Religiosity/Republicanism in the Military

[SoCalDem]

A few maps may help explain it. The BRAC has seen to it that a LOT of bases were/are located/clustered in the south, as bases in "other places" were closed.. these bases are recipients of a LOT of tax money, and the children of these base families fill a LOT of schools (since most bases no longer have on-base schools). These families provide a LOT of young boys/men to fill high school & college football.basketball teams (almost a religion in many areas).

A look back at the recent electoral maps bear out the republicanism of the areas..






Military bases army/airforce (could not find one for navy)

[NeedleCast]

1. Bottom Map

Is that supposed to indicate CURRENT base locations? Because it's really, really, terribly wrong. Maybe I don't understand what the blue and red dots represent.

[SoCalDem]

2. I found it at Milimap.com do you have a more current one?

It was not dated.. :(

Red is army, I think..blue airforce

[ipfilter]

3. That map is so wrong. My state has three Air Force

bases and it only shows one. Hawaii has all branches but it only shows one red dot.

[NeedleCast]

5. Yeah, I don't think they represent the actual geographic location of bases

but as you pointed out, even if the dots are only supposed to represent the number of bases, they're still very wrong.

[SoCalDem]

8. They are for number only..not location..and I dould not find a map for navy

or marines.. I think the map was from 2000..

[ipfilter]

10. I found this map of Air Force bases.

http://user.cybrzn.com/~r47eb1/Air%20Force%20Falcons/Maps/Air%20Force%20Bases%20-%20Stateside.htm

There does appear to be a higher concentration of them in the South vs. the North.

[NeedleCast]

12. Land Prices

Historically been cheaper in the south. With few excpetions, military bases, especially army bases, are in places that tend to be fairly hostile environments on poor land.

[NeedleCast]

4. No, I don't

Just trying to figure out what the dots are. Texas for example shows six red and two blue dots, but they are nowhere near where the actual army and airforce bases in Texas are, geographically. For example, Fort Bliss, one of the largest posts in the country, is in El Paso, in addition to a small air force base. Fort Hood is about 45 miles north of Dallas and again, one of the largest in the country.

I don't claim to know where they all are or anything, but without even having to look hard, there are dozens of inaccuracies if those dots are supposed to represent bases.

[SoCalDem]

9. Here's a 2006 directory, but no map..It has all the branches

http://www.army.com/base_directory.html

[Rob H.]

18. I think red is Air Force

Tennessee, Idaho, and Montana all have Air Force bases, but no Army bases.

[TwilightGardener]

6. The map doesn't put the bases in the right location WITHIN the states, but

it's pretty accurate as far as which states have them. Southern bases have advantages over northern ones for several reasons--I don't think it's a cultural plan. Not having to de-ice aircraft, and Generals being able to play four-season golf for starters.

[davepc]

7. In the run-up to World War II southern Democrats pushed for Army bases in their districts

FDR obliged them.

Here's a list of current US bases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_bases

[NeedleCast]

11. The Military Has Change a Lot Politically

Yeah, it still leans pretty right, but at the same time, we're talking about a high percentage of young people in their teens and early 20s who tend to be liberal. Not all of em, but quite a few of them...especially right now. A sizable percentage of the military comes from big cities/population centers and those people also tend towards the left in most parts of the country.

I need to go look for it, but I think, at least in terms of numbers of people donating, that more military people gave to Obama than McCain.

[SoCalDem]

13. unless those 20-somethings grew up in military families in that region

:(
It all goes hand in hand, sometimes..

military discipline in the home
guns
god
football
no good jobs locally'and another generation goes military

and in those areas, we also find the "rent-a-soldier" organizations like Blackwater..now xe..

[NeedleCast]

14. Even then, at that age a lot of people tend to be more liberal than their parents

I met about a ton of folks from all over the country when I was in the military and while I don't know the political identity of each one of them, there were plenty that agree that Bush was a complete dumbass.

Heck, I'm at least a little of that Demographic. I'm from Texas, from a Baptist family, and even played high school football...and at age 35 am a Democrat and atheist. Even in the military, I was never under much pressure to do the religion or side with conservatives. Basic training was the only time I felt any sort of peer or rank pressure to join a religious ceremony, and my Drill Sgt. put and end to that shit real quick.

