Re: Starship Troopers

Michael Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Thu, 25 Sep 1997 19:50:54 -0400

Michael Butler wrote:
>
> On Wed, 24 Sep 1997, Michael Lorrey wrote:
> > In the "present day" of the story, its also explained that a "vet" is
> > anyone who has been in government service, so its apparently grown to
> > the point where its not quite government by bureaucracy.
>
> Nope, but that's what Heinlein thought he had said when asked later (the
> "veteran" quote). There is a theory that he was so pissed off by events of
> the day (the test ban, among other things) that he banged it out and
> shipped it off without a second pass. It is possible he meant to include
> what we think of as general "government service" as an option, but it's
> not what the book itself says.
>
> The actual text never says bureaucratic work is an option--The
> induction MD is a civilian contractor who tells Johnny the options are
> "military duty, or a most unreasonable facsimile"--meaning, I take it,
> that whatever you're doing to get the vote is still something entailing
> significant risk to your life--"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."
>
> Being a smoke jumper, say. Or a Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer on
> *frequent* call. Hazardous duty. With all training being, just like the
> MI boot camp, "made as tough as possible, and for a very good reason."
>

I recall that the main character's high school buddy who signed up with
him went off to a secret research lab on Pluto. I wouldn't call most
labwork hazardous duty, would you? Yet he was in the "military"

-- 
TANSTAAFL!!!
			Michael Lorrey
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