US military says US kids are too fat to fight

[Makalakumu]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36664612/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?GT1=43001

WASHINGTON - School lunches have been called many things, but a group of retired military officers is giving them a new label: national security threat.

That's not a reference to the mystery meat served up in the cafeteria line either. The retired officers are saying that school lunches have helped make the nation's young people so fat that fewer of them can meet the military's physical fitness standards, and recruitment is in jeopardy.

A new report being released Tuesday says more than 9 million young adults, or 27 percent of all Americans ages 17 to 24, are too overweight to join the military. Now, the officers are advocating for passage of a wide-ranging nutrition bill that aims to make the nation's school lunches healthier.

You know, for years and years, people like me have been working our schools and have been saying that kids are out of shape and that their health is at risk. As soon as the military comes in and says that these kids can't fight, they are national security risk, then it becomes time to do something.

Sigh, throw out the PE teachers and lets bring in some drill instructors. If the military is the only thing that can motivate our government institute better programs for our children, we might as well just send our kids to military school and quit pretending that the MIC doesn't exist and doesn't really run the show.

Although all branches of the military now meet or exceed recruitment goals, retired Navy Rear Adm. James Barnett Jr., a member of the officers group, says the obesity trend could affect that.

"When over a quarter of young adults are too fat to fight, we need to take notice," Barnett said.

:duh:

Today, the group is urging Congress to eliminate junk food and high-calorie beverages from schools, put more money into the school lunch program and develop new strategies that help children develop healthier habits.

The school lunch bill, currently awaiting a Senate vote, would establish healthier options for all foods in schools, including vending machine items. The legislation would spend $4.5 billion more over 10 years for nutrition programs.

The Army is already doing its part to catch the problem earlier, working with high schoolers and interested recruits to lose weight before they are eligible for service, says U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Mark Howell. He added that he had to lose 10 pounds himself before he joined the military.

"This is the future of our Army we are looking at when we talk about these 17- to 24-year-olds," Howell said. "The sad thing is a lot of them want to join but can't."

:hb:

Oh well, I guess the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Still, now it's a problem? When the kids are too fat to go to war?

*takes a deep breath*

The satirist in me is having a hard time controlling himself.

Your thoughts?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

build wider tanks.

 

[chaos1551]

In every country we invade and export democracy to, we should also export the FDA. Drag them down to our level.

Er.. wait, did you want a serious thought? Let's put everyone in the country on a diet. It's a new trend, something that might catch fire like FenFen or Mini Thins. I have a catchy name for this diet. It's called the Quit Eating So ****ing Much Diet. It's coupled with limiting your couch time to a mere four hours a day (down from eight or more).

So simple.

 

[Makalakumu]

Excuse me while I bang my head and do some push ups while repeating, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

This is one of those little issues that is sooooo ****ing frustrating, because it's like a tiny minutia detail of a larger picture don't want to look at.

I know you got a bunch of drooling brainwashed zombies out there who are like, "You're god damned right kids are too damned fat. If they can't go to war, what damned use are they to this country!"

This article is sounds like a Monty Python skit.

 

[Ken Morgan]

"Get rid of the gym teachers and bring in drill instructors?" They already did half of that equation, guess which part??

Use to be gym every day for an hour, now, its maybe an hour a week, plus no recess, plus junk food in the lunchroom, what did everyone think was going to happen????

Up here, if i recall correctly, the military has a pre enrolment course, designed to get you in shape before basic training. How sad is that??

 

[Bill Mattocks]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36664612/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?GT1=43001You know, for years and years, people like me have been working our schools and have been saying that kids are out of shape and that their health is at risk. As soon as the military comes in and says that these kids can't fight, they are national security risk, then it becomes time to do something.

I have no doubt the reports are true. However, one of the prices of freedom is that the government does not get to dictate how people chose to live their lives. It's nobody's business but the kids and their parents.

The satirist in me is having a hard time controlling himself.

Hard for me to tell where you were being satirical in your response, so clue me if I'm misunderstanding you.

My thought is that people who believe the government's job is to provide instead of promote the general welfare always deny that they want to tell people how to live, and then they proceed to state how people should be made to live; by law, if necessary. Example above (whether you were being tongue-in-cheek about it, I could not tell).

As we progress further down the rabbit hole of state-managed health care, the impetus will be on the state instead of the insurance companies to control costs by controlling behavior. Rather than 'encouraging' healthy behavior, the citizens will cry out for mandated healthy behavior, since we'll all have to be paying into the system and costs are tied to the health risks people create for themselves. When one can't opt out of paying their share of the expenses, one has the right to demand some form of control over costs.

 

[CoryKS]

In twenty years, our military will consist of wifi-controlled warbots. These kids will be waging war from a barca-lounger computer rig with a fridge filled with Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew, and they will be the deadliest force on the planet because these fat bastards have been honing their skillz since they were five.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

In twenty years, our military will consist of wifi-controlled warbots. These kids will be waging war from a barca-lounger computer rig with a fridge filled with Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew, and they will be the deadliest force on the planet because these fat bastards have been honing their skillz since they were five.

