How Dems really feel about the military.

Hey, next time, do a little research?

You know, in the future, when you look up the phrase "botched joke," there will be a picture of John Kerry.

There is no question that today's Army takes a lot of academic preparation. It's an elite institution. In order to make it into the Army, you have to have an AFQT score of at least the 31st percentile; or, with a waiver, the 26th percentile. (That and a high-school diploma.) You have to be able to answer questions like this one:

20. If X + 6 = 7, then X is equal to

A. -1.
B. 0.
C. 1.
D. 7/6.

Again, you do not have to get all of them right, only enough to make it to the 31st or 26th percentile among a sample of high-school juniors and seniors.

Some of the technical sample ASVAB questions, like those on electronics, may look a little scary. You should know that the AFQT is computed from four core areas that cover math and reading. The other sections of the ASVAB are for specialists.

I know that you are an accomplished student, Rand. Do you think that you could make it into the Army if you were enlistment age? Because clearly this AFQT requirement is not for everybody.

What an absurd question. Do you have a point?

Mine is that the requirements to get into the Army are quite a bit higher than to fog a mirror, or work at a convenience store, or flip burgers. The military is smarter and better educated than the general population.

And I'd say that most of the officer corps is smarter and better educated than John Kerry, on the available evidence.

The military is smarter and better educated than the general population.

If you can subtract 6 from 7, you're better educated than the general population? Wow. Are you saying that most Americans are smart or stupid? Also, you still haven't said where you would put yourself on this scale.

Most Americans are not well educated, at least not until they have to be (e.g., by employers). The public school system is largely a disaster.

And I'm sure I would do quite well on the test, not that it has any relevance to anything in particular. But then, logic doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

I'll explain it to you, and try to use little words this time. Since not everyone in the general population can pass that test, a group consisting only of people who can are, by definition smarter and/or better educated than the general population. It is harder to get into the military than to get employment in general.

And I'm sure I would do quite well on the test, not that it has any relevance to anything in particular.

I see that you place yourself far above the noble cannon fodder.

Since not everyone in the general population can pass that test, a group consisting only of people who can are, by definition smarter and/or better educated than the general population.

Provided, that is, that the ones at the top aren't taking other jobs, with more stringent qualifications than knowing how to subtract 6 from 7.

But hey, since you're saying that Americans are poorly educated, it may be so. Maybe your point is that if Americans weren't ignorant, the Democrats would have no chance of winning on Tuesday.

You know, Mr. Harris, I'd be amused to watch you say the sorts of things that you're writing in this blog comment section to troops' faces. I suspect that yours might get rearranged, perhaps for the better, though I can't know.

And for what it's worth, I think that Americans' ignorance (including, apparently and notably, yours) is more explanatory of the fact that Dems get as many votes as they do (and that Kerry got as many, frighteningly, as he did).

This entire topic was anticipated by the Otto character in the great movie, A Fish Called Wanda. There is no worse sin in certain political discussions than implying that people are stupid. It's worse than putting them in harm's way in a war. It's forgivable if I suffer brain damage from a round to the head, just don't call me stupid.

What kind of person flatters the intelligence of others the most? Who circles around others to fend off accusations of stupidity? It's always the con man, circling around his prey. For all of politicians' concern about the troops' honor, they aren't actually treated well. Their injury rate is high, their pay is crap, and they even get exploited with life insurance scams.

But the real con is that they are ordered to fight for an anti-American, pro-Iranian sham government under the guise of "freedom". Nouri al-Maliki is no more a friend of America than Hugo Chavez is. He isn't even a friend of Iraq as it once existed, only a friend of Shiite Islamic Revolutionary Iraq. He may hate Saddam Hussein, but then, so did the Ayatollah Khomeini.

Some of the troops do figure it out, just like Ralph Peters figured it out. They are then no longer hazed by the siren song, "you are loyal, patriotic heroes, and don't let anyone call you stupid".

Jim, that was an astute use of "proof by movie". Clearly, you are a cut above US Army material.

I think that graphic is hilarious. I hate the original commercials but that was a good application of its content.

"I think that Americans' ignorance (including, apparently and notably, yours) is more explanatory of the fact that Dems get as many votes as they do (and that Kerry got as many, frighteningly, as he did)."

So basically Rand, if people don't vote the way you do they must be considered stupid? How very open minded of you.

Theres a man in Iraqi that's world-renowned
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
He's stationed way out back in Karbala town
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
He dont eat nothin' but a MRE stew
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
Well this cat's name is-a Alley Oop
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)

He got a armored Humvee instead of dinosaw-ah
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
And he can shoot off your head before you count to faw-ah
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
He got M-16 rifle and a big ugly mort-ah
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)
He go hunt for Baathist rebels and-a al-Qaeda
(Alley Oop, oop, oop-oop)

(Alley Oop)
He's the toughest GI there is alive
(Alley Oop)
Wearin' clothes from a wildcat's hide
(Alley Oop)
He's the king of the desert jive
Look at that cave man go!

Some of the technical sample ASVAB questions, like those on electronics, may look a little scary.

They'd damn well hope so if they're recruiting sigs, nav, ATC, or engineering officers.

The military is smarter and better educated than the general population.

Just a thought. Perhaps if they paid more than service vocations, they'd get more interest from the higher end of the bell curve.

I said ignorant, not stupid.

Maybe X is just ignorant of the true definitions of ignorance and stupid. It does go a long way in explaining his comment.

They'd damn well hope so if they're recruiting sigs, nav, ATC, or engineering officers.

Here is one of the sample questions from the ASVAB electronics test:

25. In a simple loop circuit with a battery and a resistor [diagram omitted here], the resistance is 100 ohms and the current is 0.1 amperes. The voltage is

A. 5 volts.
B. 10 volts.
C. 100 volts.
D. 1,000 volts.

I agree with you, Chris. They damn well hope that engineering officers can answer most questions like this one.

These engineering specialists are the rare, noble breed. Not only are they well-educated, they also take dirt pay.

I have actually taken the ASVAB test, when I flirted with enlisting in High School, and it wasn't a simple test. The bottom line is that the point is that you can't be uneducated and be in the military, you have to be smarter than the AVERAGE. Many people that graduate high school couldn't pass that test. The bottom line is that blows away the mantra that liberals have that it is only the stupid, with no other choice that get into the military. And ex Military are highly employable as they are in huge demand. In short they are much smarter than 90% of liberals who are comprised of people that don't know any better (and are thus ignorant) and people who do, but are rich enough that they know the rules they make don't apply to them.