My cable modem went out this week and the repairman came out to replace it. He noticed the photographs on my computer and commented that he never took pictures before, at all, until he went overseas.

Where overseas? I asked. Iraq he said. He joined the Marines in 2003 and was deployed to Camp Victory in 2004. I thanked him for his service and said something about the military turning boys into men.

He proceeded to tell me that he was on the wrong track before joining the Marine Corps. He had a juvenile record and was afraid that they wouldn’t accept him, but they did, and now he sees a bright future. In fact, he’s been accepted to join the California Highway Patrol. His acceptance by the Marines and his service wiped his slate clean in the eyes of the CHP.

He wins. The CHP wins. The nation wins.

Last Tuesday, various instruments of Big Baloney ran scare stories about loosening recruiting standards of recruits with criminal records. If my cable guy is any indication, I’d say the military knows what it’s doing.