Speaking on the military...
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by Harrison Richardson
I’m sitting at Starbucks right now (or, as I affectionally call it, 5bucks because nothing is cheaper than 5 bucks). I should be working on my English Literature paper right now that is due tomorrow, but I’ve got an itch to write and just can’t get this subject off of my mind. For those of you wondering, I’ve been back for about a week. Mizu asked me to serve as Special Envoy to INCI and that’s a role I’ve been taking very seriously.
I’m a known JCS critic. Dating back to HR v NXNW, this cannot be denied. I have long thought that the JCS as a body is inefficient at leading the New World’s most efficient military. I strain to see how such an amazing body of volunteer soldiers can sometimes be weighed down by the protocol and procedure that are tied to the body known as the JCS. I wonder why soldiers don’t openly revolt at times and work to fix this system for the better.
Now we have come to a fork in the road. For those of you who have followed recent events, the military has come under rather serious scrutiny from members of all sides of the aisle. Military members and politicians alike are speaking out against some of the problems with the system currently employed. As a known JCS critic, I’m sure you’ll think I’m in favor of abandoning the JCS and giving extreme power to the President -- I’m not. The JCS are an integral part of our national governing system. They represent the lost third branch of our government. However, they are overpowered. Let’s take a look:
Congress has the power to write the budget and take apportioned monies away; they are checked by elections
Executive has the power to organize the national government and conduct foreign policy; they are checked by Congress as well as elections
Military has the power to do almost anything they want and they are checked by.. no one. They organize internally and are shrouded in secrecy.
There must be a measure of accountability involved in deciding the new structure of the Armed Forces. There will be changes that result from this. The fact that Publius, a former JCS Adviser, was blacklisted from part of military is simply backwards. If Publius were to run for President today, he would win in a landslide because he is one of the most capable Americans around.
We must chart a middle path. The JCS (and CJCS) must become accountable to the public at large, and their duly elected representatives in Congress and the Executive. The JCS must not, however, become the lapdog of the Executive. If we do this, we only shuffle our problems from one overpowered branch to another. The goal of this fight is not to wound one branch and empower another. The goal of this fight is to provide for a stable foundation for governing in our nation. The intent of those pushing reform are not malicious; they are aimed at growing our country just as you are. For those of you reading this article, I ask you to take a moment and ponder these questions:
*Would you be weary of an organization that has unlimited power?
*Would you actively try to ensure accountability for that organization?
*Could that organization still be of the utmost moral integrity even if they need their power curbed?
My answer to all of these questions is an unequivocal yes. I have spent short stints in the military throughout my career. I started in the Airborne under Gen. TheSpartan and spent a few great months there last year. I moved to the Army and spent a few good months there under Gen. Hadrian X, a man I consider a great friend. Recently, I spent months as an officer in the Training Corps helping new citizens under Gen. Bia Pandora. By spending this time in the military, I got to talk with actual officers and not commanding officers. Every officer I talked to was the embodiment of everything we stand for in real life and in this game. They worked hard, for free, to further our country. Those officers have my utmost respect. The members of the Joint Chiefs are certainly patriots and upstanding soldiers, but for too long their influence has been overstated and unchecked -- and the time to stop that is now.
HR
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cCcHarrison Richardson Reyiz cCc
what an ass!
Holy Shmokes, nice pic!
voted well said HR
I too answered "Yes" to all three questions.
Well said, HR. I agree.
also: nice ass, bad hair
Start with CO term limits and regular damage/status reports to congress, perhaps.
Agree with Publius.
Good article, voted for the ass.
Agreed with Publius and HR. Voted!
good writing, but from a biased position.
not that there's anything wrong with that... just that this is HR's angle on things, not an objective observation and reporting.
dogpile on the military! it's the trendy thing to do this week!
Voted for truth.
How is this dogpiling at all, GAC? Or is it you with the biased POV?
Do you dispute any of the facts laid out in my article?
Whenever I think about the fact that Publius is blacklisted I rage.
Well now that I'm not in the mil anymore I can agree with you, HR, without being ridiculed xD
Wings need clipping. Egos need snubbing. V
tl;dr
Idle hands... : /
proposed fix?
Several others are working on a proposal, I'll weigh in on it when I see it.
Voted, solid article
❤ wb
Let's not lose sight that we all are on the same side. The eUSA military is not and should never be asked account directly to the public. As an ongoing activity, Congress has increased and enhanced its communications with the JCS as recently as a month ago and has discussed ways to improve a variety of military related concerns such as how the process and costs of developing young soldiers can be best done in the new food fight based - hospital free environment we have nowadays. Between JCS, DoD/SoD, Congress, CBO, and the EC; these are important concerns that are taken very seriously as it is the shared goal of all to work together towards even greater future success of eUSA as a military second to none.
Proud to V&S
Proud Soldier
Proud member of ST6 and Congress
Proud to fight alongside of my eUSA Military Bros. anytime, anyplace!
Ah how popular a topic it is to bag on the JCS and CJCS when most of the people commenting or complaining havent even talked to members of the JCS or have only done so in passing because they had to.
The JCS and CJCS members are great people. It would be a very piss poor move on the nations part to change them every month with the elections. Harlot knew that the JCS needed stability and he made it work. Now just because one of the CJCS acts like a jackhole we suddenly want to throw the whole system under the bus.
Voting for Dat Ass.
Relorian, have you read anything? Name one person, anywhere, who is proposing changing the JCS every month.
Stop with your fallacies. This is not the place for them.
Cutting Military funding would be a mistake, cut Militia funding instead. I think the Military needs to be accountable to somebody, maybe a committee of retired military personal who is accountable to the President. Maybe a cushion between the every revolving office of President and the never changing JCS. As for the 'blacklist', I believe every branch claims the right to accept or deny a recruit as they see fit.
If the military were a militia, this would be perfectly acceptable. However, they aren't. They get funding from the government. Therefore, they are property of the government. I'm not saying it's time for a revolution, to remove the head and start changing things around, and making them the governments bitch. However, a close advisor to the president should know what is happening at all times within the military. If the President wants to know a certain detail, that advisor would either already know it, or have easy access to it. Shrouding the military in secrecy is retarded. If you can't trust the president, the representitive of the entire country, there is something wrong with the way things are being run.
Voted hard
Sigh...
v+s
interesting very interesting...
ppl off ass kick ass