The New American Soldier.. to freakin fat to fight bacon good food.

[ximmy]

Rising rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, two retired generals have warned.

More than a quarter of young Americans are now too fat to fight, they said.

Writing in the Washington Post, the ex-commanders said the fat crisis ruled out more potential military service recruits than any other medical factor.

They want Congress to introduce laws to give US children better nutrition in schools, with less sugar, salt and fat.

John Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, both former chairmen of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote: "Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military."

"We consider this problem so serious from a national security perspective that we have joined more than 130 other retired generals, admirals and senior military leaders in calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation," the commanders added.

The warning comes amid mounting fears that childhood obesity has turned into an "epidemic" affecting an astonishing one in three young American people.

Mr Shalikashvili and Mr Shelton pointed to post-school lunch laws from 1946, which recognised that poor nutrition reduced the pool of military recruits.

"We must act, as we did after World War II, to ensure that our children can one day defend our country, if need be."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8655651.stm

[wildcard]

Good, maybe they'll all stuff themselves full of McDonald's and then they won't be able to join the military and nobody will be able to fight imperialistic wars for corporations and israel.

*this strikes me as a hilarious unintended consequence that they did NOT foresee when they decided to poison us.

[ximmy]

Good, maybe they'll all stuff themselves full of McDonald's and then they won't be able to join the military and nobody will be able to fight imperialistic wars for corporations and israel.

*this strikes me as a hilarious unintended consequence that they did NOT foresee when they decided to poison us.


true true... GMO food good, HFCS good, fluoridated water good, soft drinks good, vaccines good ... LOL :o

[Ponce]

I never saw a fat guy in the army from 1959-1966 while there.......and only two blacks in my platoon, no Mexicans......................one Cuban.............ME.

[Johnny Ringo]

Yah, that's what we need. More freakin laws! Put the government in charge of what we put in our pieholes. Maybe they can contract with a big company like, say, Monsanto to help with this.

But, wait. Half the kids in this country are on the free lunch program in the public school system. I'm sure they offer real healthy choices there. Truth is, if they offered anything healthy, the kids would turn their noses up at it. And there's your problem. Most kids don't know what home cooking is, and will refuse to eat it.

The Army's so desperate, they give these prospective recruits that are too fat a grace period to lose the weight. One of our friend's kid fell into that. Do you think this unemployed dude with an unemployed wife and a kid living with her parents was motivated enough to drop a few pounds? Nah.

[zap]

I agree, nobody wants to take the time to cook anymore, just run down to McDonalds.

I ate fast food when I lived in town, 25 years ago.... Now it makes me sick that is some garbage, the little one doesn't like it either, just wants the toy.

Closest thing to fast food is Subway, 30 miles away.

[Ash_Williams]

Sucks for the kids. If you're too fat when you're young, it's unlikely that it will ever change.

Not much can change a kid other than a parent though. Kids should be running around all the time like we always wanted to, not sitting there watching boring movies. I mean when I was a kid we self-regulated pretty well, there was the original nintendo system then but we played that once in a while, usually for rainy days, and we'd go out riding bikes or sledding and stuff like that even more. Kids probably shouldn't eat junk but we did and we loved it and it didn't matter because we'd just burn ourselves out. Of course that's the good thing about living in the country... I don't know what your kids can do in the city, especially in an apartment or a house with a tiny backyard and traffic out front. Never really thought about it until now - I can see how it would be hard on the parents and unfortunately most people do live in very cramped areas.

And I guess it sounds cruel but if you've been fat your whole life and your partner had the same problem then you gotta realize your kids are gonna get it even worse. They won't stand a chance. The best mate is the one that doesn't share many of your problems.

[wildcard]

*oops Not mine. I'm derailing anyhow! Avast!

I talked with some of the other old posters from GIM, Magnes was the main one, while I was trying to think through every evil that had come from women's lib. No offense to the ladies, just bear with me.

They convinced women that being a home maker was slavery and that they should get out and be independent. Breaking the nuclear family killed us. The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. They convinced women to give up this power and honor. Traded for slave wage jobs, cigarettes and the right to vote.

Women in the workforce means the kids go to the state for education/indoctrination and probably strangers for baby-sitting. This means no time to pass down family values and building the bonds necessary to be a tight knit family. The state will tell your kids what to think.

Mom has the right to vote, and women are emotional voters that want to help people, even if there is no funding to do it with. The push of socialism/welfare begins.

Mom is working, she has no time to prepare nutritious meals for her family. Thus begins the McDonaldization of the planet. My way, right away.

I speculated the money supposedly spent on going to the moon was used to develop the microwave oven to help keep mom out of the kitchen. Think of the poisons pumped into processed foods.

More workers (because mom's out there) means lower wages. More income means more taxes to feed the hungry beast = more consumers = higher prices.

Mom and dad both work helps fuel the housing bubble and promotes consumerism. Mom and dad both working means fewer kids.

And women's lib thinks they gave women something? They stripped them of everything as the matriarch.

*There is no wonder that the masses are fat, ignorant and apathetic as a herd of cows. The only wonder is we're not worse off than we are.

**throw in that mix that the kids want to get away from their evil parents (what the school has taught them) to be on their own to become the next wave of little consumers..., so there is little chance you'll have 2 or 3 generations under the same roof for long. NO chance for grandma and grandpa to pass on their life's wisdom to these kids.

[ximmy]

Kids should be running around all the time like we always wanted to, not sitting there watching boring movies. I mean when I was a kid we self-regulated pretty well, there was the original nintendo system then but we played that once in a while, usually for rainy days, and we'd go out riding bikes or sledding and stuff like that even more.


Today... kids running around mean they are hyperactive and bi-polar with attention deficit disorders... gotta get to the doctor for diagnosis and drugs... so they will be fat calm little obedient angels

[Ash_Williams]

I agree mcDonalds isn't healthy but when I was a kid we all ate crap. The whole school ate crap. Kids crave calories. Despite that, there were maybe 2 fat kids out of the 150+ at the school (small town). 'Cause we were kids we were go go go go every moment that we weren't forced to sit on our asses and the school playground was a few acres so the was plenty of room to get out there and move and play tag and sports and things. Then after school we'd be out on bikes or climbing hills and building forts.

As I was finishing elementary though, they really started sucking the fun out of it. First there was a rule about no physical contact (ending basically every fun game), then ban on snowballs and baseballs of the hardball variety. Then the younger grades were restricted to one side of the schoolyard with the older kids on the other. All to keep kids from getting hurt, they said. All the ice patches got salted so kids couldn't slid on those anymore. No building of forts out of snow or leaves. So really all that was left was to sit around outside while the 10 or so kids that actually enjoyed organized sports played soccer or baseball.

I see kids now that go home and they're just given a movie to watch 'cause there's nothing else they can do easily. Even riding a bike - they have to have a helmet and a frigging bell and all follow all these rules or the cops will be dragging them back here. Plus there's all these 70 year old guys driving gold buicks with their eyes closed (might as well be), I wouldn't want my kids riding on the road but the cops don't want them on the sidewalk. And as for building forts and exploring and crap, well everything is fenced in 'cause the second a stupid kid hurts himself some parents wants to sue so all a kid can do now outdoors is run in a circle on a patch of grass. Anything fun is by definition an "attractive nuisance" so you gotta fence it up.

If I was a kid now I'd probably spend all day playing video games too.


Today... kids running around mean they are hyperactive and bi-polar with attention deficit disorders... gotta get to the doctor for diagnosis and drugs.

Hahha true enough. We keep them in cages then drug them for acting like caged animals.

[Libertarian_Guard]

Anyone (including the two Generals) ever heard about the P.T. shuffle?

Get the fat boddies out on the parade deck for an hour or two a day. They will slim down over time.

Calories in, are up against a missmatch against calories burnt.

[RJB]

Calories in, are up against a missmatch against calories burnt.
It doesn't quite work that way with insulin resistant fat people. Fat cells are the last cells in the body to develop insulin resistance. So a persons body gets used to storing all the excess energy (sugar) into fat cells and can't release the fat for energy. A person could starve without burning off fat.

[Libertarian_Guard]

Calories in, are up against a missmatch against calories burnt.
It doesn't quite work that way with insulin resistant fat people. Fat cells are the last cells in the body to develop insulin resistance. So a persons body gets used to storing all the excess energy (sugar) into fat cells and can't release the fat for energy. A person could starve without burning off fat.


I've been out of the military for almost 30 yrs. This is the way things worked in my day. But perhaps times have changed, so get the fat bodies out on the parade deck for four hours a day, and feed them "duck' for lunch and dinner.

[Johnny Ringo]

Wildcard and Ash are both right. I don't have a problem with women working, but it sure changed the dynamics of our social fabric when June Cleaver started doing more than selling Amway out of her house. We're guilty of it - both work, too tired and rushed to cook something decent, so some crap from the freezer or fast food is dinner way too often.

Add to that, what do kids do these days when they're not at school? They go to aftercare. My school days were just like Ash described - tackle football in the field at school, hardball baseball in the parking lot in front of the school (Dad had to come replace a windowpane from one of my foul balls), tag, you name it. I'm willing to bet all that changed about the time "someone" had to be responsible and pay for every little injury (yes, I mean litigation.) That's probably what spawned the changes int he playground procedures that Ash described.

In the summer, we left the house in the morning, checked in for lunch, and it was back out until dinner. Riding bikes, exploring the woods, playing rundown, kickball, etc. Every kid in the neighborhood was home - nobody's mom worked outside the house.

Another thing that's changed, related to above, is the safety factor. Who knows if it's better reporting, or if there's just more perverts out there. Back then, I had a paper route that took me a good five miles from home along some pretty busy roads - and also back on some more remote ones. I wasn't more than 11 years old. Parents nowadays would be in full panic mode if their kid was out of their sight and hadn't checked in via phone or text in more than half an hour. For some parents, having the kids in front of the tube, internet, or X-Box is a good tradeoff for peace of mind.

And let's not forget the quality of our food, thanks to the continuing attacks on the small farmer and markets by our politicians, all on behalf of their friends like Monsanto. For crying out loud, they don't even want us growing our own stuff! (It's for our safety, of course. >:( )

[Libertarian_Guard]

I'm your huckle berry!

[Horn]

Funny how I conjured him up. ;D

I do like him though, he is a regular guy.

Welcome Johnny Ringo, he ain't no sock puppet either...

Seriously, welcome aboard.

[Johnny Ringo]

I'm your huckle berry!


I'm no daisy! ;D



Funny how I conjured him up. ;D

I do like him though, he is a regular guy.

Welcome Johnny Ringo, he ain't no sock puppet either...

Seriously, welcome aboard.



Thanks! Much appreciated.

What's not to like about that movie? Great facial hair, Dodge City hookers, bad guys with a sense of humor, guns, horses, a silver boom, Charlton Heston, Doc Holliday. Something for everybody!

[ximmy]

I'm your huckle berry!


I'm no daisy! ;D



Funny how I conjured him up. ;D

I do like him though, he is a regular guy.

Seriously, welcome aboard.


Welcome Johnny Ringo, he ain't no sock puppet either...

Thanks! Much appreciated.

What's not to like about that movie? Great facial hair, Dodge City hookers, bad guys with a sense of humor, guns, horses, a silver boom, Charlton Heston, Doc Holliday. Something for everybody!

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt208/COWBOI777/JOHNNYRINGO.jpg

[Ash_Williams]

Another thing that's changed, related to above, is the safety factor. Who knows if it's better reporting, or if there's just more perverts out there. Back then, I had a paper route that took me a good five miles from home along some pretty busy roads - and also back on some more remote ones. I wasn't more than 11 years old. Parents nowadays would be in full panic mode if their kid was out of their sight and hadn't checked in via phone or text in more than half an hour. For some parents, having the kids in front of the tube, internet, or X-Box is a good tradeoff for peace of mind.

Actually now that you mention it I realize that another thing that's changed is you can have your kids home alone anymore. They have to be like 12 or 14? More reasons for sticking them in daycare. Wow... they'll stop being in daycare as they start highschool... poor bastards. My parents weren't home much when I was a kid but it was no biggie, I'd just go home anyway after school, I had a key, get something from the fridge then get out and do something fun. That may have been illegal then too but no one cared. I think if they're not 12 you're not supposed to leave them alone even a couple hours - no wonder they never grow up anymore.

And of course where can they play now anyway? If I was a kid in my small hometown now there's nowhere to go. It's the original town surrounded by a few square miles of suburbs. Past that, fences and crops. The forests are all gone, the streams are surrounded by houses on every side, there's no more hills - all flattened to make houses, the schoolyard is now just flat grass as all the trees are gone since the place was expanded (I guess trees were dangerous too). It's boring as hell. Even at my age now I still can't enjoy riding a bike along the streets looking at houses, I want to ride through the forest, up and down hills, along streams, etc.

They plow everything and then put up a "park" to make parents feel like there's somewhere for their kids to play. Oooo a park, they can ride those stupid horse things with the springs that go back and forth, that'll be fun for 5 minutes. Of course if there was mud or streams or rocks or anything that could actually be fun that would make the park look ugly so we can't have that, it had to be pristine grass cut to 2.5" with no weeds (and yet they never put a sign up when they've sprayed pestacide...) Park has to beautiful looking to adults or it could lower the property values of all those 500k houses next door.

I dunno, the whole continent is turning into a shithole. You can't do anything or go anywhere, all so we can be safer and the cities can keep expanding. Everything has to be regulated and perfectly manicured, including the kids. I know one thing... I won't be having any kids until I have my 200 acres in the country...