TresSugar

Female Marine Recruits More Lax About Sex Than Civilians

TresSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Hoping to learn how to prevent unintended pregnancies from impacting combat readiness, the Marine Corps took a look at the sex lives of female Marines. The study revealed that female recruits had higher rates of the most common STDs (chlamydia and gonorrhea) and were less fond of using condoms than the general civilian population. The survey also revealed more lax attitudes toward mixing sex with alcohol among the new female Marines.

When you're in the armed forces, your sex life can impact the country's national security. Hoping to avoid losing Marines to unplanned pregnancy or illness, the Marine Corps includes sex ed in basic training. Each female recruit also has to have a 30-minute informal discussion about reproductive health with a senior drill instructor. That's got to be a little awkward - drop and give me birth control!

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Marine Removed From Duty For Handing Out Bible Coins. Fair?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:00:49 -0700

A US Marine in Iraq has been removed from duty amid complaints that he was handing out coins with Bible verses at an American checkpoint, the military said Thursday.

A military spokesman said Iraqis in Falluja have complained that the Marine was giving the coins, printed in Arabic, to people at an entry control point in Falluja - they claimed that US troops were acting as Christian missionaries. US military regulations prohibit religious proselytizing.

Col. James L. Welsh, chief of staff of Multi-National Force, West said, "this has our full attention. We deeply value our relationship with the local citizens and share their concerns over this serious incident."

One of the coins is stamped with the words "Where will you spend eternity?" The other side of the coin reportedly contains a verse from John 3:16 that reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

A Coalition spokesman said, "regulations prohibit members of the coalition force from proselytizing any religion, faith, or practices. Our troops are trained on those guidelines before they deploy." A military statement said "appropriate action" will be taken if the reports are true. What action would be appropriate?

Another article tells the story of how tough it is to be a military chaplain in wartime - it's clear that religion is important to soldiers serving. Was handing out the coin, proselytizing? Was being removed from duty, fair?
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US Marines Make a Direct Appeal to Women

LibertySugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:00:30 -0700

The US Marine Corps is taking on its recruiting challenge the American way - with a targeted advertising campaign. Moving away from its nondescript demographic of "young men," the Marines launched sophisticated ads specifically appealing to women, Latinos, and Arab Americans.

The New York Times advertising section profiled the women-focused campaign:

In the latest campaign, a print ad shows a female marine striking a martial arts pose in front of a crowd of men who are looking up to her as their leader. The tag line: “There are no female marines. Only marines."

These ads run in magazines like Shape , Self, and Fitness, titles likely to be read by young athletic women. Instead of the usual commercials during a NBA game, female-friendly TV spots appear during American Idol. The Marines admitted women for clerical duties in 1918, and today women make up 6.2 percent of the Corps. As seen in this historical gallery, the appeal to women has become much more complex over the years, moving away from flowery brochures.

According to the NY Times, ads running in the La Raza Spanish-language newspaper emphasize family, with the slogan “Each unit in the Corps is a family, and each member knows they never stand alone." The message to Arab Americans? - “I am American. I am Arab. I am a Marine ... I know where I stand.”

Will an appeal to nontraditional demographics change the culture of the military? Do you think the type of woman who would join the Marines needs a direct appeal?

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Should Media Play Video of Marine Throwing Puppy Off Cliff?

LibertySugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:00:05 -0800

If you haven't seen it already, you may not want to. I'm talking about the video of a US Marine apparently hurling a small, whimpering puppy off the side of a cliff. I just happened to witness this while watching my morning news.

Marine officials are calling the video, which has been taken off YouTube, "shocking and deplorable" and an investigation has been launched. Meanwhile, the alleged puppy thrower and his family have been receiving death threats. Comments on YouTube identified the man, in what is being called "cyber-vigilantism."

What do you think about the video?

