children of our political leaders and captains of industry who have children in the military.

I have been a proponent of Universal Federal Service for some time now. I think it should be a rite of passage for all able bodied Americans. We would not be so quick to go to war but when the balloon goes up we would have a unified nation instead of the divisiveness we have now.

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RE: I agree with you. The divisiveness we see now is at least partly because of the seperation of the people from their war. As one guy put it to me when I asked if we was intending to enlist, in the days after 9/11, and he responded, "Oh no! We HIRE people to do that!"

A draft, or some form of compulsory service is mandatory for a healthy electorate. Of course, you'd have never gotten me to say that back in the sixties when it was ME who was draftable, but I now can see the problems with an all-volunteer force.

Kit, you nailed it right on the head...don't know if you were following the Bring Back the Draft thread 'over there' but your words are better than mine for communicating what I have been trying to get to for the past 7 months. It seems as if there is a vested interest in the VM that is resisting the draft as they don't want to believe the abilities of the 'citizen soldier' to be equally effective in combat.

The disconnection between 'us' and 'them' does not bode well for a Nation which should at times have singular goals. And, the caste system can become self-perpetuating in a variety of ways outside of the military.

Far as I can determine, the draft was a fundamentally important part of an adult's passage as a citizen and was as important to the military as it was to the civilian population. This point has been 'red herringed' to death by the greenie weenie but it is just a very simple but very important point.

...depends where you live! In the cities (especially where there are bases) the answer is probably no! Some of that is our own fault, a few bad apples have spoiled it for everyone! In the smaller towns or cities without a base, I think the level of respect is pretty high.

I still have this question though ... how can you be old enough to fight and die for your country - but NOT old enough to buy a beer?! I think this is ridiculous!

I agree with you pavman..I don't understand that either..makes absolutely no sense to me. An 18 yr old can join the Army and be ready to die for his country but can't drink in the US..but should he be sent to Germany he can??? doesn't make sense.

I don't think that the military gets the respect it deserves because of the AVM. What we did (of course I am going to write about the draft just a little here) by creating the AVM is found a bunch of people to do the dirty work, paid them off and somehow our culture seems to believe that 'they asked for what they are getting.' I don't feel that way myself but seem to pick it up from others.

When you have a professional military, the perils of 'the job' go with the territory.

Here's a line from a Joni Mitchell song to think about, "Who you gonna get to do the dirty work when all the slaves are free....?"

quote:

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Originally posted by slpavman:
I still have this question though ... how can you be old enough to fight and die for your country - but NOT old enough to buy a beer?! I think this is ridiculous!

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Not really... In view of your reasoning, many states, including Illinois, rolled the drinking age for beer and wine back down to 18 some years ago.

Then Illinois found out that these 18 year olds, who were old enough to fight and die for their country, were now going out on the highways and roads in ever increasing numbers, and causing not only themselves, but others to die at a higher rate for their newly acquired legal privilege to drink alcohol at the age of 18.

When the legal drinking age was again raised to 21, the death rate again went down. It's not perfect, for sure, - but it's not worth the extra deaths over irresponsble 18 year olds out there drinking.

I think it has a lot to do with the culture we have. In Europe, kids have a glass of wine or beer with dinner, and no one looks askance, so they are raised with an appreciation of alcohol as more than something to drink to get drunk. Here, you would be called an unfit parent if you gave a twelve year old a beer..

Just one of many, many differences.

Of course, at "Da Udder Place" to be European is practically unforgiveable!!

lol..wonder when we'll start seein some swedes around here..or when the arrse invasion will begin..that should be interesting..

Hey!!
Whats wrong with being Swede?

nothing at all of course..some of my best friends are Swedes..

AmVet...I, too, am a bit interested in what problems you figure the entrance of "Swedes" might bring into this Site???

Also, what's your assessment of DANES coming in here? You DO remember that in March '03, Danmark sent over 400 COMBAT TROOPS into Irag along with ours? If ya don't, I can forgive...GOD knows I've run across TOO many ignorant bastards on DA FAR SIDE who did NOT know that fact OR that the Australians did the SAME!!!

Yogi...trying to suffers FOOLS...

yogi hon..um..i was being facetious, ok?

man..no one has a sense of humor these days..