Why is there a tartan over Portugal?

Magneto’s powers are stupid

Generalized world wide.

This is grim and a lot of dirty politians want it back.

Disgusting.

A standing army is mostly cannon fodder. The common soldier does not have skills or competences to make an individual difference in combat situation, regardless of how much training they had. Even less if that soldier was drafted, in contrast to a volunteer, which was the original premise that led the conversation here.

One thing is to maintain a small contingent of professional, trained, military personnel, to bolster civilian organizations in case of catastrophe, act as first line of defense in case of armed conflict, either from outside threat or inside, act in conflict areas as stabilizing presence, etc.

A completely different thing is to maintain an overwhelming force, technically on permanent standy-by, capable of presenting a threat towards another country.

A professional, organized, highly skilled, flexible, volunteer, force can churn out in a very short time window cannon fodder, from drafted personel, or train well prepared small units to be involved in assymetric warfare.

Returning to the Russia/Ukraine example: Russia is making use of their historical doctrine of flooding the battle field with bodies, after their original “blitzkrieg” idea failed. Ukraine is moving towards highly specialized units, capable of attacking and moving, to quite successfully, ruinning the offensive of the invader, after expending their regulat troops on the first wave.

Poor taste comment on my part but… i I hope at least it was an electrifying shag.

It can be risked, with a fair degree of confidence, considering what is transpiring from the ongoing wars that what is considered conventional warfare is changing at a tremendous speed.

Air superiority, conventional artilery, mobile armour, highly sophisticated and expensive weapons systems are being rendered useless, powerless or at least less than superior, by cheaper, often disposable solutions.

This entire combat landscape change, in my view, is the early warning of a deeper trend where human resources will be much more valuable than machinery and conventional armies are a liability, not an asset.

Small, highly mobile, capable of underground, covert operation groups - guerrilla warfare - will be a game changer.

No worries

A state is a necessary organism within a country. What is unnecessary is the ease with which polititians move into a space where they think themselves as untouchable, unaccountable and unquestionable.

To occupy a position of responsability is exactly that: a position of responsability. This implies the appointing must be short, highly supervised and the actions must be transparent and easily auditable. It is not a life long appointment, with unchecked and unlimited reach and power, as we see commonly done today.

The very notion of state must change. The state is the sum of all individuals contained within a country’s borders. They all must enjoy the same rights and protections in and from the law and be capable of actively intervene on the governance of the nation, with a government assigned to do the general management.

To use a quote I find very much enlightning: people should no fear their governments; governments should fear their people.

Please read my comment again.

Many people in the world will disagree with that view.

A standing army is a lumbersome beast. It requires supplies for both machines and soldiers, space, infrastructure.

A loosely organized resistance can severely hinder or even cripple such a force with assimetric warfare.

People fighting for a belief fight with resolution.

In short: I’d refuse, oppose it and campaign against it.

I owe politians nothing. The rethoric about patriotism, duty and all the other arguments commonly used to carry forward pro-draft, pro-defense, pro-rearmament, etc, are hollow.

There are bad actors in this world but politians still confuse public office with unbridled authority and people allow for it like sheep.

Draft as been talked about in my country (Portugal) a few years back, by people that never served as military, from a “conservative” sector of society, using arguments gravitating about ingraining “values” about patriotism, discipline and sacrifice to the younger generations.

Translation: you are to be braiwashed, forced to obey, never question and die where and when ordered.

I risk most will defend their home and family at the risk of cost of their health and life if a bad actor arises. But that in no way leads to the logic for need of a standing army.

Peace is peace. Armed peace is a veiled threat.

If this isn’t breach of confidentiality, nothing is. And add espionage.

My mind has a single track, runs at low speed and revolves on a predictable cycle.

A long, convoluted way to say I’m disgusting.

I don’t doubt you have a busy life. And that is not the subject at hand here.

What should concern us, collectively, is that we are constantly being pushed the notion that we do not have enough time and that tech is always the solution, when it is not.

I’m going to take a risk and say you write faster than you type and reaching for a pencil is quicker than launching a program.

Writing someone a letter is a very personal thing and you’re creating a memory. Something tangible, concrete, also weighs in on reality. Looking at a piece of paper with your handwrite makes you understand you’re commiting to something.

I’m a FOSS loon but the craze of making everything digital is absurd. I’ve listened to people criticizing others for using paper and a pencil to take down a memo, note or even journaling, when they can do it on their phone.

Is existing so dreadful nowadays? Does the notion of leaving proof of existence scares?

European here. And I’m afraid to ask but morbid curiosity is winning over fear. But… can someone explain me what is went wrong here? My brain shutdown.