Why does the military want to enlist felons?

Question

I just read in my local newspaper a couple of days ago that either congress or the senate (can't remember which) voted to lift a ban on the military enlisting people convicted of arson and assault with a deadly weapon. I know the military is desperate to recruit more people; but do they really want people like that carrying around automatic weapons and having the freedom to possibly shoot innocent civilians.

I guess we should recruit rapists, serial killers, and pedophiles so they can fulfill their desires somewhere else.

Maybe we should reinstate the draft so that most Americans can share the burden of defending the freedoms we all enjoy so much.

An amendment to the 2008 defense appropriations bill that would ban the military from enlisting recruits with felonies such as aggravated assault and arson. It's the military recruitment standards bill (HR 3222). Both Republican senators from Texas (John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison) voted yes to kill the amendment. A vote of 53-41 allowed the military to relax its standards to meet recruitment goals.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/306551.html;
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5193926.html;
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/205070; it's in every major newspaper that prints the Congressional Roll Call, maybe you need to check your facts

Answer 1

Well, having family in a town next to a military base, I know that the troops are worn out, mentally and physically. Most of the career people can't get out, and they're being sent back over and over and over again.

Civilians aren't enlisting and high school kids aren't signing up like they used to. Their parents aren't letting them - so what if you have to go into major massive debt to get them through college, it's better to be in debt than to have a child who died in a senseless war.

Congress and the President won't propose a draft, because of how unpopular it would be.

So they've been, quietly, lowering and lowering and lowering the requirements to get in. You can be 43 and still enlist for the first time now. Glasses? Half-blind? Come on in! Flunk your psych eval? Well, no one's perfect, what the heck, we need warm bodies!

Now they're really scraping the very bottom of the barrel, but they've got to have people on the ground. What else are they going to do?

Answer 2

Enlisting people that have been convicted of arson, or assault with a deadly weapon, is not very likely, I have a misdemeanow for minor consumption of alcohol, and I almost needed a moral waiver for that, and in fact Im being takin to the court house tomorrow to pay off my fine in full, I dont think i would trust everything you read in Newspapers, because my recruiter told me that I didnt really need to worry about my record unless it envolved, drugs, violence, or aggrivated assault of any kind which is almost surely grounds for disqualifaction, no, wait, Im sure of it. Felons of any kind need waivers to prove their crimes were non-violent, and that they are reputable citizens, so I agree with the gentlmen that said to get your facts striaght. Ih, and to the lady who set turn prisons into bootcamp, that is pretty laughable, they cannot get half of those guys to do their prison jobs the way it is, (I watch alot of the Discovery Channel lol) and how are they gonna target practice with blanks and dummt grenades, not to mention the fact that the millitary would need even more recruited drill sargents to train them, as police officers/prison guards cant do it. So...Felons in the millitray? Yes, but not repeated offenders and only after extinsive checks and waivers. Violent/ Dangerous felons in the millitary? NOOOOO! Its hard enough with a misdemeanor! lol

Answer 3

The occupation of Iraq has strained our military to the breaking point. Regulars, reserve and guard have all had repeated long employments and the shock of 9/11 has worn off. The "war" is seriously unpopular. Enlistment goals are not being met. Reenlistment is way down. No matter what it does to the quality of our military services, recruits have to be gotten from somewhere. And politically a draft is a non-starter.

Answer 4

Armies all over the world, for hundreds of years have recruited felons. eg the Brish Army in 19th C and French foreign legion were full of them and were the best armies in the world.
The military have always been confident that a few months of discipline can turn a violent thug into a useful soldier.
"Innocent civilians"? Who are soldiers killed in wars except civilians in uniform? Populations have been starved or bombed in every war in history. Wars are between nations, not some sort of lethal game between soldiers. That's why war is an evil (but sometimes necessary)

Answer 5

it seems some are transforming into a 2nd danger and your downing them. by no potential has a murderer been allowed to enlist the place do your "data" come from. Why attempt to hold returned human beings how are given a 2nd danger in existence as unfavorable to residing on the backside rung of the economic scale?

Answer 6

It is getting criminals regimented and making their lives part of a purpose. I don't think it is a bad idea... The military has been doing that for a while. Back in the 80's my ex brother in law was in trouble and they said he could either go to jail or join the Marines. It ended up being very beneficial for him and he hasn't been in trouble at all since.

Answer 7

Here is my idea, my husband I were just discussing this last night.
Take all those felons that are not in maximum security. (so no crazy nut killers) that have a min. of 5-10 years left before release.
Take a few prisions and turn them into "boot camps" so they are still in prision. and using only blanks or whatever as weapons for that part of training. Upon completion of the boot camp. Load them up on buses and take them directly to a plane set for Iraq. Where are they gonna go in Iraq? Not like they can escape or anything. If they survive a 4-6 year stint over there they would effectivly have served their sentence.
I think the military experience would change them for the better and it would solve our problems with our "good" men and women not making it back home.

Answer 8

Simple really,

Not enough men who care to look beyond themselves, to serve thier country, and its a volunteer military in a country where only a tiny fraction of the population ever bother to serve.

When society raises self-serving, sensitive, superficial metrosexuals who question everything the government ever does, then...

.....you reap what you sow.

Answer 9

I'm not sure how i feel about that. on one hand i say let them make up for what they did. why let them rot in jail and waste their life when they can actually make something of their self's?

on the other hand. if i were fighting in Iraq i wouldn't want a rapist or an unstable murderer next to me or taking orders from me for that matter. what if i made him mad. would he kill me just cause he can? he's already shown that he can't handle his self in normal civilian situations.. how could he handle a high stress battle field?

Answer 10

Care to post a link to you "FACTS" or (Can't you remember which, where, when??).

Which can very convenient for a TROLL!