loquitur

That's true. I was speaking figuratively - that we shouldnt' condemn the military altogether merely because they have the same issues that most large organizations have.

will, what you just said is why we need to keep the number of arms of government to a minimum, precisely because they have coercive power. The military is unique only in that you can get shot at. It's not unique in terms of the govt's ability to impose severe penalties on you if you don't follow its rules, even if it lies to you. I've represented people who were lied to by the govt, will, and the recourse people have isn't what it should be, because the govt gets to make the rules.

As for the contract terms, I addressed that too - it's not all a one-way street.