John Young wrote...

from school and fucked up parents who use you like a beast of burden -- in every age and country.

The military has found that teenagers are better fighters than those over 21, more malleable, patriotic, healthy, ready to kill when told it's okay. ..... Grunts younger than 20 are the universal soldier. Non-caucasians especially.

Hum. I wonder if it's a coincidence that the US school system is such a mess. What on earth would we do if non-caucasians, especially, were equipped for some kind of opportunity? Guess we'd have to start the draft again, and folks get kinda touchy when the exemptions are a little too obvious. -TD

From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com> To: cypherpunks@al-qaeda.net Subject: Re: Geopolitical Darwin Awards Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2004 20:46:27 -0700

James A. Donald:

...

I don't recall the American revolutionaries herding children before them to clear minefields, nor surrounding themselves with children as human shields.

No, not minefields, but a good percentage of Washington's army and that of the French, were children. Young boys were taught the art of war as gofers and undercover spies among the Brits. Some were caught and executed. Others packed weapons and fought like men who welcomed their foolhardy bravery when their manly courage withered.

Today, even the US uses children in war, 17 being the minimum age to enlist. Others sneak in by lying about their age, some as young as 14. Recruiters look the other way when the kids and their parents lie. Been there, done that. Enlisted in the army at 15, served months before being kicked out when a relative ratted on me. Went in again at 17. That was not uncommon then, and still is not. Good way to get away from school and fucked up parents who use you like a beast of burden -- in every age and country.

The military has found that teenagers are better fighters than those over 21, more malleable, patriotic, healthy, ready to kill when told it's okay. Older guys and gals think for themselves too much to charge a machine gun. A kid thinks life will never end. That's why it's not so hard to cultivate suicide bombers.

Flying a $50 million plane is a piece of cake, no guts required. Fuck those stand-off cowards in artillery, the navy and air force. Grunts younger than 20 are the universal soldier. Non-caucasians especially.

No need to mention today's Africans, the pre-teens and teens Mao used effectively, the underage North Koreans in the Korean Conflict, and not least the Amerindians who taught kids from puberty to make war -- boys and girls.

It is worth pondering that older guys don't like war up close, in fact the the further away it is the better they like to promote it with Stallonian filmic ferocity -- witness the current yellow-bellied administration, though hardly the first to cry for war to be fought by disposable youngsters.

What older soft-gutted guys in all nations like most is the Wagnerian tragedy, the soap opera sturm and drang, of other people's suffering and death for their loose-screw agenda.

_________________________________________________________________ Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools and more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx