At any rate, the draft would produce a fighting force with an average skin color that is a lighter shade of brown. Yes, I know there are a few people here who will purposefully misinterpret the previous sentence, so let me be clear: military service is not a privilege. It also should not be a career.

Not even for the officers? Seems like you want experienced officers, and it takes 20 or so years to make the climb from lieutenant through captain, major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and general, if that's the path you choose.

For enlisted guys, I personally agree with you. If I wanted military service to get out of my dusty little hometown and get the G.I. Bill for college, I think one stint would be plenty, especially when we're at war and your ass is getting shot at. I wouldn't want to be an enlisted guy in my 30s.

I'm married because I decided that I loved this woman, I wanted to spend my life with her and create a family with her, and in our society, that's usually when you make the commitment of marrying.

Why other people marry, I've no idea, and at the risk of sounding callous, I don't really care.

Based on the staggering divorce rate, I assume a lot of men and women who marry decide it was an awful mistake they wish to erase.

It's not for me to define what a marriage is. If two men or two women think they can sustain a lifelong commitment, so be it.

Any time someone complains about changing the traditional definition of marriage, I become curious about what they think an appropriate price should be when purchasing a 13-year-old girl.

A cow? Two chickens? I don't know if I got a bargain on my wife... I didn't pay anything, but she was 30 when we got married. Should I send her parents a couple eggs or something, just as a kind of thank you note?

Usually the same people who accuse gay men and women of being promiscuous and deceitful are the same ones who are against gay marriage and gays in the military.

You can't discourage monogamy and honesty, and then criticize them for the inevitable result.

I'm with Lawson, "I don't really care," why other people marry, more married people in a community promotes more stability so I don't understand why people are against it.

That's kind of the MO of bigotry.

Pass laws that make sure black people are disproportionately poor, then say look at that, black people steal. Legally prevent Jews from holding any job but moneylender, then say look at that, Jews are such money-grubbers. Bomb the holy living shit out of a Muslim village, then say look at that, Muslims are terrorists.

Some gay friends of ours, who are in a longtime domestic relationship, are adopting a baby boy.

My first thought upon hearing the news was, "How nice."

My second thought, based on my own experience with Lawson Jr. over the past year and a half, was, "They'd better get all the sleep now they plan on getting for a long time."

My third thought was, "Oh yes! Must remember to post this on Comicon and piss off Allen!"

Reminds me of those childhood days when my older brother used to beat the crap out of me, and he wouldn't let me off the ground because, he said, "Now you'll attack me!" Damned right, now I'll attack you.

I wasn't an officer, but I interacted with and worked for a handful of them. Sarah Palin gets slagged for her seemingly endless ambition for the next level of wealth/fame/whatever. Well, that was pretty much the mindset every officer I met, the ones who intended to make it a career, at least.

I only met two that quit of their own free will — both Army Captains. One told me he had no ambition of being a politician, and that's what he felt like he was aspiring to; and the other apparently saw the climb in rank more difficult for a single man, and he didn't want to get married any time soon.

One of our battalion commanders (lieutenant colonel) was a twin. It had become a tradition that he and his brother always got promoted at the same time. While we were in Haiti, two of our soldiers committed suicide, in a two-week time span. My roommate was his driver, and that's where I heard that the commander's main concern was what effect this might have on his pending promotion. Turns out, nothing. But he was sweating it for a while.