Tag: Conscription

Conscription Anyone?

Remember the draft?

Of course you don’t.

Well here we go again.

That is when males turn 18 they register for military if needed (that is the short answer)

The actual draft has not been needed for many years but that does not stop idiots in Congress to propose an end run….

A bill has been proposed….

On Wednesday, during markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment to the NDAA that would automatically register all draft-aged male U.S. residents with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft, based on information from other Federal databases.

This system of automatic draft registration would replace the system in effect since 1980 in which young men can decide for themselves whether or not to sign up for the draft – and so many choose not to register that the Selective Service database would be useless for an actual draft.

The automatic draft registration proposal was instigated by the Selective Service System as part of its annual budget request to Congress, introduced in the HASC by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), “wholeheartedly” endorsed by HASC Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL), and approved by voice vote of the full committee without audible opposition.

Rep. Houlahan had been one of the leading proponents of proposals in previous years to expand draft registration to women as well as men. Her latest proposal for automatic registration of men only for a military draft indicates that she is more deeply committed to militarization than to any purported feminism.

The provisions for automatic draft registration are now included in the version of the NDAA that will go to the House floor. The NDAA is a “must-pass” bill, so these provisions are likely to remain in the version of the NDAA adopted later this year by the full House unless some House member introduces, and the full House agrees to vote on and approves, a floor amendment to remove them. It remains to be seen whether a similar provision will be included in the Senate version of the NDAA, although we fear that this may be likely.

US House Committee Proposes ‘Automatic’ Sign-Up for Military Draft

Is this a good idea?

I have mixed emotions about this….on the one hand it would be good for the society if more Americans had a sense of unity that the military could instill….but on the other hand this would just give the warmongers in DC a larger pool of bodies to be used to further whatever adventure they deem necessary.

Any thoughts on your part?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Ukraine Needs Men

It appears that Ukraine is trying to find soldiers to fight the Russians….they have lowered the age of conscription and even terminated consular services to ex-pats living in another country….trying to force them home so they can die in the fray in the East.

A new law passed is dividing the country on several levels…..

A divisive mobilization law in Ukraine came into force on Saturday, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive that some fear could close in on Ukraine’s second-largest city. The legislation, which was watered down from its original draft, will make it easier to identify every conscript in the country, per the AP. It also provides incentives to soldiers, such as cash bonuses or money toward buying a house or car, that some analysts say Ukraine can’t afford. Lawmakers dragged their feet for months and only passed the law in mid-April, a week after Ukraine lowered the age for men who can be drafted from 27 to 25.

The measures reflect the growing strain that more than two years of war with Russia has had on Ukraine’s forces, who are trying to hold the front lines in fighting that has sapped the country’s ranks and stores of weapons and ammunition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed two other laws Friday, allowing prisoners to join the army and increasing fines for draft dodgers fivefold. More:

  • Concerns: Oleksii, 68, who runs a car repair shop in Kyiv, worries about his business, as he expects 70% of his workers will be mobilized. “We will have to shut down and stop paying taxes,” he says, adding that it’s very difficult to replace workers because of their specialized skills. Most of them are already in the armed forces, he notes, adding that the law is “unfair” and “unclear.”
  • Volunteers: Rusyn is the head of recruitment for the 3rd Assault Brigade, one of the most popular among Ukrainian volunteers. He says he saw a 15% increase in men joining the brigade, which fights in eastern Ukraine, in the past months. Most recruits are between 23 and 25 years old, he says. For security reasons, he and his recruits asked to be identified by their call signs only.
  • Runaways: Many Ukrainians have fled the country to avoid the draft since Russia’s all-out invasion in February 2022. The nation’s Supreme Court last month said that 930 people were convicted of avoiding mobilization in 2023, a fivefold increase from the previous year. Around 768,000 Ukrainian men ages 18 to 64 had been granted temporary protection in European Union countries as of last November, per data from the bloc’s statistical agency, Eurostat. Kyiv has barred men under 60 from leaving the country since the start of the war, but some are exempt, including those who are disabled or have three or more children. Unable to cross the border legally, some Ukrainian men risk death trying to swim across a river that separates Ukraine from neighboring Romania and Hungary.

More here.

