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In Reply to: similarities & diffferences posted by exer on May 14, 2004 at 09:57:32:
I understand you point.
Regarding leaving, you can't leave unless you have permission. The Ft. Levenworth prison is full of soldiers who have tried that.
They also have the draft, which they are talking about starting up again. I just spent some time this morning on the Selective Service website. Pretty interesting reading:
http://www.sss.gov/
They have continued to develop new laws even though there hasn't been a draft since 1973. Now, if you are a student, you only get to the end of the current semester before they can take you out of college. If you are a senior, they let you finish the year out. Working on a degree is no longer reason for a deferrment.
They can draft ages 18 up to the 26th birthday.
I'm a few years younger than most people here (Jane robbed the cradle). I was born in 1958. In 1973 I was too young to draft. Then when I turned 20, Carter started up draft registration again, but they only made 18 and 19 year olds register, so I skated out both ways. I'm one of a very few American males that was never legally required to register.
The stuff on the SSS website about CO's is very interesting, as well. How one goes about proving to a panel that they have moral or religious beliefs that prevent them from actively engaging in war.
As to the point people are making about the general public having no idea what a cult is, I certainly agree with that. I was never in The Family, but I have been married to an ex-member for 21 years, and raised two children born in the cult from two different other Fathers (both former cult members, who we have contact with). For someone never in, I think I have a pretty good idea when it comes to what is or isn't a cult. There are a lot of cult-like (cult-lite?) things out there, but you have to go a long way to find a group that was more de-humanizing to its members than The Family. People's Temple was the only one I can think of at the moment that I would classify as worse.
Anyone who thinks that Mary Kay cosmentics, or Amway are the same as being in The Family probably deserves to get slapped.
