Gunning for grandpa

Two weeks ago in Arizona, five anti-war senior citizens entered a military recruitment office, asking to enlist in the army so their children and grandchildren could come home. Last week, the Pentagon asked Congress to raise the maximum age for new enlistees by seven years to access the older population. \nYou can't be serious. \nUnless we want our soldiers to be more worried about Alzheimer's than enemy fire, the United States needs to change the way it views its military. After nine months of missing recruitment goals, the Army has two options: Bring back the draft or make do with fewer troops. \nThe former, of course, is political suicide for virtually any lawmaker that would propose it. The latter is a logistical impossibility, given our current foreign relations policy. But just how sacred is this policy? Would we rather send our own grandmothers to fight instead of minding our own business?\nBy not joining the military, American citizens are telling the government that they don't value a large military, at least not enough to enlist. Taxpayers chuck out $437.1 billion yearly for defense, more than six times the nearest competitor, China. If the American public does not want a large military, let's downsize it already. \nGranted, ever since the Cold War ended, the military has been shrinking. However, the Pentagon has been doing a complicated dance to maintain the same level of reach and control it had over the world. Far-flung bases and fleets are still designed for a "world police" agenda. But with the continued loss of manpower, the military's resources are stretching thinner and thinner. It's time to finally pull it all back and refocus the military solely on the homeland, strengthening anti-terrorist efforts and getting out of our neighbors' backyards. \nYes, the United States has the largest GDP in the world. So what? Yes, the United States was one of the first countries to really try this whole "democracy" thing. So what? Despite what some may say, neither of these gives the United States jurisdiction over the rest of the world. U.S. bases in other countries are an affront to these nations' sovereignty. There are nearly 12,000 U.S. troops in the United Kingdom. Why? Either it's to aid our close ally against an imminent French invasion, or it's to have an element of military control over Europe. A control the Europeans do not appreciate, I'm sure. \nWhen we get done invading sandy countries, that is, in 2008, I hope the next administration takes note of America's silent vote to do away with our enormous military. Removing all the loaded weapons can do nothing but help foreign relations. It was U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia that incited Osama and al Qaida to their acts of terrorism. If we can let other countries just be other countries, without our armed forces watching over, then maybe we can avoid making more enemies. And then maybe Grandma won't have to go to war.