My question for you: Did you vote?

No. I gave reasons in these posts why I think voting, as it exists today, is pageantry to placate the masses without actually accomplishing much.

• The Loop: Why Voting and Revolutions Don't Work
• Should Anarchists Vote?

At the same time, I agree with your finer point about how voting, when it becomes more hyper localized, can be useful. To me, voting within a neighborhood context makes the most sense. At the same time, I recognize that some things shouldn't be put to a majority vote (such as the classic joke of two wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner). If we can adopt a shared moral framework such as the NAP (non-aggression principle), then some things are not open to vote (such as, "Hey, if we all vote to beat up or rape that person, then it's okay, right?").

Have you considered that some of the youth are over voting not because they are apathetic, but because they see the process as a scam and their values won't ever be accurately represented, especially if those values include an anarchist "no rulers"worldview? How I can I vote in a ruler to make decisions for thousands or millions of people if I think that very concept is fundamentally broken?

Thank you for that link about humanitarian work of the NAVY. That's quite encouraging for someone in my position.

U.S. Naval forces perform a wide range of humanitarian operations on an almost daily basis. These activities include rescues at sea, transport of emergency personnel and relief supplies, community service (both in the United States and abroad), emergency relief operations, medical services, and so on.

That's great news! I still have this nagging question: If a mafia family also does really good things in their neighborhood, does that justify their existence? If we're supposed to support the military because they sometimes do helpful things (though it's clearly not their primary mission focus), why not instead support those organizations who do have as their stated mission to do humanitarian work around the world?

Some barely understand how the world works

All the more reasons why I suspect the motives of those doing the recruiting are not on the level. Those going into military service often do so as a last resort. Their grades won't allow for college and they have no skills to offer in the workplace. I know I'm stereotyping here, but I think it's not all that far off. It reminds me of the police force rejecting applicants who's IQ scores were too high.

If they barely understand the situation, are they making a good, logical, rational choice? Shouldn't we highlight that as a reason for them not to go into military service? I completely agree with you that the public school system is fully messed up (My wife schools our three children at home). When I read books like Free to Learn by Peter Gray I think human brains are designed to learn creative skills through completely different mechanisms than the Prussian model of education we have now which is designed to create unquestioning factory workers. From my perspective, the education systems in place now are designed to dumb-down the masses and keep a ready supply of new recruits who have no critical thinking abilities to effectively evaluate the decisions they are making.

We did not intervene and so many people lost their lives because everyone saw it as not their problem.

This is in support of my point that the military isn't truly a force for good. That's a story to justify its own existence to those who are waking up to the reality of foreign involvement not motivated by compassion but by U.S. Interests.

you're talking about the people who are willing to risk their lives to save yours and your family's.

I recognize this and understand how it makes this whole conversation so very delicate and difficult. I tried to highlight in my post the fantastic character of many in the military who, by their daily actions, demonstrate incredible ethics and morality. That said, good intentions don't matter as much as the (often inevitable) outcomes. If those who believe they are doing good continue to see the results of their actions as causing more harm in the world, at what point should they re-evaluate their actions? Have you read War is a Racket and if so, what are your thoughts on it?

I hope you don't think I've bashed on you or your ideas too much here. I truly and sincerely appreciate them! I love your passion to improve the world and thank you for the time you've invested in replying here. Thank you! I know this can be a tough conversation, and I'm thankful there are those who can have it respectfully so we can all better understand ourselves and the world we live in to hopefully improve it.