devinsalinger's blog: "Mandatory Military Service"

I never really understood the sayings “making a killing” or “getting away with murder” until I took a job with a sales company in Merriville, Indiana. I was eighteen years old and had never had a sales job before, so I did not know what to expect. Six days later my life changed abruptly, and I vowed never to work a sales job again. It was a business to business sales position, selling useless novelty junk for practically nothing. During my six days of employment with the company, I sold things like a large cardboard book with ten smaller children’s books inside for five dollars, magazine subscriptions, three pairs of scissors that will cut a penny for five dollars, orthopedic can openers, toy car sets and many other mostly useless things. More than we were selling these crap items, we were selling ourselves. We were required be well groomed, fairly articulate and wear business suits. My seamstress girlfriend volunteered to tailor a suit for me. After a trim and a shower, I was in business. My first five days were spent in training. I traveled with an experienced salesman, became his shadow, and sometimes was allowed to make my own pitches. Pretty soon I realized that we seemed to sell significantly better in areas that were considered poor. We “slaughtered ‘em” in Gary, Indiana. We “cleaned up” in Schererville. It wasn’t until we went to Stony Island Avenue in the south side of Chicago that I “made a killing.” It was the sixth day, my first day out alone. One of my trainers had previously “mopped up” in the area, so I decided on this location for a day of “slamming tee.” It was a cloudless, cool morning, and I was wearing my finely tailored suit. Nothing could go wrong. I made my first rounds through the area and did pretty well. A school, a barber shop, a few retail stores, most bought something. It took me about two hours before I ran out of merchandise in the bag that I carried on my shoulder. It was time to go back to the car to restock my supply. I had barely unlocked the door to my car when I heard a noise behind me. I felt a blow to the back of my head and I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was lying on the ground in an alley with three guys standing above me, talking amongst themselves. I was being mugged. This had never happened to me before. It was something new, and I was both excited and afraid. I pretended to be unconscious for a few moments while I devised a plan. It was either kill or be killed. Luckily for me, my demo scissors were in the pocket of my jacket pocket. Without much further thought, I grabbed the scissors in my left hand, jumped up and thrust them at the man directly in front of me. The sharp end disappeared in his flesh and a warm wetness spread down my hand and onto my arm. Suddenly, there were sirens and flashing lights, and I passed out. When I woke up I was in the hospital with a policeman at the door. I was checked and, having only a minor concussion, I was arrested. I was held in a cell in the local police station for about twenty-six hours, until the arraignment at the courthouse, where I was released. My actions were considered self-defense. A few days later, I went back to the office to return the merchandise that I still had in my car. I told them what had happened and that I was no longer interested in working for them. I later learned that the man I had stabbed had died in the hospital that day. The same day that I had “made a killing,” I had also “gotten away with murder.”

The United States is over run with lower class youth that currently have no hope in achieving a better life for themselves. Many don’t even finish high school, and the lucky few who do, never go to college. They are doomed to failure from the very beginning with alcohol and drugs so readily available. A parent’s only option is to send them out into the world and pray that they survive the cruel world that they brought them into. I propose that a mandatory military service requirement for our future leaders would benefit the United States by helping us to rid ourselves of this nationally debilitating freedom to make our own choices at such a young age; also , allowing our great nation to gain a larger military presence in foreign countries that hate said freedoms. "The Constitution of the United States," Amendment 13, Section 1, states that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Alas, with the language used in this Amendment, I believe that we could gain the conviction of many. . Let us begin with Webster dictionary’s definition of crime. “An act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law.” First, let us make a law that it is illegal to be eighteen years old. Once this law is in place, let us make the crime of being eighteen punishable by “involuntary servitude” in the military for a specified length of time. Three years would probably do, as twenty one is a more proper age for our young adults to be able to make more economically friendly decisions. Please take note that as I write this, the idea is new, and some special considerations will need to be addressed. As with any nation concerned with the well-being of its privileged society, there will be concessions made for those who can pay for them, something comparable to fifteen thousand dollars a year for the years that your child has not repented for the crime of being eighteen. This money would be paid in good faith that he or she would never speak out against the government imposing said law or its religious counterpart. The crime of not enlisting would be severe. Publicly televised torture could help raise levels of nationalism by allowing local citizens to participate, as well as lower the number of offenses. Executions would not be permitted, as I do not believe that a Democratic society would ever allow such inhumane practices, but the torture of the offender’s family members would do well to inspire and motivate less rebellion and more blind following of our government’s laws. I welcome criticism, as I am no lawyer or politician and do not know what other laws would need to be put into place to quell any coup d'état that may arise. I also know that there will be naysayers who will need to be dealt with, but I leave that up to you, as I am only an “inspirationer,” not a “decider,” and the benefits of such a large military cannot be denied. Countries like Iraq, South Korea and Kosovo need our support. Without us, they would be left defenseless and probably die. Countries in South Africa need our help, as well, but we do not currently have enough troops to send after diamonds with so much of our military protecting the oil, searching for WMD’s and forcing Democratic governments. With so many young men and women available to support our wars on owning natural resources, we could be the richest country in the world. Money is what we need. Ask the poor. We can steal more natural resources, dominate the world, and lower the costs of social services in our own country by enforcing mandatory military service. We can also work toward getting rid of the U.S Constitution’s protection of the commoners of America who ruin things for the upper crust society.