Posted by Tony on April 09, 2002 at 00:04:23:
In Reply to: Re: Having your cake and eating it too posted by Evanthia on April 07, 2002 at 21:29:53:
OK, I couldn't help but noticing that you needed some corrections and clarifications as far as your points go Evanthia. Firstly, being a Military Scientist by trade allow me to be the first to tell you that no country, Greece inclusive, relies on those serving their time in the military for national defense. Those people are generally not as well trained as reservists or careerists and therefore in the advent of a major attack on Greece they would not be used. Military conscription in Greece, as well as other countries on Earth is used for two main reasons -- as a nation building tool -- a place where young Greek men can be made to believe even further in Greece and how glorious it would be for them to die for her and secondly, in the case of a protracted conflict, to have a pool of men that are basically trained to handle a gun and weapon systems in case a mass mobilization is required due to a full scale attack. I agree that if one is a Greek citizen then one should do this as this is part of the game, however, to allow someone to be able to chop it up over time, considering what its purpose is or to be exempt givin other circumstances -- being moved by your parents at a young age, for example, is really not as big a deal as you are making out to be here.
: What I mean by 'lack of responsibility' is that people should understand that national defence and one's social/cultural/political responsibility is not something you can put on 'hold' for forever or take in 'a few months here and there' portions. I think those men who have made their decision to create a new life in a new country, would not hesitate in fulfilling any national service requirement in that country, so if they wish to remain Greek citizens, then they have to fulfil their obligations to the Greek state. That's what I mean by responsibility. Also, expecting a nation to design its national defense around an individual's time requests for a few months here and there is patently absurd and impossible on a practical level. I know many Greek men (living in Greece) who postpone their professional and personal commitments to fulfil their responsibility to their nation, don't tell me their careers and families are any less important than a Greek male who lives elsewhere. Those Greek men who have left Greece have not only contributed to the brain-drain of the nation that bore them, but now they want to come and go as they please as Greek citizens without fulfilling the obligations of a Greek citizen.