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US Army enlisting more criminals - NY Times report
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by Actual News Geezer | February 14, 2007 at 07:24 am
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The NY Times has a front page story that reveals the dificult's in raising an all-volunteer army.
According to official sources obtained by The Times, "While soldiers with criminal histories made up only 11.7 percent of the Army recruits in 2006, the spike in waivers raises concerns about whether the military is making too many exceptions to try to meet its recruitment demands in a time of war, " reports Lizette Alvarez. "Most felons, for example, are not permitted to carry firearms, and many criminals have at some point exhibited serious lapses in discipline and judgment, traits that are far from ideal on the battlefield,"
It has also increased the number of so-called “moral waivers” to recruits with criminal pasts, even as the total number of recruits dropped slightly. The sharpest increase was in waivers for serious misdemeanors, which make up the bulk of all the Army’s moral waivers. These include aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and vehicular homicide.The number of waivers for felony convictions also increased, to 11 percent of the 8,129 moral waivers granted in 2006, from 8 percent.
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filmlou
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
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at 07:33 on February 14th, 2007
I am conflicted over this story...rehabilitation for those convicted of serious crimes should be a priority for any society and doing service for one's country ought to count. On the other hand - the moral standards of any military organization ought to be of paramount concern to any civil society.
Thoughts?
O - can someone identify the uniforms of the troops in the photo?