Ben Stein on Military Recruiting

At American Spectator, he writes:

I read that the Army and the Marines are not meeting their enlistment quotas and I have two thoughts about this problem:

One, pay them a lot more. Not just a little more, but a lot more. Much, much more. They are indispensable. Let's treat them that way. If we have to raise taxes to do it, let's do it. These guys deserve a great life style if they offer up their lives for us.

Second, why would anyone join the Army if he reads the newspapers and watches TV? The mainstream media show the military doing three things: being criminals, abusing captives, killing civilians, torturing the innocent -- that's one way. Then they show the Army being stupid, making mistakes that get people killed. That's the second way. Then they show the military getting killed.

Who would want to join a military that's criminal, stupid, and a deathtrap?

But what if the media showed the military building schools, saving little children's lives, feeding families, getting sick people medical care? What if the media showed smiling, grateful Iraqis thanking the Army and the Marines? What if the media showed the military winning battles and capturing and killing terrorists?

But this is the more true picture of the military and it rarely gets showed.

Again, why wouldn't the Army and Marines have trouble attracting recruits if the media is endlessly saying you have to be a fool to enlist?

Well, I guess it never ends, does it?