Bring back the draft?

[Roy Rolling]

As an exercise in gathering he best ideas from the best minds in America, I am interested in hearing from DUers on the pros and cons of the all-volunteer army, now that it seems like the US is at war all of the time. Is there a correlation between a professional army and the ease that politicians send people off to die in war? Feel free to elaborate....

Thanks for enlightening me.

14 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Time expired
	Hell no! We won't go! NO DRAFT
	5 (36%)
	Spread the misery! End endless for-profit wars. DRAFT SOLDIERS INTO MILITARY
	9 (64%)
	Undecided....perhaps I'll learn something from this discussion
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[razorman]

1. Since I'm too old and crippled to be drafted, I say, "Go for it!".

[Lee-Lee]

2. As a Soldier

20 year reservist to be exact.

I say hell no.

I have also dealt with the public and seen the quality of people. Way too many people out there I wouldn't want watching my back, nor trust to, even if they wanted to be there- even less so if they didn't.

[dembotoz]

3. why

[LostOne4Ever]

4. Hell NO!!!

Forcing people to join the military is the epitome of authoritarianism to me.

Nobody should be forced to risk life and limb in a free country. If the country can not inspire enough patriotism and love of country to recruit enough soldiers to fight a war then that war is not worth it.

[Recursion]

5. As a veteran, no

I wouldn't want somebody next to me who hadn't freely joined, and I wouldn't want the next generation of Marines to have to do that either.

[Logical]

7. Seemed to work ok for WWII n-t

[Recursion]

8. If we go back to fighting two-ocean wars against superpowers, I'll reconsider

For the kinds of wars we've been fighting since then, no thanks.

[Logical]

6. The draft would stop these endless wars overnight! n-t

[Recursion]

13. Then explain Vietnam (nt)

[RC]

16. Did it stop Viet Nam?

Don't think so.

[Logical]

17. Different time, no draft for 2 generations. I think people...

Would revolt for a half ass war.

[quakerboy]

31. Im too young to recall directly

But Ive had the impression that the main reason we eventually got out of Vietnam was the draft eventually taking its toll. As in, if we were running independent contractors and a volunteer army, maybe we would still be there today. a la Iraq or Afghanistan. Feel free to correct me, but that's the flavor of what I picked up reading history books.

[valerief]

9. Where's the Bring Back the Draft So Youth Can Protest Oppression option? nt

[Ron Green]

10. When I served

"U.S." draftees were every bit as reliable and capable as "R.A." guys. And there was a healthy dissent in the ranks that I guarantee isn't found in today's all-volunteer hired force.

[spin]

11. I feel our modern military is far more professional and therefore superior ...

to the military forces we had during the draft years.

However I did serve in the Air Force during the Vietnam era although I was stationed stateside the entire time. I feel the experience of military life and discipline helped me immensely and the training I received prepared me for a career in electronics.

I would have never volunteered to join the Air Force had not my mother, who had a friend on the draft board, informed me that I would be drafted in the next month. I might have decided to make a career our of the military but I got married and my wife threatened to divorce me if I reenlisted. I should have taken her up on that deal.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

12. Yeah this worked so well during Vietnam.

I can't think of any rich, elitist, snot nosed punks who were able to get out of it.

[Scootaloo]

14. It's worth noting that the draft has never ended a war anywhere

An in fact levying troops seems to make wars more frequent and forces them to drag out so long as the government in question has citizens to conscript.

Anyone telling you "the draft would end wars!" is living in a pastel fantasyland where they believe the myth that draft protests ended Vietnam. you know, twelve years after we began operations, a year and a half after the Vietnamese had already decided the outcome, six months or so after congressional will to fund the endeavor started drying up, with over seventy-five thousand dead? Oh yeah, draft protests sure put the stopper on that one.

You want to end (or at least slow down) wars? Forget the draft. Work for legislation that says the US government cannot use "third party" soldiers - no Blackwater mercenary types. It must instead rely exclusively on the men and women who volunteer with the brances of the US armed forces.

[Roy Rolling]

22. Good idea

Not using mercenaries is almost always a good idea.

