See

http://www.militaryfreezone.org/justin

Here the author says:
"It's no secret that military recruitment is down, retention is down and U.S. forces are spread paper-thin. The military needs warm bodies. Even with giving military recruiters extra access to students' private records as part of the No Child Left Behind law, kids are not signing up in the numbers needed to fight Bush's war. Today's youths are wising up to the reality that $50,000 for college does them no good if they're killed in Iraq."

Hmmm. "Wising up" to being treated like idiots.

On reading the other side of the story, I would say that Kerry is near correct and it is indeed the Bush Administraton that is treating the kids of America as if they are stupid. Kerry was weak not to stick to his guns and show up the nasty tactics of the US Administration's spin machine.

A lot of these youngsters are lured with promises and conned with the trickery of recuiters and that is truly disrespectful to the youth of America.

The soldiers who are in these warzones for the correct reasons are not stupid (albeit there is a high percentage whose options are limited due to the lack of federal funding for their education)and it is the patronising opportunism from those that jumped on Kerry's remark that suggests a deep and undue disrespect for the ability of the recruits to see through the Bush Administration's political hype.

Those soldieres are flesh and blood - sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers and that is that. That they serve with honour and respect is what matters most. The rest is propaganda.

Despite being opposed to the war as much as you can be, Kerry's comments were stupid and thoughtless.

That being said... if we wanted to catalogue a list of stupid comments from the other side of the camp, I suspect we could find a fair few.

What Kerry said was insensitive to the troops. But otherwise dead right.

FACT: The bulk of US marines are drawn from lower socieo-economic people, among them many blacks and Latinos, most of whom have not had the advantage of good education.

Lacking a career, they resort to the armed services. Are actually coaxed into the armed services.

This is nothing to do with them being dumb.

As said, Kerry should have amplified his off-the-cuff quip, instead of ducking for cover.

Kerry's comment was indeed indiscreet and hurtfull - even to the dummies who so happen to be in the armed forces - and indeed there are some brave noble wise loyal and true etc etec types in hte armed services as well but -

the states has been lowering the bar to keep the cannon fodder at the front line

recruiters have increased the number of "moral waivers" they grant exponentially - allowing in those whose criminal records would other wise excluded them from the services - one expects this to have the effect of diluting the ethical and intellectual pool of the armed services more than some what.

Add to that you have judges who can set conditions linked to sentences - ie no sentence if you sign up

So to that extent Kerry wasnt that far from the truth. Not every marine is a Sgt York ( see classic Gary Cooper flick) or a Dudley Do right as this author suggests-

My experience of the army is "You don't think, I think for you!". You may go into the army intelligent, but they want you to come out as a moron!

No one thinks George Bush intelligent but even he managed to avoid military service. Perhaps it has more to do with wealth than intelligence.

The biggest dishonour done to American servicemen and women was to ask 2000 of them to give their lives up based on a lie.