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uh, no. I didn't say it was all right to lie. I said it's silly for you to expect that all military recruiters will be paragons of moral perfection if you're not willing to hold other organizations to the same standards.
And yes, 18-22 year olds are adults - they can decide to buy a car, have an abortion, buy cigarettes or do all sorts of other things. Like all other adults, they have a right not to be lied to - by anyone, whether military recruiter or used car salesman. There are plenty of contracts adults can sign that will subject them to very adverse consequences. And many contracts don't give signatories the sort of experience, training and benefits that soldiers get (for which they risk their lives, yes, but you'd have to be a moron not to know that if you sign up for the frickin' MILITARY you might get shot at).
Fact is, will, you're trying to impose standards on the military that you're not willing to impose on organizations toward which you feel more warmly. What I'm saying is that you have to recognize that no organization of any kind will ever be perfect because it's populated by humans. I'd hope the military would be better - and maybe it is, I'm not aware of studies that compare rates of deception - but hope and expectation are not the same. I'd want the military to be better, but again, what I want and what I expect are two different things. And we certainly should try to make the military better. That doesn't mean throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
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