History is filled with second best militaries. We know them as conquered nations, and their borders sometimes remain on maps long after the indegenous people have ceased to exist. What we have now is the outlier, not the norm.
Sure, sure.
So which one is a conquered nation? Is it China? Britain? France? The Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia? Is it any of most of the world?
None of those places have the largest military in the world and are still standing, the first three more or less for a hefty amount of human civilisation. Forming alliances and holding other countries to debt are powerful weapons and keep countries without the luxury or inclination to built the largest and most powerful military around.
Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though. JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.
#TASforSTO
'...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
'...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
'I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.' Miles O'Brien: Empok Nor
'...Starfleet could use you... It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada...' Admiral Pike: Star Trek
History is filled with second best militaries. We know them as conquered nations, and their borders sometimes remain on maps long after the indegenous people have ceased to exist. What we have now is the outlier, not the norm.
Yes, it is an outlier. And it's one that the world has specifically chosen to foster: part of the United Nations Charter expressly forbids wars of conquest. And yes, that the United States was still able to go into Iraq, and Russia into Ukraine and Georgia, illustrates the biggest flaw of the United Nations: that any of five nations can veto anything proposed by a UN signatory with no check and balance. (I would have dearly loved to have seen Operation Iraqi Freedom get stopped dead at the border by a wall of troops in blue helmets...)
Then of course there's silly little nations like Costa Rica, which completely abolished its military about a century ago. As a result, they've had a stable, peaceful democracy for that long, unlike most of their neighbors.
/deathtotheposteatingmonster
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Nice place, if you like gangrape and having to get high to blot out the horror of it all...
Thats what happens when a packs of idiots start screaming "INDEPENDANCE, DERP!" with no way to maintain law and order, little to no economic base, and deliberately going out of their way to **** off the only people in the area capable of keeping the peace. But the totally legitimately elected "government" keeps telling the Feds to sod off, so the Federation and Starfleet give them exactly that. If they're so stupid that they're cutting off their noses to spite their faces, than the only hope is for enough of the stupid ones to die so the sane ones can take steps to rectify the situation.
"So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again."
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
You point to examples which are only possible because one nation stands ready to stop a war of aggression. And even in recent times these are the exception rather than the rule.
Kuwait would not exist today except for military intervention when its own military failed. Ukrane recently lost large chunks of its territory. India's various governments were eliminated and replaced by their conqueror, as were countless tribal and national governments in Africa, China, Indochina Indonesia, and Pacifica. And let's not go back to the conquest of the Americas.
France was erased from the map only to be restored, along with Poland and the Eastern European nations, by the demand again of one superpower. Without that intervention they would not exist, having become part of the Sovieg Union in the same manner as the Baltic States.
So, no, your argument is invalid. The only reason Costa Rica can exist without an army is because that evil warmongering war-starting imperial nation has promised that any attempt to conquer it will be met with overwhelming force. Certainly other governments and criminal organizations would love to add Costa Rica to their portfolio, and the day that their protection fails Costa Rica will cease to exist.
History shows the result of unilateral disarmament is always conquest. There are no exceptions.
Much as that's the Military Ideal, like most ideals, it's BS. The number of people that can't qualify without an ACOG on their rifle, can't ruck 20 miles without four water breaks, are near blind without their prescription lenses, or are so overweight that the military doesn't even stock uniforms in their lard-heavy size is as absurd as it is pathetic. Compared to that, someone who needs to carry a hormone prescription on them would be a dammed blessing, because at least they likely meet every other requirement.
Changely may need her pills, but at least she can shoot straight and carry a combat load.
It's a nasty situation for the military. Every citizen deserves a chance at service. If you want to volunteer of your own free will you dammed well deserve to take a shot a basic. If you can meet the minimum requirements to get in and can meet the same expectations as everyone else to graduate, well good on you, soldier. You're better than 99% of the population.
And I mean Same Requirements exactly. Men and women both. A combat load doesn't weigh any less just because the soldier has TRIBBLE, and incoming fire is an equal opportunity body bag filler. Not to say the training doesn't need constant review to make better soldiers or that the combat load of the average infantryman isn't asinine to the nth degree. There is no goddamed reason a soldier should be carrying a pack that weighs more than the average adult.
