OPINION
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2007
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POINT/COUNTER POINT
The feasibility of a draft over a volunteer military
GARDENING TIPS
Keep the military based on voluntary enlistment
Drafting for the military would severely damage morale and thus the efficiency of the armed forces
Reinstituting the military draft will accomplish no military objective.
Since the War on Terror's beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, it has been political. Republicans generally favor proactive foreign prosecution, while Democrats generally favor defensive domestic protection. While the presidency and both houses of Congress were Republican, the war was fought in foreign theaters like Afghanistan and Iraq. (Yes, Iraq, where Al Qaeda-backed terrorists attack our troops, instead of attacking our office workers in New York.)
Opponents of America's military involvement in Iraq thought the Congressional elections of 2006 were their deliverance: the president's party had lost control, and it was only a matter of swearing in the freshmen before our troops would be coming home.
Of course this hasn't happened, because a Congressional majority understands the difference between campaign rhetoric and sound government policy. While campaigning against war might bring in votes these days, voting against the war is selling out America's security.
Since 1973, America has had a volunteer military. Fewer than 160,000 of 1.3 million active duty and 1.1 million reserve personnel are in Iraq. America does not need the draft for a lack of soldiers.
While military service is inherently dangerous, a volunteer force handles it best. Volunteers have felt the call of duty and regard their country and fellow-citizens so highly that they willingly risk their lives for them. Drafted soldiers are, by comparison, less effective. By definition they'd rather not be there. America does not need the draft for
does not need the draft for volunteers being less effective.
The only reason for a draft is to undermine the morale of military forces fighting the war. While domestic war support drops, military war support remains high. American support for involvement in Vietnam was undermined by soldiers who came home to oppose the war and draftees who refused to go. The opponents of involvement in Iraq are desperate to create a similar situation, hence the support for a draft among the very people who don't support the
war itself
This is despicable. To discuss a draft before committing troops may be a debate of tactics, but once troops are in battle, it does nothing but distract and endanger. Some war opponents don't seem to mind who gets hurt, however. Witness the support garnered by phony soldier Jesse MacBeth, who, according to the Seattle Times, claimed to have killed over 200 Iraqis, some while praying in mosque, only to be exposed for a fraud. His claims were amplified by war opponents and even translated into Arabic.
I LOVE EVERYBODY
As long as opposition to war trumps soldiers' safety, the draft will have support. But it is unnecessary and even dangerous to reinstate an American military draft.
Minster is a Lawrence senior in economics.
A draft would make people reconsider support for war It's easier to support armed conflict when you aren't called upon to fight
We've all been taught that the draft was terrible, and a last
terrible, and a last resort in a case of extreme military emergency or some such thing. But I beg to differ. Now there is something inherently bad about a forced recruitment, but it's not the fact that it forces people to enter the army.
What's bad about it is that we would ever be in a position that we need any people to fight, much less so many people that we have to force other people to fight as well.
People don't want to go to wars themselves. People don't want their kids to go to wars. And if it was a possibility that either they or their kids could be forced to go and possibly die in the name of something, then people are going to pay a lot more attention to, and be far more critical of, these attempted causes for military action.
As is, the military is fairly distant or a lot of people. So it's pretty easy to decide that they should go out to another country and fight, and then say how much you appreciate it with a bumper sticker or Toby Keith CD.
So we end up with this situation where we get into military conflicts more easily and probably placidly without a draft, which in turns creates a greater need for soldiers, which then may lead to even more conflicts.
via a sort of Madeline Albright, "if you got it, use it" foreign policy. Or we could reinstate the draft, which would make a lot of people angry.
But in the powerful, justified and important kind of angry that actually causes changes.
The draft would scare the hell out of a lot of people our age, more so than any movement on the chameleon scale at Homeland Security. And it would probably have the opposite effect. People would search a lot harder for ways to get out of our sticky situations and to, in the future, do everything we can to avoid any kind of mire, quag or not.
But the draft that our predecessors railed against would not really be effective to this end. To spread practical pacifism we need to have the range be broad and all inclusive.
Men and women, across all classes and occupations, between 18 and 30 years old, should all be eligible, with no exceptions. No deferrals for school, and especially no nepotistic exemptions for congressional family members.
If war was real a real possibility for everyone, then the Man is going to have to try a lot harder to convince us of any actions real worth.
White is a Colorado Springs, Colo., junior in journalism.
MAX RINKEL
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Bars generous to charities
After reading Jacob Muselmann's column in the Oct. 18 opinion section, I felt inclined to chime in. Jacob he hit the nail on the head, shining light on an issue that often receives little press. Although I didn't know there was anyone suggesting the money was tainted, I think that bars should be recognized for their efforts. As a member of the Best Buddies Chapter at KU, I would like to use this forum to thank the Hawk for generously donating $1,000 to our program. The
bar originally agreed to donate $1 of a given night's cover. I know 1,000 people didn't come through the doors. However, the bar generously rounded the number up. Bars around town are donating thousands of dollars annually to various charities with virtually no positive press. Thanks for bringing some positive aspects to the forefront.
Dan O'Neill Blair, Neb. Senior
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