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Thursday, February 2, 2006 12:00 AM

Out of jail, into the Army

Facing an enlistment crisis, the Army is granting "waivers" to an increasingly high percentage of recruits with criminal records -- and trying to hide it.
By Mark Benjamin

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  • Thursday, February 2, 2006 01:45 PM

    drafting criminals

    The Army can handle a few lowlifes -- petty thieves, card sharpers, gangbangers -- but I'd suspect that the tipping point is low. Once the proportion of lowlifes crosses that point, the Army will start to look like prisons and our worst high schools.

    Discouraging honest, middle class kids from enlisting, raising again the proportion of criminals in the ranks . . .

    —drlimerick Read drlimerick's other letters

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