[silverweb]

23. Well said.

[RedCappedBandit]

30. Say corporations cannot profit in any way from the war machine.

Problem solved.

[hack89]

15. A draft = a much larger military

if the draft is to be fair. Can we afford a much larger military?

And don't forget - there will still be plenty of volunteers. If you don't expand the military, just how many draftees do you need.

[ileus]

18. Are we running out of volunteers?

Did I miss something? Is there a war that's draft worthy somewhere? I thought we were a party against war?

[jaysunb]

19. "Greetings"

The dreaded letter that me and an awful lot of my friends received. I didn't like the Army and I hated Vietnam, but I served w/ many guys who's families had money--many of whom volunteered. It's a mixed bag, but I'd bet military adventures would come to a halt.

I'd love to see it reinstated...

[madville]

20. They are turning away people these days

A draft is useless with so many volunteers on waiting lists to get in. The military pays pretty decent these days as well, as an E-6 with 10 years in one would be taking home over $4,000 a month with BAH and BAS included plus free healthcare, college and dental.

[LWolf]

21. Not unless

every son and daughter who don't want to sign up are given a permanent VISA to some more socially evolved nation.

[limpyhobbler]

25. I support a draft only for children of wealthy families.

Poor people enlist anyway.

The war deciders are rich so they are able to escape the consequences of their decisions.

This would be an equalizer and prevent some wars.

[XemaSab]

26. Mandatory military service would put skin in the game

for the middle and upper classes.

There's a whole world that most of us never see, and it's time for the rock to be lifted on that action.

[Egalitarian Thug]

27. Both positions on this issue are valid, IMO. The economic draft is every bit as obscene as the old

draft, and the fact that it ensures that less than 1% of American families are supplying the blood for our corporate conquests is what makes perpetual war possible.

But if ending perpetual war is the goal, the best solution is to eliminate, or at least drastically change the War Powers Act.

Our whole nation has simply abdicated responsibility for the conduct or our nation. We're too lazy, stupid, ignorant, or just don't care enough to take our own responsibility for running our country. It's pathetic and shameful, yet we don't even care enough to be embarrassed about it, and that's why charlatans and thieves own us.

[newfie11]

28. The rich got out of the draft when we had one

If you think it was fair before think again.
Bring it back and you will have the rich sending our youngsters to do their bidding. Their kids will stay home.
NO WAY!!!!

[RedCappedBandit]

29. Force people to sacrifice their lives in the pursuit of MIC interests? Fuck no. nt

[B Calm]

32. Only if everybody has to serve! No deferments!

[Motown_Johnny]

33. Mandatory service for all or volunteer only, the draft is the worst option.

[Sparkly]

34. I expect to be flamed, but I say YES to mandatory service (not necessarily military)

I think this is a big piece of what's lacking in America today. There's little sense of "we're in this together," or social conscience, or what used to be called "patriotism." Instead, there's a huge sense of entitlement.

Today, only the older generation remembers what it was like to live with the draft. We also grew up saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, celebrating Flag Day in elementary school, studying "Government and Citizenship" or "Civics" in high school. Our parents had experienced the national sacrifices of WWII, so the draft carried throughl our lives.

The whole country feels the pain of war when there's a draft. It's not about cheering war or broadening the pain when it happens. It's about government, responsibility, and yes, sacrifice. We remember the draft during the Vietnam war. These days people whine about their "freedom" just for paying taxes! ("Support the troops" unless it costs anything.)

I think EVERYone should do SOMEthing in service to the country. It could be local community service, military service, or anything in-between. It's about "giving back" for American democracy, because trite as it seems, it's true that "freedom isn't free." Whether it's reading books to underserved children, cleaning public grounds, or enlisting for military service, when every citizen gives, everyone is invested.

This may sound like communist "indoctrination" or a socialist "agenda" or whatever. But beyond what a sense of national duty does for others, it also does something for the individual. It's that perspective -- of responsibility to each other -- that we need to get back.

[Ohio Joe]

35. There is no correlation there...

The method through which we get our military personnel is not related in any way to the way we use them. Stock it one way... Stock it another way... The people sending them to kill and die do not care. It is that we allow them to send our people to kill and die that we have to stop.