US Navy calls MySpace teens "Alien Life Force"

"Because of that, he [is in] a worldwide social network; his best friend may be Chinese," the report says."

Good God! Fear the day when we should be friends with some Chinese folks!

In an anonymous office building in a quiet suburb of Beijing several hundred Peoples Liberation Army psychological warfare experts sit in cubicles, in uniform, creating bogus MySpace pages and befriending American teens. "Yes, I like soccer, too, but in my country, we call it FOOTBALL! Ha ha!"

Well, maybe the percentage has dropped so much since 2001 because there is a war going on...?

Just a thought.

The language of MySpace is not at all alien to most adults. All you have to do is pay attention.

i never thought i'd agree with the u.s. military but as far as the narcissistic praise junkies they're right.

It is in fact a myth that the U.S. military is having more trouble than ever finding new recruits.
Look at the percentages on the right in the first table:
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11311

Commentary on the issue at Instapundit:
http://instapundit.com/archives2/009194.php

Didn't "Instapundit" also say that Baghdad is safer than Paris? Plus, I heard that he's hung like a cocktail frank. Who knew?

You don't have to read the Instapundit piece if it hurts your sensibilities or spoils your perception that the military is silly or incompetent or whatever. The defenselink link is plain data: recruitment levels at 100 percent or better.

And besides, the Instapundit piece just relates an email from a guy with experience in signing up for military service and how the standards aren't being relaxed.

You don’t have to read the Instapundit piece if it hurts your sensibilities or spoils your perception that the military is silly or incompetent or whatever.

The military? Incompetent? You sound like some sort of America-hater or something.

The military is competent enough to set its recruiting goals so low that they can always report meeting or exceeding them.

Army of one, baby!

Which side of the Iraqi civil war are you on Carruthers?

I'm on both sides!

Such a sophisticated debater.

When're you signing up, Carruthers?

I understand that we're falling behind a little bit in the "winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world" aspect of our mission. That sounds like it would be right up your alley!

You must have slaughtered the opposition in debating class Adam.

So the military can set goals so low that they can meet them whatever the number. Does that mean you believe we should be setting them higher, and the military should be larger? We're not meeting our necessary recruitment levels so that's a problem?

I don't know, but I suspect you believe that the recruitment levels are too high and that our military should be much smaller. Not only that, but the military is also incompetent and that perhaps we shouldn't really have armed forces at all. Or something vague and woolly like that. War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing...

I don't swallow everything the military says hook line and sinker, but I don't go out of my way looking to contribute to the sort of ankle-biting that the original article and your sentiments seem to relish in.

You, Sir, are the person who thrust himself into this thread with the declaration that the concept of there being problems with military recruitment levels is a "myth."

The rumors being spread by the "MSM" of a military stretched dangerously thin must be predicated upon pure fantasy and/or the malicious anti-Americanism of the military-hating, coastal, liberal elite.

I can't imagine that you actually even believe that yourself. Why should you expect us to believe it?

Hutz: And so, ladies and gentleman of the jury I rest my case.
Judge: Hmmm. Mr. Hutz, do you know that you're not wearing any pants?
Hutz: DAAAA!! I move for a bad court thingy.
Judge: You mean a mistrial?
Hutz: Right!! That's why you're the judge and I'm the law-talking guy.
Judge: You mean the lawyer?
Hutz: Right.

substitute Stanhope for Hutz

Since this isn't my website I am going to bite my tongue and defer to your wisdom in these matters, Carruthers, Sir.