Why The Neutralist? The term Isolationist implies a narrow Fortress America outlook and is used as an epithet. The term Neutralist does not indicate someone hiding out from the world. No one calls the Swiss isolationists. The Wilsonian world view is old, tired and wrong. Our interventions have been less and less successful and now the failure can no longer be covered up.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Eternal Recurrence - A Bad Policy Returns


Eternal Recurrence

It could be formulated as a law.  The longer a war goes on, the probability of a bad policy being resurrected approaches 1.

During the Vietnam War, the Johnson administration would be in need of more and more soldiers.  The pool of draftees was not sufficient.  According to a Salon article, “By 1966, President Johnson was fearful that calling up the reserves or abolishing student deferments would further inflame war protesters and signal all-out war. And so, even after McNamara began privately declaring the war was unwinnable, the defense secretary devised Project 100,000.”

Under the program, potential recruits who scored as Category IVs on entrance tests were allowed to enlist.  Cat IVs, to be charitable, had cognitive issues.

The project has been acknowledged a failure in that it was sold as a “Great Society” program that “would provide remedial education and an escape from poverty.”  There was little of either for the 354,000 men:

“...the recruitment program offered a one-way ticket to Vietnam, where "the Moron Corps," as they were pathetically nicknamed by other soldiers, entered combat in disproportionate numbers.  Although Johnson was a vociferous civil rights advocate, the program took a heavy toll on young blacks. A 1970 Defense Department study disclosed that 41 percent of Project 100,000 recruits were black, compared with 12 percent in the armed forces as a whole. What's more, 40 percent of Project 100,000 recruits were trained for combat, compared with 25 percent for the services generally.”

It’s plus ca change time and this iteration is even more creative.  We shall not be targeting the intellectually lame and halt.  Rather now, it will be the emotionally lame and halt who are called to the colors.

A November 12th, 2017 USA Today article noted; “People with a history of “self-mutilation,” bipolar disorder, depression and drug and alcohol abuse can now seek waivers to join the Army under an unannounced policy enacted in August, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.”  

It might be impolite, if not politically incorrect to ask what could go wrong?  For some of us retrograde types, the words “German Wings” come to mind.  You might remember the pilot of that airline who missed his meds and pursued an alternative method of what could be considered a “hard landing?”

Unlike Project 100,000, the new dispensation is not being sold as a program to enhance the life of the unfortunate.  As noted above, it’s unannounced which means it’s not being sold at all.  In truth, the policy appears to have been ongoing according to USA Today: “To meet last year's goal of 69,000, the Army accepted more recruits who fared poorly on aptitude tests, increased the number of waivers granted for marijuana use and offered hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses.”

That’s it, of course, there are problems meeting the numbers.  By now, anyone with a little more than average consciousness knows that we are not going to turn a corner in Afghanistan, that we shall never do any good in Syria and the real winners in Iraq may be those horrible Iranians.
So, what is the point?

The possible upcoming crusade on North Korea might not be a selling point either.  Thus, creativity in augmenting the number of troops will be necessary.

Should we be worried?  During my inglorious Vietnam era service, there was no dearth of Marijuana usage as well as other substances.  What were referred to at the time as “personal problems” were hardly non-existent.  It should be noted, we came in second place in that contest.

What is unspoken in this is that we have to be inventive in inveigling prospects to sign up.  The so-called “War On Terror” is at stake.  If finding sufficient warm bodies to volunteer becomes impossible, conscription would be the alternative.

The WOT ends the day the Donald or a successor announces a draft.

Do we arrive at the point Augustus reached when Varus lost a couple of legions and the Imperator could not draft replacements even when execution was the penalty for resistance?  Is the WOT so necessary that any warm body, native or foreign will be eligible fodder?

As it has been said, this war may never end, why would we not resurrect another bad policy?

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