"So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again."
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
Nice place, if you like gangrape and having to get high to blot out the horror of it all...
Thats what happens when a packs of idiots start screaming "INDEPENDANCE, DERP!" with no way to maintain law and order, little to no economic base, and deliberately going out of their way to **** off the only people in the area capable of keeping the peace. But the totally legitimately elected "government" keeps telling the Feds to sod off, so the Federation and Starfleet give them exactly that. If they're so stupid that they're cutting off their noses to spite their faces, than the only hope is for enough of the stupid ones to die so the sane ones can take steps to rectify the situation.
Much as that's the Military Ideal, like most ideals, it's BS. The number of people that can't qualify without an ACOG on their rifle, can't ruck 20 miles without four water breaks, are near blind without their prescription lenses, or are so overweight that the military doesn't even stock uniforms in their lard-heavy size is as absurd as it is pathetic. Compared to that, someone who needs to carry a hormone prescription on them would be a dammed blessing, because at least they likely meet every other requirement.
Changely may need her pills, but at least she can shoot straight and carry a combat load.
It's a nasty situation for the military. Every citizen deserves a chance at service. If you want to volunteer of your own free will you dammed well deserve to take a shot a basic. If you can meet the minimum requirements to get in and can meet the same expectations as everyone else to graduate, well good on you, soldier. You're better than 99% of the population.
And I mean Same Requirements exactly. Men and women both. A combat load doesn't weigh any less just because the soldier has ****, and incoming fire is an equal opportunity body bag filler. Not to say the training doesn't need constant review to make better soldiers or that the combat load of the average infantryman isn't asinine to the nth degree. There is no goddamed reason a soldier should be carrying a pack that weighs more than the average adult.
According to your hypothetical Also, patrickngo's Changely is F2M, meaning he needs his pills, in order to think clearly (which anecdotaly, I was told many years ago by an F2M transitioner) so your assertion that they would be able to shoot straight, is countered by the result of low T, and cognitive impairment.
If you're only going to present headcanon hypotheticals, we can't have a constructive conversation, because it's just opinion ping-pong Equally, I agree with patrickngo that 'sensitivity' and 'inclusivity' are not acceptable notions to be balanced against human life. That opinion I hold, is not going to change. So if you disagree, I acknowledge your different viewpoint, but have no desire to discuss it
"I fight for the Users!" - Tron
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
Much as that's the Military Ideal, like most ideals, it's BS. The number of people that can't qualify without an ACOG on their rifle, can't ruck 20 miles without four water breaks, are near blind without their prescription lenses, or are so overweight that the military doesn't even stock uniforms in their lard-heavy size is as absurd as it is pathetic. Compared to that, someone who needs to carry a hormone prescription on them would be a dammed blessing, because at least they likely meet every other requirement.
Changely may need her pills, but at least she can shoot straight and carry a combat load.
It's a nasty situation for the military. Every citizen deserves a chance at service. If you want to volunteer of your own free will you dammed well deserve to take a shot a basic. If you can meet the minimum requirements to get in and can meet the same expectations as everyone else to graduate, well good on you, soldier. You're better than 99% of the population.
And I mean Same Requirements exactly. Men and women both. A combat load doesn't weigh any less just because the soldier has ****, and incoming fire is an equal opportunity body bag filler. Not to say the training doesn't need constant review to make better soldiers or that the combat load of the average infantryman isn't asinine to the nth degree. There is no goddamed reason a soldier should be carrying a pack that weighs more than the average adult.
Hormonal Imbalance causes cognitive impairment. I'll take Porky, blind-guy, asthamtic, etc. if their brains are clear and their nerves are steady over someone who has to have pills and/or an injection daily or they lose their frikking marbles.
purely physical deficiencies can be overcome. when it's a matter of mental or emotional, tht's where you get REAL problems. you can run Pvt. Porky until his lard-**** is muscle, Glasses might be a little tougher, but minus something BREAKING them, Glasses can be issued one time, and go the whole tour without replacement. and ACOG dependency is entirely a training issue (as in, while this person may have passed basic, they weren't trained.) Endurance, likewise CAN be trained in, you just have to stop coddling them. you can't "Train out" Gender Dysphoria, any more than you can 'cure' homosexuality.
