For a DREAMy, Wartime, National Service Draft

[unhappycamper]

For a DREAMy, Wartime, National Service Draft
Thursday 14 October 2010
by: Robert Naiman, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

Recently, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been sounding the alarm about the fact that the burden of "our" wars is being disproportionately borne by a very small slice of the population: soldiers and their families.

~snip~

One the one hand: I strongly agree with Secretary Gates that the burden is disproportionately falling on a few, and that this is unjust, and I am glad that he is trying to use his position to call attention to this injustice and urge that it be remedied.

On the other hand: they are not my wars. I did not vote for them; I did not and I do not support them. I have worked with others to end them; obviously, my companions and I have not yet succeeded in this endeavor, but going forward, I am more seized with the urgency of ending the wars than with the urgency of spreading the pain more fairly while they continue.

~snip~

Secretary Gates is surely aware of the paradox of his position: he bemoans the fact that the burden of the wars falls disproportionately on a few, but he is well aware that the fact that the burden falls disproportionately on a few is a policy choice that has been made by his colleagues with the goal of facilitating war politically.

If we allow ourselves to consider all possible remedies to the problem posed by Secretary Gates, including those that are politically absurd, an obvious solution presents itself: reinstate the military draft.

[era veteran]

1. Hell yes

Things that would help us the best, a no deferment draft (or other national service) & campaign finance reform.

[pinboy3niner]

2. Hell no

While the existence of a draft would help to mobilize an antiwar movement, how many years would it take to be effective? How many unwilling draftees would die during that time for a cause they do not support?

In a recent OP, I added a note that is particularly relevant and worth considering here:

17,725 draftees were killed in Vietnam (30.4 percent of all combat deaths).

[tavalon]

3. It is a horror and yes, people would die who were drafted

but I think it would bring a prompt end to this empire's war mongering. I'm not okay with a draft but I'm even less okay with these undeclared, illegal and immoral wars and nothing we've done has put a dent in the machine.

[pinboy3niner]

6. I am sympathetic

But, as much as the idea of bringing the war home through a draft, changing public perceptions and mobilizing opposition, appeals to me, I have to balk at the idea of other mothers' sons and daughters being sent to die or to be maimed for the cause with no choice in the matter.

If I were to advocate for a draft, what would I ever say to the Gold Star Mother or Father or Sibling whose draftee was sacrificed for my cause?

[tavalon]

7. I'm fairly sure you know that many of our enlisted are enlisted,

not by choice but by economic necessity, right? People who had little choice are dying daily. And let's not even get into all of the Iraqis and Afghanis who didn't have a choice. I do have a tiny twist on it that might help end the atrocity of draft more quickly. No deferments and the draft isn't random, it's based on how much money your family has. The top two percent are the first to send their children. Time to bring the class war out into the light of day. It's raging anyway, we might as well acknowledge it.

I'll admit, I won't be able to fight this one all that hard because my heart isn't really in it. I want these wars stopped but I'm too much of a bleeding heart liberal to really be this Machiavellian.

[unhappycamper]

5. I saw that post pinboy3niner.

I think the United States is approaching a financial meltdown because the military is eating up pretty much everything in the national budget: roads, education, heath care, food stamps ( :wtf: ), aid to cities and towns, etc. etc. etc.

I've been really on the fence about a draft the last few years. A national draft would indeed jump start the antiwar movement but as you point out "How many unwilling draftees must die before we can get these damn occupations stopped?"

A dilemma, indeed.

[w8liftinglady]

8. it is a dilemma.I favor a universal draft....because

i see firsthand the huge percentage of men...and women...who have not been involved,yet are gung-ho to send others."They are volunteers"-you know.

As soon as one of the "keyboard brigade" has to face this shit-the war will end.
As long as they get rich off the death of others,there will never be an end to this fiasco.

[era veteran]

10. That is a problem I guess but never ending war is a larger

problem. If you are an American and your country is at war it is your duty to fight in it not give the poor all the death chances. If you feel strongly that a war is wrong resist and go to prison but why are we creating a warrior class in our Republic? The draft would stop some crazy adventuring like the stupid/ criminal Iraq War. The lottery draft, which I was a victim of (although I enlisted instead) was fair and the war was over soon afterward. The American Army is an organization that should never be used lightly like Bush did. The pigs in D.C. would be very hesitant to send their cronies sons and daughters off to never ending illegal wars. This subject is pretty touchy but like another posting you mentioned that " what would I ever say to the Gold Star Mother or Father or Sibling whose draftee was sacrificed for my cause? " What do you say to the parents of a volunteer that died? We, America, are supposed to be in this together. Wanting peace, though, may be our common denominator. R

[Orsino]

4. The goddamned "burden" is a manufactured one.

If Big Money didn't love war, and we didn't love the idea of kicking ass for no apparent reason in foreign lands, there would be no fucking burden.

Don't have enough willing soldiers? Stop waging so many useless wars.

[LeftinOH]

9. Maybe we could, um, you know.. um.. not have quite so many wars.

We have had two or three wars or occupations per decade (of varying intensity) for more than a century. Enough already.