U.S. Generals Want Congress to Implement Nutrition Standards for iZombies Because They’re Too Fat to Fight
May 2nd, 2010Via: BBC:
Rising rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, two retired generals have warned.
More than a quarter of young Americans are now too fat to fight, they said.
Writing in the Washington Post, the ex-commanders said the fat crisis ruled out more potential military service recruits than any other medical factor.
They want Congress to introduce laws to give US children better nutrition in schools, with less sugar, salt and fat.
John Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, both former chairmen of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote: “Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of our military.”
“We consider this problem so serious from a national security perspective that we have joined more than 130 other retired generals, admirals and senior military leaders in calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation,” the commanders added.
The warning comes amid mounting fears that childhood obesity has turned into an “epidemic” affecting an astonishing one in three young American people.
Mr Shalikashvili and Mr Shelton pointed to post-school lunch laws from 1946, which recognised that poor nutrition reduced the pool of military recruits.
“We must act, as we did after World War II, to ensure that our children can one day defend our country, if need be.”
I wasn’t aware that one could be too fat to fly a UAV…
Shades of 1942 Great Britain and the conditions that produced the Beveridge Report. History repeating itself. Again.
Reminds me of the adage our history teacher told us that Prussia needed educated soldiers, so they enforced mass schooling. Either you got dumb consumers or clever soldiers, but in the long run either strategy bites itself…
“They want Congress to introduce laws to give US children better nutrition in schools, with less sugar, salt and fat.”
The problem I see is good food costs cash.
If better quality food was sold the profit structure between farm and plate would have to change.
No easy way out for the USA anymore.
The growing up with food related health problems cannot be fixed at bootcamp.
The UK seems to be doing something interesting
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/
@ AHuxley – yes there are lots of movements for change in UK schools, but unfortunately there is also massive resistance from the kids and…. their parents! Amazingly, lots of poorly educated parents are fighting for their kids’ right to eat crap. And amazingly a lot of poorly educated people in the UK think that healthy food costs more than junk foods, mainly because they are too lazy and ignorant to put themselves out, preferring to convenience shop where healthy food costs more rather than find out where to buy healthy food very cheaply.
If it will keep them out of these endless wars, I will certainly encourage my children, grandchildren and others to “bulk up” to their hearts’ content. We are getting tired of becoming cannon fodder for the likes of the trash that sits safely in Washington while young Americans lose eyes, limbs, and lives in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
@Larry Glick – You are 2 funny, but I think you are right. Why be a lean, mean fighting machine sent off to a war to die, when you can eat your Twinkies and die fat and happy? What a conundrum.