And even if the military is not willing to deal with Glasses or Pork due to the cost, then some laser eye surgery or getting some major exercise will let them join in the future.
Comments
Sure, sure.
So which one is a conquered nation? Is it China? Britain? France? The Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia? Is it any of most of the world?
None of those places have the largest military in the world and are still standing, the first three more or less for a hefty amount of human civilisation. Forming alliances and holding other countries to debt are powerful weapons and keep countries without the luxury or inclination to built the largest and most powerful military around.
Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though.
JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.
#TASforSTO
'...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
'...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
'I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm an engineer.' Miles O'Brien: Empok Nor
'...Starfleet could use you... It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada...' Admiral Pike: Star Trek
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Yes, it is an outlier. And it's one that the world has specifically chosen to foster: part of the United Nations Charter expressly forbids wars of conquest. And yes, that the United States was still able to go into Iraq, and Russia into Ukraine and Georgia, illustrates the biggest flaw of the United Nations: that any of five nations can veto anything proposed by a UN signatory with no check and balance. (I would have dearly loved to have seen Operation Iraqi Freedom get stopped dead at the border by a wall of troops in blue helmets...)
Then of course there's silly little nations like Costa Rica, which completely abolished its military about a century ago. As a result, they've had a stable, peaceful democracy for that long, unlike most of their neighbors.
/deathtotheposteatingmonster
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Thats what happens when a packs of idiots start screaming "INDEPENDANCE, DERP!" with no way to maintain law and order, little to no economic base, and deliberately going out of their way to **** off the only people in the area capable of keeping the peace. But the totally legitimately elected "government" keeps telling the Feds to sod off, so the Federation and Starfleet give them exactly that. If they're so stupid that they're cutting off their noses to spite their faces, than the only hope is for enough of the stupid ones to die so the sane ones can take steps to rectify the situation.
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
Kuwait would not exist today except for military intervention when its own military failed. Ukrane recently lost large chunks of its territory. India's various governments were eliminated and replaced by their conqueror, as were countless tribal and national governments in Africa, China, Indochina Indonesia, and Pacifica. And let's not go back to the conquest of the Americas.
France was erased from the map only to be restored, along with Poland and the Eastern European nations, by the demand again of one superpower. Without that intervention they would not exist, having become part of the Sovieg Union in the same manner as the Baltic States.
So, no, your argument is invalid. The only reason Costa Rica can exist without an army is because that evil warmongering war-starting imperial nation has promised that any attempt to conquer it will be met with overwhelming force. Certainly other governments and criminal organizations would love to add Costa Rica to their portfolio, and the day that their protection fails Costa Rica will cease to exist.
History shows the result of unilateral disarmament is always conquest. There are no exceptions.
Much as that's the Military Ideal, like most ideals, it's BS. The number of people that can't qualify without an ACOG on their rifle, can't ruck 20 miles without four water breaks, are near blind without their prescription lenses, or are so overweight that the military doesn't even stock uniforms in their lard-heavy size is as absurd as it is pathetic. Compared to that, someone who needs to carry a hormone prescription on them would be a dammed blessing, because at least they likely meet every other requirement.
Changely may need her pills, but at least she can shoot straight and carry a combat load.
It's a nasty situation for the military. Every citizen deserves a chance at service. If you want to volunteer of your own free will you dammed well deserve to take a shot a basic. If you can meet the minimum requirements to get in and can meet the same expectations as everyone else to graduate, well good on you, soldier. You're better than 99% of the population.
And I mean Same Requirements exactly. Men and women both. A combat load doesn't weigh any less just because the soldier has TRIBBLE, and incoming fire is an equal opportunity body bag filler. Not to say the training doesn't need constant review to make better soldiers or that the combat load of the average infantryman isn't asinine to the nth degree. There is no goddamed reason a soldier should be carrying a pack that weighs more than the average adult.
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
According to your hypothetical
If you're only going to present headcanon hypotheticals, we can't have a constructive conversation, because it's just opinion ping-pong
"I was here before you, I will be here after you are gone. I am here, regardless of your acknowledgement or acceptance..." - The Truth
And even if the military is not willing to deal with Glasses or Pork due to the cost, then some laser eye surgery or getting some major exercise will let them join in the future.