mandatory military service

I myself have two different trains of thought on this.I am the wife of a retired career army man who spent time in the Gulf War and the mother of a draft eliglble son. I support my husband for his service but sure wouldn't want my son to go thru what his dad went thru.

Maureeno- Wouldnt this include women and girls also?

Oh no! Not my Emma!!
I can see this two ways: It should make everyone in this country more responsible in voting, and it would scare the dookie out of everyone because for once it would affect just about each and every person (no more putting heads in the sand).

Would it increase patriotism and sense of duty to one's country? Or could it foster more militia groups and anti-government splinters?

Good question, Maureeno.

All those in favor of the draft (on this BB or in Washington), please line-up to the right. Not your sons, not your husband, not your father....only you. YOU want to reinstate the draft, then YOU go for it. Hopefully Mr. Rangel will be the first in line.

Gomer, not that I'm in favor of the draft being reinstated, but the thought of me going through basic training... rolling around on the ground acting and LOOKING like Fred Sanford "this is the big one!!" having a massive MI... << shudder >>

I agree with you gomer.

Brett

I'm with you there vegas!!! that would not be a pretty picture in my case :roll

We had a lengthy and heated discussion about this on my other BB. While I support the idea of mandatory military service in theory, I have a problem with supporting it in actuality, given that it skipped my generation and I would not be directly affected, but would now be making decisions that would affect my 3 young nephews (and possibly both my nieces as well) in the future.

Also, given the very legitimate issues people have had with both past wars (Viet Nam) and future ones (Iraq), I have a problem with forcing conscientious objectors into uniform, expatriation or jail as their only options.

One idea that came up on my other BB which I thought had merit was to require 1 - 2 years of public service. The obligation could be met by either military service or by teaching, working in healthcare, in law enforcement, in homeless shelters, daycare, other community outreach programs (kind of like the Americorp model). That way, conscientious objectors wouldn't get to just slack off for 2 years while everybody else went off to boot camp, but they'd have an option instead of some kind of public service without having to flee the country or go to jail.

I think that idea has a lot of merit. I'll admit, though, it wouldn't do much for your goal of forcing peple to rethink their militancy by giving them more to lose. I understand your point, but since I'm already there, I can't calmly contemplate sending my nephews off to war without giving them any options.

Interesting topic.

While, idealogically, I am opposed to mandatory service,
I do believe that a return of the draft would make the idea of war much more personal to many who now only see it as someone else's life or loved one's life on the line.

And I have wondered for a long time-- way before 9/11-- if a military draft would have an effect on immigration. One of the first soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan was the son of immigrants. He had become a citizen, mom didn't (don't remember about dad), but his mother's comments on tv after he died were (paraphrased, as I don't remember the exact words- just the context) "I'm so angry. They shouldn't have sent him over there. This isn't even his country." As I recall, his parents
brought him here when he was pre-school.

I've wondered if fewer would bring their kids here, or cross the border to have them born here, and therefore be citizens eligible for the draft, if the draft was in effect.