I noticed during my short stint of military service, and in observing some military friends since I left Active Duty that some are attracted to the "Big Government" aspect of military life - socialized medical and dental care, rigid, vertically structured authority, constantly being told what to do, not questioning orders, etc.

I notice that a minority of military folks - but a fairly sizable one - will vote Democratic during the elections.

Given the Left's broadly-expressed hatred of military members and their mission, the Democratic Party's open obstruction of soldiers' and sailors' right-to-vote in the 2000 and 2004 elections, and the Democrat's constant mantra of "No Blood For Oil," why would any soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or Coastie ever vote Dumbocrap?

I have knowledge of a local company that was the subject of a failed Union organizing attempt this summer.  It was spearheaded by kid who is in the Army Reserve.  I must withhold my opinion of said kid.

Quoted: I noticed during my short stint of military service, and in observing some military friends since I left Active Duty that some are attracted to the "Big Government" aspect of military life - socialized medical and dental care, rigid, vertically structured authority, constantly being told what to do, not questioning orders, etc.

WTF?  IT is called TRAINING!!

Quoted: Quoted: I noticed during my short stint of military service, and in observing some military friends since I left Active Duty that some are attracted to the "Big Government" aspect of military life - socialized medical and dental care, rigid, vertically structured authority, constantly being told what to do, not questioning orders, etc. WTF?  IT is called TRAINING!!

You know what I mean.

The guys that love the structure of it all seem a little like children, not happy if they have to make a decision without first getting orders for how they're supposed to make it.

Usually they don't get very far. As in corporate life, the people who are willing to take some risks rise above those who won't. Every once in a while, a high-level Lefty will slip through the cracks. Westley Clarke, for instance.

Quoted: I noticed during my short stint of military service, and in observing some military friends since I left Active Duty that some are attracted to the "Big Government" aspect of military life - socialized medical and dental care, rigid, vertically structured authority, constantly being told what to do, not questioning orders, etc. I notice that a minority of military folks - but a fairly sizable one - will vote Democratic during the elections. Given the Left's broadly-expressed hatred of military members and their mission, the Democratic Party's open obstruction of soldiers' and sailors' right-to-vote in the 2000 and 2004 elections, and the Democrat's constant mantra of "No Blood For Oil," why would any soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or Coastie ever vote Dumbocrap?

Some of them eat a pistol as soon as they retire or leave the service. Not knowing what you're supposed to do when you get up in the morning is more than some people can handle.

I think most of the Vets I've met
are Republican like when they're active duty,
and Democrats when they are retired.
[Build-up vs Benefits minset]
The only exception are SF, Rangers, SEAL types
they have consistently been Libertarian
or extremely Conservative in nature.
that's my experiences at least.....
I've never met a leftist whom were
Special Operations MOSd.

Strange but true..

myit

Quoted: I've never met a leftist whom were Special Operations MOSd. Strange but true.. myit

Not to me.  SF was founded to stop communism in the 3rd world.  Not the kind of job that would attract leftists.

There was a former SF guy who ran for office in AK as a Democrat, though.

No, not me...actually (Except the medical/dental) i don't like much of the rest of it (except the serving my country aspect..........and playing with things that go boom)

really though- looking back on my so far very short time here has made me relize that i think too much to be where i am.... oh well, i'll just have to deal for the next 3 years....

-Roth

You can ask that same question about "the working man's party" when it applies to anyone who say,  union employees. These are the guys who make up the majority of hunters and shooters, and yet the Dems alienate the hell out of them.

It takes some time for ex-.mil people to adjust to a lifestyle that isn't completely regimented.

No questioning orders? How do you figure? I equate bitching and griping as questioining orders. They might still carry them out but more and more you see people wanting to know why they are carrying them out. What the goal is they are ultimately trying to achive by doing something.

The structure is part of being a soldier. It's one of the most important parts of discipline and team building. It's easier to rely on someone who has a routine pounded into their heads. This is pretty easily broken once they've worked in the .civ job market for a while.

Socilized medicine? .mil medical care isn't socialized beyond the limits of ID card holders. Most people come in at such an early age they don't know any other way of having healh care. Once they get out they generally have that initial culture shock of having to pay significantly more than they did, but tri-care is usually still available to a lot of veterans.

Quoted: Some of them eat a pistol as soon as they retire or leave the service. Not knowing what you're supposed to do when you get up in the morning is more than some people can handle.

