Draft

[Randy Giles]

I know some people who are paranoid that the government (U.S.) is going to try to bring back the draft. A few days ago they sounded so sure of it that I googled it to see what I can find, and I really don't think it will come to that. At least not any time soon. But I was wondering:

- do you think they will start drafting in the near future?
- what would you think about it if they did?
- if you were drafted, what would you do? or feel about it?

Personally, if I was drafted, and they wouldn't let me do something in an office somewhere, I'd rather go to jail than have to be a soldier and "fight". I would refuse to kill someone else. I am not an anti-war protester or whatever you would call those people, but I think I'd rather die than have to kill someone for a war. (I would kill someone if it was in self-defense or in defense of a family member, but that's a different story.)

 

[nerd4hire]

You're talking about the recent comments of General Lute, right? I wouldn't worry about it. They were taken out of context by the media to whip up some hysteria. They do stuff like that. Here's what he actually said.

You know, given the stress on the military and the concern about these extended deployments for an all-volunteer military, can you foresee, in the future, a return to the draft?

You know, that's a national policy decision point that we have not yet reached, Michele, because the —

But does it make sense militarily?

I think it makes sense to certainly consider it, and I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table, but ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another. Today, the current means of the all-volunteer force is serving us exceptionally well. It would be a major policy shift — not actually a military, but a political policy shift to move to some other course.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12688693

He's not pushing for a draft, and failing a major catastrophe you're not likely to see one. 2008 is an election year.

As long as you're speaking hypothetically though what about this one? What if America was attacked? Would you enlist, wait to be drafted, run to a safe country, or go to jail as a conscientious objector?

 

[StuckinTraffic]

There are PLENTY of non-combatant jobs in the military, believe me. Matter of fact, support positions make up the bulk of today's military, the combat arms force itself is relatively small.

I don't think the draft is really a viable option. The political climate in the US today precludes it. I'm sure they'd like to keep the option open if they could, but if push came to shove, I don't think they'd go there.

I'm not eligible to enlist (well, I am eligible but it would take more than the normal amount of red tape to make it happen), but if a draft was instituted, I would certainly be in line to try.

 

[nerd4hire]

Come to think of it, things have changed since the last draft. Would you draft women now? If you didn't it would be sexist, and hypocritical. If you did it would leave a bad taste in people's metaphorical mouths. If you did draft women, would they get the non-combatant roles? Would men then be locked into the combatant ones? Interesting. I wonder how Israel does it?

 

[goldenboy]

Israel has conscription, right? Mandatory for males and females, I think.

Every time you hear US military officials on the matter, they almost always say they don't want a draft. They want their committed, professional force. Seems like most of the calls for the draft I've heard have been from Democrat Senators and Reps. I'm thinking of Charles Rangel, John Conyers...maybe it's more common on both sides now.

You do get the impression that they're stretching things a bit thin at times, especially with the Guard units. The multiple tours, the extended tours...

 

[Mortal]

I agree that a draft is not politically viable since the majority of the people already want out of Iraq and that majority would only increase if their sons and daughters were drafted. Politicians who voted to implement a draft would in turn be voted out of office.

But hypothetically speaking if there was a draft I wouldn't go to Iraq because IMO it's an unwinnable bullshit war based on lies.

 

[StuckinTraffic]

Would you draft women now? If you didn't it would be sexist, and hypocritical. If you did it would leave a bad taste in people's metaphorical mouths. If you did draft women, would they get the non-combatant roles? Would men then be locked into the combatant ones? Interesting. I wonder how Israel does it?

I would draft women, too. As I said, there are MANY more support roles in the military than there are combatant ones, and most of the combatant roles are not open to women, anyway. Even so, I'm a believer that a properly trained woman can perform any job in the military the same as a man. As highly technical as today's military is, there are not that many jobs that rely on brute force anymore.....so there's no reason to think that women couldn't do them. I understand what you mean about it leaving a bad taste in the public's mouth, but women get killed in combat, too. A woman in my husband's unit was just killed a little over a month ago. There would be a general outcry, but that's the sad fact of life....people, men and women, get killed in war. It's not like women haven't been dying in wars since the dawn of time, why all the rhetoric now?

 

[nerd4hire]

It's just a general feeling. Why? Don't you think there's an added negative vibe to Sally down the block being drafted, even if Billy next door was also? Maybe it's just me then.

 

[StuckinTraffic]

Oh sure, there's of course a negative vibe. I just don't think it should be used as an excuse to keep women from being drafted.