The US Marines vs. Berkeley - Who's in the Right?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:00:23 -0800

In January, the City Council of Berkeley, CA, voted to tell the United States Marines that their downtown recruitment office was to be shut down, and that they were "uninvited and unwelcome intruders." After fervent protests, this morning the City Council voted 7-2 to pass a follow up resolution written by two council members that would retract the original letter and make a distinction between opposing the war in Iraq and "our respect and support for those serving in the armed forces." The council's new position is firm opposition to the war, but that "we recognize the recruiter's right to locate in our city and the right of others to protest or support their presence."

Both sides of the controversy surrounding the initial policy and its reversal feel very passionately. One member of the pro-military group Move America Forward, whose son is a Marine said, that he wants a personal apology from council members, and that "the Marines have the right to recruit anyone, anywhere."

Some in the anti-war group Code Pink have said, "we want to ask the Marines to not recruit in our community. The majority of citizens here are fervently against the war. We're not against the Marines, but against what they're recruited to do."

What do you think? Should they have stood by their original resolution? Is the city of Berkeley within its rights to ask the Marines to leave?

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Headline: Manhunt For Suspect in Marine Murder

CitizenSugar — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:06:30 -0800

Police are hunting for Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, 21, the Marine Maria Lauterbach accused of rape. Laurean, the suspect, is from Nevada, and was last seen on the Marine base around 4 a.m. Friday. He's said to be driving a black Dodge pickup with North Carolina license plate TRR1522.

Lauterbach's disappearance occurred before she was able to testify about the sexual assault. Upon investigation, Laurean's house showed signs of both blood spatter and cleanup, including fresh paint over stains. He'd also written a note to his wife saying that Lauterbach had come to his residence, cut her own throat, and that he had buried the body. The suspect is still at large.

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Headline: Missing Marine's Body Found

CitizenSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:53:49 -0800

Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, a 20 year-old Marine, was eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance almost a month ago. This morning, she has been found dead.

Sheriff Ed Brown announced this morning at a press conference that her body was found buried in Onslow County, North Carolina. Though the sheriff is not calling it murder at this time, he did say that Sergeant Daniel Durham is being questioned. A key witness, not Durham, provided the information that lead police to her body.

The family's last contact with the Marine was Dec. 14, and the last time she was seen was five days after that.

Headline: More Troops Set to Deploy to Afghanistan

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:03:54 -0800

President Bush just approved what he's calling an "extraordinary, one-time" deployment of 3,200 additional Marines to Afghanistan. In March, 2,200 marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and 1,000 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif., will deploy.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said yesterday, "this has been timed to maximize our ability to take on the Taliban should they choose - unwisely, I may add - to attempt a second Spring offensive." The additional marines will bring US presence to 30,000 troops, the most since the US-led 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government. According to Pentagon data, currently about 28,000 non-US foreign troops are also in Afghanistan.
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Second Base? Lesbian PDA at Ballgame Causes Controversy

LibertySugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:00:29 -0700

An usher at a Seattle Mariners baseball game asked a lesbian couple to stop kissing because it was making another fan uncomfortable. I didn't know ushers were PDA police!

A woman in the audience asked the stadium official to interrupt the romance because there were kids at the game. The Mariners responded to the controversy, stating the usher intervened on account of the team's no-groping, no-making out rule, not because of their sexual orientation. The team's spokeswoman maintained that the couple was told they could continue to kiss, but they had to tone it down.

But the women deny they were getting touchy feely, saying that they just gave each other brief kisses while enjoying garlic fries. The garlic fry detail sort of makes their not-making out story more believable.

If there is a double standard, I'm not sure where it applies. Would a spectator complain, and an usher interrupt, if the pair was not gay? Does political correctness dictate that these women be allowed to violate the stadium's code of conduct otherwise applied to straight couples? Why are public displays of affection (gay or straight) inappropriate for a family environment?

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Introducing Elwood: The World's Ugliest Dog

GiggleSugar — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:36:09 -0700

The Sonoma Marin World's Ugliest Dog Contest 2007 was held this past Friday, and the winner is Elwood, a Chinese Crested with "lots of personality." With a face that looks like it was drawn by Picasso in his "drunk period," Elwood even makes snorting noises! The people who love these fug dogs are pretty adorable. One of them even has her ugly dog tattooed on her arm. Now that's devotion.