It's getting desperate

By now, everyone knows the military is having trouble recruiting and is not meeting its goals. It attributes this in part to the war and the fact that, because of the war, many families do not want their sons and daughters putting themselves in harm's way. As a result, it has been putting forth an aggressive ad campaign to sway public opinion, not just of potential recruits, but of their families as well. I suppose that campaign isn't working too well.\nMaybe you've seen the new Navy commercial. Troops are scuba diving and jumping out of planes, the music is fast and the camera cuts from shot to shot quickly. Then, the camera slowly cuts to a man in front of a van at a car dealership, and the announcer says something to the effect of "just think, somewhere, some poor schmo is buying a minivan." \nThe minivan might be, in this country, the most universally recognized signifier for family. So it becomes apparent that, according to the Navy at least, a family is boring, and your family just wants to do nothing more than hold you back from experiencing the excitement that the Navy has to offer.\nI sat in awe for a moment, but then I thought to myself: "Finally, incontrovertible proof that it's not me who's destroying the American family; it's the armed forces!"\nPrevailing political logic has basically presumed that gay people choose to be gay specifically so they can lobby for the right to marry, which would fulfill their (and "activist" judges') master plan of destroying the foundation of every heterosexual marriage in the country. Although it's clearly irrational, it's hard to make an argument that directly refutes it, because of the personal and psychological nature of the claims (no doubt intentional). \nBut now it's become obvious who is really anti-family. And that is the armed forces and by extension, President Bush, the commander in chief of the armed forces. The gay community is doubly exculpated, because gays can't even serve in the armed forces openly. \nOn a more serious note, if the military has to resort to "your life's really boring" in an effort to increase recruits, that should be indicative of greater structural problems instead of just ineffective marketing. Unlike buying a certain soda or wearing certain clothing, enlistment is the kind of decision that challenges people to examine their values and beliefs. If they don't agree with the ideology of the leader or of the military efforts at large, they aren't likely to put their lives on the line.\nThus, the real problem with recruitment isn't that the military just isn't cool enough, it's the divisiveness of the president's foreign policy and the fact that fewer people approve of his performance than disapprove. Attempting to form another divide, that between potential enlistees and their families, won't solve that kind of problem.\nThe commercial is just one more sign that this administration's contentious and conflicting rhetoric is starting to crumble, and they themselves are speeding the process along.