I know if I broke out of Sing Sing I'd bee-line to a place full of big, strong, organized, crack-shots who follow orders real well.

I am glad you are applying. Not being sure means you should learn more. My sister went to the navel war college -- which does not just teach US military. There were officers from a lot of different countries. Remember , the first war strategy is not to get into a war. ( ask me why Bush jr was a bad commander in chief)

I'm trying to set up Rock Band. I already foresee a storage problem. I have a designated shelf for video game accessories, but this stuff is too big to fit there. If I clean up the apartment a bit, I might be able to fit all this stuff under my table.

This game takes forever to set up. Now it's not letting me play until I get a system update, which looks like it'll take about ten minutes.

Hil, I have occasionally considered working as an immigration "prosecutor" because even though I'm pretty pro-immigration, it would give me a chance to apply the law (within reason) as I see fit and I might do some good, allowing people to stay. In the same vein, I think West Point would really benefit from you. Not only is it full of young people, but the students who go through there will influence the world in major ways later on. Actually, so will many of the faulty, so that might be a plus.

Also, I think you would find that there are more cadets than you would expect who are there for the free college education and are questioning the role of the Army in society.

Are own experience on B.org with veterans gives a strong hint that a lot of people in the military are good people, and not reactionary. Of course, in terms of politics, you are going to find more reactionaries at West Point than you will at (say) a liberal synagogue or liberal unitarian church. On the other hand you might find fewer reactionaries than you would at a (politically) conservative synagogue. (Note when I use the term "conservative" I'm referring to political organization, not denomination. That is in our town the "Conservative" synagogue is politically more liberal than the "Reform" synagogue, because of course the terms refer to religious practice, not politicaly leanings.

A friend of mine from high school went to West Point. I figure if it's filled with people more or less like him, it's OK.

I finally got Beatles Rock Band set up. This game is FUN.

One of my professors at a Quaker college guest-lectured at WP a lot after he retired. And he's about as pacifistic liberal reluctantly-ex-commie as you can get.

Just poking my head in (I'm supposed to be participating in an online discussion for my current class, but I've got nothing to say over there just this minute) - to offer to smonster, perhaps the preacher was referring to the idea/illustration of gold smelting - God tests us to find the dross and burn it away, leaving us pure gold? Just thought I'd throw that out as a possibility. Though increasingly more exasperated with "The Church" me thinks he's probably being more like my now former pastor, who clearly needs to be reminded that we are not owners of the Earth, but that we were put here to be good stewards of it. I mentioned the "now former", right? Grr.

Hil, if the Jewish Chapel is as beautifully done as the Protestant Chapel, you might find it interesting to at least visit for the interview.