Hey I'm not fat (yet, anyway) and I've been dumping quarters into Area 51 since middle school.

On a more serious note, this "report" is coming from a group of retired military officers, and the article even states that military quotas are currently sufficient, even with Iraq and Afghanistan. I respect these officers for their service, but part of me thinks this just a case of bored retirees griping about "kids these days".

And I agree with Mr. Mattocks, even if the younger generation's eating habits could put a hinder on military recruiting, implementing a public health regiment is too high a price to pay for a remedy.

 

[blindsage]

I have no doubt the reports are true. However, one of the prices of freedom is that the government does not get to dictate how people chose to live their lives. It's nobody's business but the kids and their parents.

Except parents don't decide what food is available to eat in the schools, the state does.

 

[Makalakumu]

Hard for me to tell where you were being satirical in your response, so clue me if I'm misunderstanding you.

I would prefer to see parents telling their schools that they want healthy food and PE programs rather then the government coming down and doing in the name of increasing our nation's fighting ability. When it comes to schools, I'll come down the side of freedom for parents and kicking the government out of the business, to the point where they only write the checks.

The ironic thing for me is that in the system we have now, appealing to all of the positive reasons for promoting healthy food and exercise don't seem to matter. As soon as the kids are too fat to fight, we'll that's when the system moves.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Except parents don't decide what food is available to eat in the schools, the state does.

Only when parents abdicate.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

I would prefer to see parents telling their schools that they want healthy food and PE programs rather then the government coming down and doing in the name of increasing our nation's fighting ability. When it comes to schools, I'll come down the side of freedom for parents and kicking the government out of the business, to the point where they only write the checks.

Mayhaps a side issue, but if the government is writing the checks, you don't see a problem with not giving the legislature a say in the matter? Taxation without representation and all that fun stuff?

 

[Makalakumu]

Mayhaps a side issue, but if the government is writing the checks, you don't see a problem with not giving the legislature a say in the matter? Taxation without representation and all that fun stuff?

It's a side issue, but I think a system of local, state, and federal grants for education would stimulate the diversity of schools that we need for diverse learners, especially if they take a hands off approach. Taxation without representation is another issue unrelated to this. Ultimately parents should have the ability to choose the kind of school they want their kids to go to.

Back on topic, does anyone else think that this article more properly belongs in the Onion?

 

[Gordon Nore]

Except parents don't decide what food is available to eat in the schools, the state does.

I'll dig up the source, but some twenty years ago, high school cafeterias (can't remember if it was Boulder or Denver) were turned over to McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds. Now, at the time, McDs was ineligible for funding under the National School Lunch Program in the US. Students who could not afford meals worked part time behind the counters to earn their lunch. These included, according to reports at the time, special needs kids and young mothers.

At the same time, Pizza Hut made inroads into federally subsidized school lunch rooms by having its meat substitutes declared not to be meat by Congress. If it's not meat, it doesn't have to meet federal meat federal inspection guidelines of the FDA. Similarly, here in Toronto, one school board at the time negotiated a deal with Pepsi to put pop machines in school in exchange for $$$.

Why hire nutritionists, pay kitchen staff school board rates with a union and a pension, when you can bring in hourly workers under a profit-based model?

That kids are heavy. No big surprise to me, especially working in the inner-city. Moms and dads doing shift work, shaking hands at the door, afraid for their children to go into the community after dark. I know parents who are at home in the evenings who are afraid to venture out to a community centre. Apart from what kids eat and how much gym they get, we've got a generation of kids who are virtual shut-ins.

When I was a kid, the reason that I wasn't fat had less to do with my gym program than other factors. I ate meals, not snacks. I didn't belong to organize sports, but it was no big deal to hop on my bike, go down to the ravine and go for a hike.

 

[Archangel M]

Eh. Whatever it takes.

 

[Archangel M]

Anybody see any of Jamie Olivers Food Revolution?

http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution

 

[Big Don]

Except parents don't decide what food is available to eat in the schools, the state does.

So, then, it is the government's fault?

 

[CanuckMA]

Diet and lifestyle.

I was in Israel last month. Toured the country for 2 weeks. At one point somebody in our group remarked that while there are overweight Israelis, we've never seen anyone truly obese.

The diet is rich in fruits and veggies. Not a lot of red meat, but a good amount of turkey.

 

[Makalakumu]

Eh. Whatever it takes.

No kidding right! I missed the political wind here. I should have put on my best Col. Ripper voice and argued, "how in the hell do you expect us to fight these commies when all of these kids are fat and can hardly walk up a flight of stairs!"

"It was a communist conspiracy to fatten us up and slow us down!"

LOL!

No more limp-wristed liberal talk from me about "healthy foods" and "exercise". We need men and we need soldiers in todays world!

 

[Bruno@MT]

I have no doubt the reports are true. However, one of the prices of freedom is that the government does not get to dictate how people chose to live their lives. It's nobody's business but the kids and their parents.

That depends. If the schools are funded with public money, I guess that one of the conditions for getting the money would be that it is spent according to some guidelines. This is also the norm for other things, like how no government should go near anything that even hints towards abortion.