# Re: Mario gets his come-uppance.

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Posted by LeviLovR on August 03, 2020 at 19:29:58

In Reply to: Re: Mario gets his come-uppance. posted by Jeff on August 03, 2020 at 08:44:24:

Your Dad was not joking about Scally Lads. It used to be that young men were sometimes offered the chance to join the military rather than go to jail. Usually their crimes weren't serious. The military wasn't always thrilled about taking these guys on but it was considered a way to get them off the streets and there was a theory that the military would provide them some discipline and help rehabilitate them by teaching them a marketable job skill that they could use upon discharge and become productive members of the community.

We no longer have the draft here in the U.S. as it was abolished by President Nixon in 1972. I was one of the last people to receive a draft notification, and knowing I was going to be drafted I enlisted for a variety of reasons. It was the last thing I wanted at the time, I definitely had other plans. The good thing about the draft was that it provided a wide cross section of people from various backgrounds with various levels of education and intelligence. You got the best, the worst and the in between. I have to honestly say that in my short career of active duty of only three years I saw a definite change in the caliber of people as the drafted personnel were discharged and replaced by new enlistees.

I don't mean to imply that all people who enlist are not quality people. That would be a gross error, but there was a notable difference for a while. People enlist for a variety of reasons, many did it just to survive. In the military they got fed three times a day, were given clothing and shelter, medical and dental care, insurance for their families and got to use the GI bill to continue their education or purchase a home after discharge. A good friend of mine grew up in the slums of Chicago where murders were an every day occurrence. You could literally be killed over a watch, a pair of sneakers or jeans or a few dollars. If you had something some one else wanted they didn't hesitate to kill you for it and take it. He truly did not believe he would live to be 25 if he had stayed there. Enlisting in the Army was his only ticket out and he took it. Another guy and his brother enlisted because they had no other family except each other, They both wanted a sense of belonging and being a part of something so they enlisted. Nowadays people enlist for the bonus money they might receive, for the specialized training they might receive, for the opportunity to go to other places in the world they haven't seen and for the potential to improve themselves. The disadvantage is that a war comes along and you can get yourself maimed or killed. Many, like your own father, are able to retire after twenty years with a nice pension and are still young enough to have a second career.

Then there are the scallies, who hang on like leeches, taking what they can get and have no desire to improve themselves what so ever. Fortunately they are not the majority, but they do exist, and believe me they do as little as possible as long as they can get away with it.

As to stuttering I understand it is caused by the tongue being too long and have even heard of it being clipped. I have also heard that people do not stutter when singing or swearing. Your own King George, father of Queen Elizabeth II, stuttered terribly. His father tried to get him to stop through some pretty cruel treatment, which only made matters worse. When he became king after his brother Edward abdicated to marry Wallace Simpson (damn those Americans!) there was a huge concern about him making speeches in public. He actually went to a speech therapist who was not very well known at the urging of his wife and it was kept secret from the general public. They became life long friends, the therapy was extremely successful. This is all portrayed in a wonderful film called "The King's Speech." If you have not seen it I highly recommend that you do so. Part of the king's therapy was getting him to swear, which he does a lot of in the movie. It would actually be a great movie to watch with your Dad and Gran. I know they would enjoy it too if they haven't already seen it.

Cheers

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- Re: Mario gets his come-uppance. Ry 17:34:39 8/04/2020 (0)

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