There are plenty of things that need to be done in this country, that could be done by national service, and FDR proved it. My Dad built trails and infrastructure in the national parks while in the CCC, and a lot of what he did needs fixing after 70 years.
There are too many things that aren’t getting done, that could be done by people in national service.
I keep forgetting, Michael, that Congresses are two-year time periods, but I fairly certain that Rangel rabble rouses over the his draft bill every year, as this was the first time the House leaders allowed it to come to the floor this session.
]]>One good thing about universal national service that is not necessarily military service is that people like me could have participated, people physically unqualified to be trained as soldiers. If I had been drafted and sent to Vietnam, not only would I probably have died, but other American soldiers would probably have died on my account. No one should have to bear that burden. On the other hand, I would have been both dedicated and useful in, say, antipoverty programs, or efforts to provide decent housing, or teaching inner city kids to read. Even if we can’t be soldiers, there are plenty of things that “cripples” like me can do for their country.
Universal national service is, of course, not what Bush and his handlers have in mind. They want cannon fodder; they want precisely the disabled or inadequately trained or otherwise unsuitable soldiers I referred to above. I could never support a military draft instituted by a president without congressional authorization, for the purpose of allowing that president to conduct discretionary, preemptive, invasive wars. In no way does that constitute the defense of America, and the defense of America is the primary legitimate purpose of her military.
]]>In the real volunteer military, before Rumsfeld, you had to volunteer for the combat arms and pass a lot of testing to be accepted. These days they are pushing people through who shouldn’t be in the military, and would have been rejected during the draft.
]]>As to the children of powerful people and the concept of shared sacrifice, everything about the crew running the Executive right now reeks of exceptionalism, and a draft would be no different: Bush and his wealthy cronies would find ways to get their own children out of the draft, while poorer people without money for lawyers to fight their kids’ draft battles, or doctors to sign papers, or simply connections in high places to avoid the battles altogether, would be drafted and fight the wars Bush starts… just as they do now, though their path to becoming soldiers would be different.
In my seldom humble opinion, if Congress decides to reinstitute a draft, for the sake of legitimacy and the appearance of legitimacy, they must first reclaim the power to declare war. I have principled objections to a draft, but probably could be persuaded that it was a necessary approach if the wars that caused the need for a draft were legitimately declared by Congress after due debate, not started without consultation by a “unitary Executive” (read: dictator).
Our nation, acting as a whole, has a right to ask a lot of us and even of our children, under exceptional circumstances. But the decision about what circumstances justify the sacrifice should be made by the people’s representatives, not by one crazed, power-mad, self-serving man. From Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush, in my lifetime the trend has been toward presidents obtaining more and more unilateral power to commit our military to combat. Until that trend is reversed, I shall continue to oppose a draft.
(That said, Rangel clearly proposes a draft every session of Congress to make a point. Point made, Charles; point made.)
]]>The root problem isn’t who is sent to fight such wars, it’s who votes for the morons that wage them. At a fraction of the draft’s cost in lives, money, and individual freedom we could have a smarter foreign policy and sharper military if we did a better job of educating the citizenry in history (American, world, and diplomatic), U.S. government, and ethics.
]]>In ancient times you had champions from either side battling it out. I can just see Bush with full metal jacket out there dodging the rpgs . . . If the board of Halliburtons could just don their military uniforms and drag their butts over to the killing (oil) fields we might respect them a tad.
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