However, one person's analysis does not make it fact, or even applicable outside Israel. That article is FULL of unproven, and unstudied, cause/effect relationships. Most of it simply grabs something positive about the country and assigns its success to the policy of compulsory service. For one thing, the country being a technology incubator and hotspot has everything to do with conscious and methodical shaping of their economy politically through policy and nothing to do with compulsory military service. Oh, and it is also possible because of the billions of free dollars from the US. And also they have the freedom to do so because the US military covers their asses for them over the entire world and fully equips them gratis.

And technology development is nowhere near the same as basic research, although new computer toys are often conflated with breakthroughs in basic materials or fundamental knowledge by our science illiterate society. Yes, they may have "tech centers" in their military, but Israeli basic research contributions in science is almost nil. This is a staggering statement considering that in the 19th and 20th centuries, a vast amount of human knowledge and advancement came from Jewish scientists. In fact, they were predominant in almost all scientific fields.

And immigration? In Israel? You have to be kidding me. While they are definitely a nation built on immigration, it is non-diverse immigration of Jewish people, not broad immigration as the US has experienced (and greatly benefited from). Jewish laws themselves provide segregation and non-equivalence to non-Jewish people, especially Arabs. Even if they are natural-born full citizens of the country. In fact, the article specifically states that service in the IDF is open only to "non-Arab" citizens! What it fails to mention or specify is that it is also closed to non-Jewish citizens (Christians, etc). A large percent of Israeli citizens are non-Jewish, but they are not equal citizens by law. The whole premise of the article about the grandeur and openness of Israel's immigration policy is laughable.

As for applicability of Israel's model to the US, the IDF is used almost exclusively for internal policing matters. Go ahead, point to the application of the IDF overseas. Find their contributions to NATO. Show me where they contribute militarily to any of the spots in the world all other first world countries are involved in together. Happily, our constitution forbids our military from being used domestically and taking actions against our own citizens. So all of the young people compulsorily conscripted into the US military will need to be put to "work" overseas.

Tell me, if all our young people in our newly enlarged military aren't put to work starting and fighting new wars, what will they be doing? And if your answer is they will be studying science and developing new technology, etc in the "new" military's nation-building structure and mandate, wouldn't that be socialism at its largest? And wouldn't the same social and economic stratification that currently exists in our country reform itself in this new environment? ie. the socially advantaged and smart kids go to, and stay in, "military school" or "technology centers", while the non-advantaged and less intelligent go fighting wars and doing grunt work? And when their compulsory service is over, where do you think each will end up in the outside world? And will their views of our country and their senses of patriotism and involvement be any different than they are now?

And again, WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THIS? Our country is almost bankrupt now, with the military, military/industrial and "secret" spending taking the lion's share of our national budget. How will we pay for a large expansion, restructuring and reformation of the military? Will all the military "tech centers" start manufacturing and pay for themselves as nationalized industries? Competing with private businesses and industries?

I find it humorous that those who scream the loudest about how the US is becoming socialist and how we need to let businesses run free and unfettered and how we need to do away with social support programs and make everyone stand on their own two feet and support themselves are mostly the same people who call for compulsory military service and expansion of the military and its budget. Disappointingly, none of those people ever see the irony of that.

And what kind of country are we that we view military service as the highest, and apparently only, form of service to your country? That speaks volumes about what kind of country we have become, because that was certainly NOT the view during the period of time when we were building our country and making it the greatest economic power in the world. You know - that period when we were building our industries, leading the world in scientific discovery and advancement, building a more equitable culture and society (however painfully), putting in place the national infrastructure to allow historically unprecedented growth, etc. It is a view that has only taken root in the past 30 years or so - which arguably have not been our best years.

While I have great respect for people who serve in the military and I can justify having a strong military, I don't subscribe to that view above and I hold our country to higher standards than that.

And I believe that people who make films and deliver boats are contributing to the society and country.

Mark