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# Armed and fabulous: Recruiting is OK
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/armed-and-fabulous-recruiting-is-ok/
- Published: 2005-03-26T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T06:26:45.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

This past week, Q-line asked: “Do you believe it’s appropriate for the Armed Forces to recruit on college campuses?”

Here are your responses: TIMES BY LLOYD GARVER ✆ “Every major corporation, law enforcement agency and major sports team recruits on college campuses in search for the cream of the crop. Protesters against military recruitment on campus should search out the root cause of wars that create the need for the military and not find fault with the military. If we are to have a military force, our officers should be the cream of the cream of the crop, due to an officer’s decision often being very final. The military has an important need for both men and women officers with well-sharpened leadership skills and intelligence. Colleges are a good place to start that search.” ✆ “This is clearly a First Amendment issue. The left, in its usual hypocritical fashion would rather suppress free speech than allow military recruiting to fail on its own merits. What are they afraid of? It’s rather ironic: The left is the first to claim the Patriot Act somehow limits their civil rights, but is the first to ban speech they don’t like. You may not approve of military recruiting on campus, but it is not for the left to decide. It is for the individual student and family to determine their own choice. The left claims to be for choice, but apparently not when individuals are free to think for themselves.” ✆ “I think it’s an excellent idea for the armed forces to recruit on college campuses, because that way the students can possibly know about different available options and it’s good because it pays for their college tuition if they enroll. So I think it’s an excellent idea. And if somebody doesn’t like it, that’s their problem. I think it’s a wonderful idea.” ✆ “People who protest the military recruiters are a bunch of idiots. The military is a legal occupation. If anybody wants to join it they have a right to do so. The military offers certain benefits that they got to tell people about. But of course, there’s also the risk of war. The Army, Marines and National Guard are getting all the casualties so they’re having trouble meeting their numbers, but maybe the Air Force — they don’t have that much risk — so they’re able to get the number of people they need. But anybody who joins the military has got to know there may be a war and they may have to fight it. That’s what the military does for a living. You don’t join the military to learn how to make furniture, you join the military because you might have to fight. Until they have a draft, it’s an option for people to join the military. They should have the right to do so if they want.” ✆ “Recruiting, maybe if they were recruiting for a militia, as outlined in the Second Amendment of the Constitution or other areas, fine. But as a part of a new world order, mercenary police force, no.” ✆ “Of course it’s appropriate to recruit young people at colleges. They don’t have to join, you know. And I think those that are against it should take another look at the First Amendment and get a grip.” ✆ “Yeah, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for them to recruit on college campuses, especially if the students don’t want them there. However, I was really surprised that they were recruiting on college campuses. Normally they recruit in the poor neighborhoods, the ethnic neighborhoods, because these are the people that they traditionally consider as expendable. I would really like to see them recruiting the congressmen and the president and the vice president. Let them recruit their children for this war. I’d like to see them recruiting in Washington D.C.” ✆ “Yes, they should be allowed to offer opportunities and recruiting in the military. To offer an opportunity for those to serve is a privilege. I am a retired veteran myself, and consider my time in the service a privilege that I could do, and although some people might not agree with different ideas politically, one way or another, to serve your country in the United States is a privilege allowed to those who are actually citizens and have the privilege to serve and the opportunity to invest and give to their country fully rewards them for their service.” ✆ “I want to respond to the question about the armed forces recruiting on campus. I think that it’s very appropriate that they are allowed to recruit along with many other agencies that do so. They should be able to give the options and since the military is very important to our country, they certainly should have an equal opportunity to talk with students. That’s my opinion.” ✆ “Yes, it’s appropriate, it’s free speech. These people need to get a life.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 26, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032605.pdf?ref=smdp.com)