"I was just reading an article on www.congress.org concerning the draft. Click here.
I'm just wondering what you think about it (after reading through the article, of course). I don't think you'd like to see your young philosophy students going off and dying for something they don't support.
Anyway, I'm a little bit nervous and scared of this measure. I really do not want to go off to war, even though I know I wouldn't necessarily have to serve in combat. It's violating my civil rights. Where in the Constitution does it say that I have to put my life on the line for my country? It's ridiculous. And especially for a cause I don't support. It's really no different than if Congress/Bush/whoever forced me to fight a war for Christianity. I absolutely refuse. And college can't even get me out of it! Postponing my education--and my life--to go fight for a war that I don't care about at all? Sure, I'll just make my life secondary to my country. A draft will escalate the war on terrorism (I'm sorry, I meant war for money, power, and to save face), and will alleviate funds from alternative energy sources. Instead of putting billions of dollars into trying to win oil fields, we need funding for alternative energy! But I digress... Canada and Europe are looking better and better to me with every passing day.
I'd like it if you would give your response on your website for all to see. It's a pressing issue and ought to be addressed."
I'm just wondering what you think about it (after reading through the article, of course). I don't think you'd like to see your young philosophy students going off and dying for something they don't support.
Anyway, I'm a little bit nervous and scared of this measure. I really do not want to go off to war, even though I know I wouldn't necessarily have to serve in combat. It's violating my civil rights. Where in the Constitution does it say that I have to put my life on the line for my country? It's ridiculous. And especially for a cause I don't support. It's really no different than if Congress/Bush/whoever forced me to fight a war for Christianity. I absolutely refuse. And college can't even get me out of it! Postponing my education--and my life--to go fight for a war that I don't care about at all? Sure, I'll just make my life secondary to my country. A draft will escalate the war on terrorism (I'm sorry, I meant war for money, power, and to save face), and will alleviate funds from alternative energy sources. Instead of putting billions of dollars into trying to win oil fields, we need funding for alternative energy! But I digress... Canada and Europe are looking better and better to me with every passing day.
I'd like it if you would give your response on your website for all to see. It's a pressing issue and ought to be addressed."
I agree it ought to be addressed, but I'm not convinced it's a pressing issue. I could easily be mistaken, but I think most politicians would view reviving the draft to be a form of political suicide, and there is no group of people more horrified by suicide than politicians. I also don't know that there is a need for the draft at this time since recruitment levels in all branches of the military are above the goals the services had set.
Even so, as I understood the article linked to in this e-mail, the draft envisioned by the bills would not be solely a military draft but would require some form of public service which could be either military or non-military. I would suppose that, in the unlikely event such a bill was passed into law, those who have strong objections to military service could opt for an alternative.
All of this is secondary, however, to what I think are the larger questions raised by this e-mail: What obligation do we have to our country? Are we obliged to fight and perhaps die for a cause in which we do not personally believe? These are very good questions, indeed, and rather than ramble on about them myself, I'd like to know what other readers think. Please send your thoughts via the Speak Up button and they'll be posted on the Feedback page.