
Ya gotta weigh the value of this. How much difference would Harry really make if he were allowed to join the ranks? I don't think he'd be winning the war singlehandedly or anything... he's basically be another grunt, doing the best he could. Him being in there's not going to win the war. It's not likely to have any major positive effect.
Meanwhile, his capture could be a big drawback. And if he were killed, that could be a huge blow to morale (which ain't exactly rosy as is). And, through no fault of his own, he would be getting extra protection. Unless he went in disguise and didn't tell anybody who he was and had a whole Spiderman secret-identity thing going, he'd get special treatment, which could compromise the other troops around him. Think about it: if you were in the army and Barbara or Jenna Bush was serving next to you, wouldn't you be distracted by trying to protect them? I don't even like 'em and I think I'd be doing it, just because... how'd you like to be the guy who didn't manage to save the leader of the country's kid?
So, I think we should grant Harry props for being willing to be an average joe and serve his country, when he could have pulled strings and ducked it in the first place if he'd wanted to. It doesn't take anything away from him that the country decided not to send him in, and I don't think it really makes the country non-egalitarian, either. It's just a question of weighing the possible benefits of the action against the possible detriments. In this case, I think the detriments would be heavier.
Cheers,
Zwolf
*edited 'cuz I put "way" instead of "weigh." Man, I'm gettin' old...
Edited by Zwolf, 16 May 2007 - 03:20 PM.