We found the thin skinned tankie.

1. Use DDG
2. If you must use google, add “before:2023”

Thank you for that.

I’ve long thought we need a non-military service branch much like you describe and for much the same resson.

In my experience it isn’t just “rich” kids but anyone that grows up with minimal adversity and exposure to people outside their immediate (sheltered) bubble that are really hard to work alongside. Anyone who hasn’t been told “no” enough to understand the world doesn’t cater to them, really.

Just wait until you or someone close develops an autoimmune disease, then the trust meter falls off a cliff during round after round of tests and “you’re fine”.

Or if you have a bunion that skews your big toe 35° but they tell you it’s not bad enough for surgery and there’s nothing to be done for it.

Or…yeah we could be here all day just for the system’s failings for me and my wife.

And there’s our lack of or inadequate mental health coverage and care.

And that’s just one example.

The most glaring generator of mistrust for decades now is the thing citizens discuss all the time but is never addressed: our out of control military budget.

We could solve every one of our country’s financial issues multiple times over by reducing the military budget, and not even drastically so.

Our military was tasked with an audit to reign in waste and spending. They couldn’t pass an audit so they were just given a free pass, no penalties or repercussions. The first audit was 2017 and they failed to pass. They failed two more since then. Senator Sanders intoruduced a bill in 2021 and again in 2023 which required an audit and was supposed to impose penalties for failure, it’s been introduced so we’ll see how that goes.

Well said.

It’s baffling that the term has been used as an insult by anti-intellectuals

The end of your sentence is the unbaffler you need.

And why?

Because we said so.

Be well, friend.

Oh hello fellow St. Louisan.