Will a Draft be Reinstated?
Thursday was an interesting day. I received two emails from people and had two conversations with other people about the possibility of the government restoring the military draft. With good reason, I believe, this is a topic that seems to be much on people's minds these days.
On September 15, Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards told a West Virginia mother that under a John Kerry presidency there would be no military draft. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has also gone on record opposing a draft. Nonetheless, we have had selective service registration required of all eighteen-year old males since 1980 and the ongoing war in Iraq has severely depleted those men and women on active duty, in the reserve or guard, or those available to be recalled to active duty. If the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue and the need for fresh troops remains acute, a universal draft will look more attractive to the Pentagon.
Legislation has been pending in Congress (S 89 and HR 163) since 2003 that would, if enacted, re-instate the draft. Both bills have been introduced by Democrats, supposedly acting on the theory that if we had a draft for which all men and women of a certain age were eligible, our President and Congress would be more cautious about committing our troops to the kind of overseas adventures we are currently involved in and have already cost us more than 1000 US deaths and thousands more wounded in Iraq alone. Giving the sponsors of these bills the benefit of the doubt that they truly believe this, this is fools' logic. With the kind of cavalier disregard for the truth displayed by President Bush while leading us into the Iraq war and the cavalier disregard for their responsibility that our Congressmen and women displayed, no sane person would entrust these reality-challenged buffoons with even more of the lives of our precious children.
I have a fifteen-year old daughter, a 17 year-old nephew and a 19 year-old niece. I have a dear friend with a 21-year old daughter. I, my sister, and my friend did not raise our children to see their lives squandered. None of us in this country did, yet we have no reason to believe that given that control over our children's lives, those in power in this country wouldn't squander those lives for selfish political or economic reasons.
The lesson I had reinforced most acutely from the events of 9/11 was that each life is unique, precious, and fragile. A life can be taken in an instant, and all the hopes, struggles, loves, and dreams of that person are gone forever. I cherish every day I walk this earth, all the laughter and smiles I encounter, and all the opportunities I find to touch others. I am far from unique in holding these feelings.
I do not naively believe that all people share this attitude. I recognize that there are those who would take advantage of such an attitude to destroy me and those I love. However, I cannot examine the record of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and all the others over the last three and a half years and trust these people or those working for them to place on the lives of America's young people the value that each deserves, to make every effort that they can and should to ensure that none of these lives will be placed in harm's way needlessly, to display in the future the thoughtful evaluation of the needs, risks, and benefits inherent in any potential armed conflict. They've not done so in the past and they have neither done or said anything to indicate that they recognize, let alone have learned from, the mistakes they have made. They shall not have my child.
Please contact your Senators and your representative in the House of Representatives, and tell them of your opposition to HR163 and S89.
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