Typically the ones getting the "best jobs" (according to your criteria I suppose) score highest on their ASVAB and other entrance tests, while also having a college degree (among other things, like actually graduating from OCS). This allows them to have their pick of whats available.
Oh you did ROTC in High School, graduated from Harvard with a 4.0 GPA, AND you scored a perfect on your ASVAB? Yes, you get to go to flight school if you want to. Or do linguistics, or WTF ever else you want. Makes sense, no?
Of course there's a very good reason for this, since these people are typically responsible for the largest number of lives and the most expensive equipment.
Regardless, the ratio of support (non-combat) roles FAR outnumbers the number of direct combat roles in any branch of the military. You literally have to sign yourself up for a combat position in order to get there, unless there's an active draft going on.
@Caligula, I just want to say thank you for engaging in this conversation in a very professional way. Having said that, I don't want the mods to come here and tell us we have derailed the thread by talking about the military only.
You brought up very valid points, I agree with the majority of them.
I have two daughters, and I tried to keep a healthy balance when I teach her about the way we are to behave when confronted with the authorities. But I have had cases that hit close to home where an officer has crossed the line and those things come to mind when I hear in the news what happened to Brown.
I have seen old ladies harassed at the beach for having a glass of wine, after they got their ticket. I had a lawyer friend who was harassed by a security guard outside Rite Aid for no reason, my friend wrote a letter asking for an apology, or he was going to sue the carp out of the store. I witness a kidnapping and called 911, when the officer arrived he treated me like I was lying, until they found the individuals, because I wrote their license plate number.
And countless more.
I happen to be immigrant, who graduated High School at the age of 13 years old, with one of the highest scores in math and science, and what happened when I applied to the military? The recruiting officer told me my grades where to low and it will be better if I attended a trade school and came back after, you know what? Later on I found out he was getting kick backs from the trade school for every applicant he sent there, it really sucks. I met other people at the school with similar experiences.
And that's not all, but it seems that law enforcement think they are above everyone else on moral issues, by the way they treat their fellow human beings,Just look how they react when they are wronged.
On closing: for those if you who have read the New Testament in the Christian Bible, and are familiar with the dialogs Jesus had with the representatives of morality at that time, who happened to be the Pharisees (priest). The harshest comments Jesus made where to them and the scribes (lawyers). If Jesus was walking among us today, he will reserve those comments for law enforcement.
Edit: I almost forgot, a friend's daughter was pulled over in the 90's on the way back home from dropping her daughter at school, when asked to get out of the car, she refused because she was wearing a night gown, the cop beat the shit out of her and when my friend consulted a lawyer at his church, the lawyer told him to forget the incident and move on, he didn't believe they could win the case against law enforcement.
jeremy scahill @jeremyscahill 4m
