Obama to take on military gay ban at `right time'

Started by garbon, October 04, 2009, 11:35:16 AM

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Admiral Yi

Quote from: DGuller on October 12, 2009, 09:36:10 AM
Draft in Eastern European countries is not quite the same thing as draft in Western countries.  In Russia or Ukraine, only the destitute or unfit parents do not bribe their sons out of the draft.  You're better off fighting a war in the American army than living in peace in the Russian conscript barracks.
Destitution I can see, but since when has having poor parents equated to being a lowlife?

Martinus

Quote from: Admiral Yi on October 12, 2009, 09:38:31 AM
Quote from: DGuller on October 12, 2009, 09:36:10 AM
Draft in Eastern European countries is not quite the same thing as draft in Western countries.  In Russia or Ukraine, only the destitute or unfit parents do not bribe their sons out of the draft.  You're better off fighting a war in the American army than living in peace in the Russian conscript barracks.
Destitution I can see, but since when has having poor parents equated to being a lowlife?

Ok maybe it's a language issue. I used "lowlife" to mean "lower class" or the "poor".

Admiral Yi

Quote from: Martinus on October 12, 2009, 09:40:02 AM
Ok maybe it's a language issue. I used "lowlife" to mean "lower class" or the "poor".
Ah.  Same confusion with "social rejects" then?

Berkut

Quote from: Admiral Yi on October 12, 2009, 09:41:52 AM
Quote from: Martinus on October 12, 2009, 09:40:02 AM
Ok maybe it's a language issue. I used "lowlife" to mean "lower class" or the "poor".
Ah.  Same confusion with "social rejects" then?


:lol:
"If you think this has a happy ending, then you haven't been paying attention."

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Martinus

Quote from: Admiral Yi on October 12, 2009, 09:41:52 AM
Quote from: Martinus on October 12, 2009, 09:40:02 AM
Ok maybe it's a language issue. I used "lowlife" to mean "lower class" or the "poor".
Ah.  Same confusion with "social rejects" then?

Pretty much. I guess I just don't get your American egalitarianism. :P

Octavian

Quote from: Martinus on October 12, 2009, 09:38:03 AM
Quote from: DGuller on October 12, 2009, 09:36:10 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on October 12, 2009, 12:33:56 AM
Lol, really?  :lol:

Wow, that's low.
Draft in Eastern European countries is not quite the same thing as draft in Western countries.  In Russia or Ukraine, only the destitute or unfit parents do not bribe their sons out of the draft.  You're better off fighting a war in the American army than living in peace in the Russian conscript barracks.

Finally someone who knows what he is talking about.

That Poland and Russia are the same!

Neil has been saying that for a long time now.
If you let someone handcuff you, and put a rope around your neck, don't act all surprised if they hang you!

- Eyal Yanilov.

Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life. Do not be concerned with escaping safely - lay your life before him.

- Bruce Lee

Martinus

Hey, I've never been a big fan of Poland, to be honest. When I support it, it's because I live here, not because I think it is some great country.

If I wasn't a Pole, I'd have been definitely against Poland joining the EU 5 years ago.

Neil may be an abrasive boor trying desperately to troll a reaction out of me, but he is no idiot. Many of his more generalist observations are pretty spot on.

Admiral Yi

How much did it cost to bribe your way out of the draft?  And for purposes of comparison what was average wages at the same time?

Martinus

Quote from: Admiral Yi on October 12, 2009, 09:50:26 AM
How much did it cost to bribe your way out of the draft?  And for purposes of comparison what was average wages at the same time?

I didn't bribe my way out of it. First of all I went to college, so I would have been exempted anyway. Other than that, in my childhood I had a medical condition (mild epilepsy which disappeared when I was like 7 or 8 and the doctor who was treating me when I was a kid gave me a certificate about this stating it may recur at a later age (which is true albeit hopefully not very likely). This was enough to get me out of the draft. Anyway at the time people got out of draft for being gay too so I wouldn't have to serve anyway if I needed to.

I know my very conservative nationalistic work colleague paid a bribe of about 2000 zlotys few years ago, though. This is about $600 and is about 70% of the average monthly pay in Poland, after taxes.

Martinus

#84
I wonder if my avatar colors the perception of my opinions somewhat.  :lol:

AnchorClanker

Truman did it with an Executive Order - something Obama doesn't want to do.
I wonder how the 'softly, softly' approach will play out.
The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it.  - Reinhold Niebuhr

ulmont

Quote from: AnchorClanker on October 12, 2009, 11:27:21 AM
Truman did it with an Executive Order - something Obama doesn't want to do.

Truman didn't have a statute passed by Congress keeping the armed forces segregated to contend with.

Tonitrus

Meh, the finer points of law regulating the military can sometimes be ignored. 

After all, we don't court martial people for (hetero) blow jobs.

DontSayBanana

Quote from: AnchorClanker on October 12, 2009, 11:27:21 AM
Truman did it with an Executive Order - something Obama doesn't want to do.
I wonder how the 'softly, softly' approach will play out.

He did it with an executive order, but Obama wants to avoid that because that's technically verbot- the President can issue orders, but the Constitution is pretty explicit that Congress is in charge of policies and regulations.
Experience bij!

The Brain

I think we should ban all posters without military experience.
Women want me. Men want to be with me.