Oogle,
Don't worry about it being a mil-bashing jaunt - pretty well all the posters who've come back at Crab are ex-mil themselves (I survived 28 years working for Aunt Betty). Like Speechless Two we've made the transition with differing levels of success (and pain) into the Dark Side, aka civilian aviation. It's a process which the unwilling or unwary can find quite shocking.
Crab,
I would like to know how the ex-mil guys attitude compromised flight safety
- without pretending to speak for Speechless Two (there must be some quip about getting 4 presses of the PTT here somewhere), consider the case where some numpty ex-mil bloke decides that the police task he's on is going to be done HIS way, not the way the bobbies require (and pay for). CRM breakdown = FS hazard. Just one possible example from my chosen ex-mil flying "career".
As for mandating radio for all aviators, its a sound opinion and you're fully entitled to it. You've got reasons for it which you've explained. My opinion is different - I think there's room for non-radio ops and my experience is that they can be safe to the tolerances required by most standards-monitoring organisations. As with the discussion over on the Speed Camera thread - if people think legislation is wrong then get it changed, but meanwhile live with it and make it work.