And that sort of respect for authority has allowed the Military to be the first social foundation to move forward with racial equality.   It again has stepped up to face homophobic fears and the integration of women into the fighting forces.     Authority is a bit like a weapon, it has power, but it also must be directed by the hand of wise leadership.     I'm not an authority centered person, but as I've grown older, I saw the value of authority in a wide assortment of performance driven occupations.    I might be a child of the early 70's in Eugene with a strong anti-authority attitude, but I could never shut off my rational observations either.   Authority works if done with wisdom.   

Big lesson, everyone wins when authority allows dissension.    The military is a great example of strong discussion of opinions, but done mostly in private where dissension must be honest and supported, then seen as a measure of integrity not betrayal.  There is no shame in losing a fair fight.