Reminds me of the parts of Shawshank Redemption when the guys tha get out don't know what to do with themselves withut their prison routine and either kill themselves or commit a crime to get back in jail.

I totally agree.  I have met more democrats in the military than anywhere else.  I used to think that there would be a wholesale rejection of an order say, to disarm civilians, until the day the subject came up.  Most of the guys said that if it was an order they'd have no choice but to follow it. Me and an E7 in my unit just looked at them and said "See ya when you get to my house."  Its scary, they take an oath to defend the Constitution and they don't even know what it says.

Quoted: I think most of the Vets I've met are Republican like when they're active duty, and Democrats when they are retired. [Build-up vs Benefits minset] The only exception are SF, Rangers, SEAL types they have consistently been Libertarian or extremely Conservative in nature.

I know an ex-SF who is VERY liberal. He now has MA in Sociology. We do not discuss "issues" anymore.

Ive found that the farther away you are from the tip of the spear, the more likely to vote liberal.  

Infantry guys will vote Conservative, PAC Clerks and the Goth Intel types will vote Liberal.  The Morman Intel types dont talk politics much, so cant make an opinion, but dam if there aint a gagillion Mormans in MI

Every time you drive on a road you're acting like a communist!! since socialist=communist, and since you pay taxes and the govt collects then paves roads with it, dare I say that our road infrastructure is communist. So is our police, firemen, courts, school education and everything else is COMMUNIST! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean come on it's not like using a public road is inevitable! And it's the same with so-called "socialised" (communist) medicine. It's not like getting sick is inevitable.
The solution to both communist-dumbocrat plots is this, Walk* and don't get sick.

*if you walk make sure you dont walk on Socialist gov't paved sidewalks, people who do are usually dumbocrap sheeple who want the gov't to put concrete everywhere we walk. What dumbasses!

In the various services' times, last year they had a poll of service members something like 80 plus percent were voting republican, when you got  to the leadership there was something like 9 in 10 officers viewing themselves conservative.

You find more former military from the draft era that are liberal than you find from the all volunteer force time frame that are liberal..

Quoted: Ive found that the farther away you are from the tip of the spear, the more likely to vote liberal.   Infantry guys will vote Conservative, PAC Clerks and the Goth Intel types will vote Liberal.  The Morman Intel types dont talk politics much, so cant make an opinion, but dam if there aint a gagillion Mormans in MI

Relax. Most Mormons are anti communist. Ezra Taft Bensen former prophet and Sec of Ag wrote a book against the commies. The Red Carpet was the title I think. Another Mormon author wrote one called The Naked Communist. I forget his name at the moment, it was a good read.

Quoted: Ive found that the farther away you are from the tip of the spear, the more likely to vote liberal.   Infantry guys will vote Conservative, PAC Clerks and the Goth Intel types will vote Liberal.  The Morman Intel types dont talk politics much, so cant make an opinion, but dam if there aint a gagillion Mormans in MI

Relax. Most Mormons are anti communist. Ezra Taft Bensen former prophet and Sec of Ag wrote a book against the commies. The Red Carpet was the title I think. Another Mormon author wrote one called The Naked Communist. I forget his name at the moment, it was a good read.

Quoted: and Democrats when they are retired. [Build-up vs Benefits minset]

You need to remind those old farts that capitalism pays for their benefits because Socialism never produces the excess required to pay for things while no longer working.

Mormons go on those mission trips and evangelize.  

They do it all over the whole world.  

Hence, they know lots of languages.  Some businesses have set up shop in Utah just to take advantage of the wide variety of language-speakers available there.  

This makes them good for MI.  

Quoted: Its scary, they take an oath to defend the Constitution and they don't even know what it says.

Sadly I was the same way. I was a clueless 17 y/o little punk who fit the mold perfect. Repeat what I'm told to say, do what I'm told to do. It wasn't until about 4 years later that I really started to wake up and even then my vision was still cloudy. Compare myself today to the kid that was swearing an oath for the first time and you'd never know it was the same person. I had no convictions, no interest in anything political, didn't have a "party affiliation". I liked guns but knew nothing about how the rights allowing them were granted. I went to school and learned what I was taught... and they seemed to gloss over anything that would have spawned a graduate that leaned to the right.

I'm not really complaining. I found my own way, instead of having it programmed into me.

It is sad though that a lot of soldiers won't ever have the epiphany that I had and realize how things actually are and why they are. That's just the way it is. You can tell "teach" some people everything there is to know, but they don't actually "learn" it until they experience it for themselves.