However, I do know some people who have experienced more pressure than I have and I don't discount those stories.

[SoCalDem]

16. You were lucky to have a drill sgt like that..

:)

At some military locations it's almost like a cult.. There have been many complaints about young people being hounded into religiosity..the Air force academy comes to mind..

#
Jun 25, 2008 ... Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the ... Several cadets have said religion was a constant at the academy. ...
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/us/25academies.html - Similar pages -
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Air Force Sued Over Religion, A.F. Academy Graduate Alleges ...
Oct 6, 2005 ... An Air Force Academy graduate and outspoken critic of its handling of religion sued the Air Force, claiming officials and cadets there ...
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/national/main919947.shtml - 84k - Cached - Similar pages -
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Air Force Eases Rules on Religion
asked Weinstein, a 1977 Air Force Academy graduate. "When a senior member of your chain of command wants to speak to you 'reasonably' about religion, ...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/09/AR2006020902211.html - Similar pages -

#
Intolerance Found at Air Force Academy
A military study of the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado ... cadets who were of a different religion or chose not to practice a faith. ...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062200598.html - Similar pages -

#
CNN.com - Air Force Academy faulted over religion - Jun 23, 2005
US Air Force Academy cadets have been subjected to "well-intended but wrong" professions of faith by instructors or senior officers, but an investigation ...
www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/22/airforce.religion/index.html - 38k - Cached - Similar pages -

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CNN.com - Air Force probes religious bias charges at academy - May ...
The US Air Force said Tuesday it will appoint a task force to investigate allegations of religious intolerance at the Air Force Academy.
www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/03/airforce.religion/ - 48k - Cached - Similar pages -

#
Religion at Air Force Academy - Mike Keefe Political Cartoon, 05 ...
Religion at Air Force Academy - Daily Political Cartoons by Mike Keefe, editorial cartoonist for the Denver Post. Politics, show biz, sports, business, ...
www.intoon.com/cartoons.cfm/action/browse/startdate/05-01-2005/id/385 - 21k - Cached - Similar pages -

[NeedleCast]

19. Yeah, no question Air Force Academy had (and probably still has)

a BIG issue going on there. Officers who are in a position of power over other officers or enlisted who put religious pressure on them should be unceremoniously tossed with total loss or rank and pension. From the stories I've read and heard, this seems like an "officer thing" in general, although I'm sure religion pressure is not completely limited to the officer corps.

There were a few times I got asked about religion and even a few people who got huffy when they found out I was a non-believer. For the former, I really don't give a shit...wasn't like I was buddies with em anyway. And if it didn't get beyond someone sayng "hey, can I tell you about Jesus" and me saying "No" or "Sure, if I can tell you about this rash I have on my balls" then it wasn't a problem.

[SoCalDem]

20. I had a best friend once, who was "born again", and I always told her

that if I ever needed saving, she;d be the first one I'd call..but until then, she should not try to convert me.. of course, at holiday time, with a carload of kids out shopping, I WOULD tell her to ask Jesus for a good parking spot:evilgrin:

[NeedleCast]

21. Hehe, I like that

Considering the fivilous shit people on a football team will bother Jesus about, might as well throw parking in there too. Back when I was playing high school football I wasn't "out" as an atheist...in fact I was still usually going to church with my folks, but I was the dude sitting in the back with a walk-man headphone slid up the sleeve of his jacket listening to Metallica while the preacher preached. My mom was horrified when she discovered that the reason I always insisted on sitting at the end of the pew was so I could put my elbow on the arm of the pew and lean my head on my hand...where said ear-phone was secretly cupped. They sung "Oh come all ye faithful" out loud, I sung Master of Puppets internally...hehe.

I don't sweat it much really. I figure, this is the US and 82% (or something like that) of the people in this country self-identify as some sort of religion, the huge majority of which are judeo-christian. My folks are religious...my sister, many of my friends, and really, with 99% of them, there's never any static over it and it never comes up. A few of my believer buddies are actually fairly open to discussion about it.

[ColbertWatcher]

15. Fascinating! Thank you for posting! k+r, n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

17. Fascinating! Thank you for posting! k+r, n/t