dunno about the other branches, but in the Marine Corps, NCO's (corporals and sergeants) were allowed and encouraged to hang out together. fraternization was between NCOs and non-NCOs (lance corporals and below), between NCOs and staff NCOs (staff sergeant and above), between staff and non-NCOs, and between officers and (usually) non-staff-NCOs. (exceptions, always).

source: experience (mine).

Mods: Read this.

From TFA:

Which, unfortunately, would be something, but better than they deserve.

You might want to reread OP and think about what you just said. There might be some very basic between-the-lines, but I bet a good solid second glance would clear it all up for you.

Mods: Read this.

Damn, beat me to it.

You probably ought to get it out of your head that this Platonic ideal - the impartial reporter - ever existed at all.

Well done, sir. Well done indeed.

No, I think he's saying that we get too caught up in minutiae. WAY too caught up.

Who the hell modded this flamebait? Slashdot, you fail.

That doesn't, actually, make it a bad thing, though. I could go through the standard spiel about competition driving innovation, but the last thing I want is to start an ideology war in this thread.

Suffice to say that it doesn't much matter how we get up there, as long as we get up there.

News is plural the way sand is plural, and "news" is not verbing; "Next Media" is.

Their fingers are big-boned, you insensitive clod!

I had no idea there was another one. That's the sort of thing you don't expect to happen regularly.

It was California.