Anything that Ukraine cannot afford will be covered by the US for we have so much extra cash that we can pay the bills for the Ukrainian government.

When will enough be enough?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–06Apr20

Covid-19 news has smothered all other news from the conversation….but thank goodness there is the old Professor to keep his readers abreast.

It appears that women will have to register for the draft…..that is right the draft that is used if we need to call up people to fill the ranks of our military.

If a commission’s recommendation is accepted, young women will have to register for the draft when they turn 18, just like their male counterparts. After a three-year study into whether women should be eligible for the draft, the panel has decided they should, reports Politico. The outlet got the first look at the commission’s report to the Pentagon. “This is a necessary and fair step, making it possible to draw on the talent of a unified Nation in a time of national emergency,” the 11 commissioners write. It next goes to the White House and to congressional staffers, and it would be up to lawmakers to change the law if they wish.

Forced conscription was abolished in 1973, notes the Military Times, but men are still required to register. In addition to the commission’s report, the matter is being addressed in the courts as well. A federal appeals court is currently weighing whether a male-only draft registration is constitutional. About 224,000 women currently serve in the armed forces, notes Politico. And thanks to a Pentagon move five years ago, they can serve in combat roles.

This may be a non-starter for most people in this time of pandemic hysteria……but I have a few things about the need for a draft…

on Jan. 2, as Americans contemplated a return to work after the New Year holiday, shocking news began to ricochet across the internet: The United States had conducted a deadly drone strike on Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, one of that country’s most esteemed military officers. Suddenly, the U.S. appeared to be on a war footing with a sovereign nation, one with nuclear aspirations.

As whispers of a possible World War III gained viral speed, something unexpected happened: The nation’s attention turned to a small federal institution that has been little more than a historical footnote since the end of the Vietnam War. Google search traffic for “the draft” reached its highest levels since at least 2004; the U.S. Selective Service System’s website, which officials say was undergoing maintenance at the time, slowed nearly to a halt as panicked visitors flooded in. In the days that followed, the U.S. Army was forced to issue an announcement combating a malicious hoax. No, officials said: We will not conscript you and order you off to basic training via text message.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/22/bringing-back-draft-5-possibilities-future-military-conscription.html

We may need the draft to protect our nation in this time of doubt and confusion.

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

War–Invest Your Children

There is an old saying….”Old men start wars and young men fight them”……and then Sartre said “when the rich wage war it is the poor that die”……”War settles nothing!”

There has been a lot of reports about the possibility of a new war for us Americans to fight and die.

I see the warmongers thumping their chest in wild blood lust…and yet as many wars as we are fighting today I see very little of people in opposition to war.

The young should be listening to all the war rhetoric and listening closely…..for they will be called upon to fight the “good fight”….

America’s forever wars and their fallout over these last 18 years have been hell for kids. Just ask Ismail or any of the other 56 wounded children who survived an August 2018 attack on their school bus in northern Yemen by Saudi planes armed with American weaponry. Of course, you can’t ask the perhaps 40 children who died, thanks to a single 500-pound laser-guided MK 82 bomb made by Lockheed Martin. And that was just one example of the way, in these years, war has torn the lives of children apart across the Greater Middle East.

Take, for example, Iraqi children in a country remade (or, more accurately, devastated) by the U.S. invasion of 2003 and everything that followed from it, including the ISIS takeover of major Iraqi cities in 2014. By 2016, UNICEF reported that “one in every five children in Iraq is at serious risk of death, injury, sexual violence, and recruitment into armed groups.” That was 3.6 million children (a jump of 1.3 million in 18 months). And if you make your focus larger still, UNICEF recently reported that, thanks to largely war-induced humanitarian crises across the Middle East and northern Africa, 32 million children need assistance, 5.8 million of whom are refugees.

How War Targets the Young

I have written about the shortcomings in our volunteer military……the young needs to pay attention…..

Show me a better deal for the common person,” he said.

Soldiers like him are increasingly making the United States military a family business. The men and women who sign up overwhelmingly come from counties in the South and a scattering of communities at the gates of military bases like Colorado Springs, which sits next to Fort Carson and several Air Force installations, and where the tradition of military service is deeply ingrained.

More and more, new recruits are the children of old recruits. In 2019, 79 percent of Army recruits reported having a family member who served. For nearly 30 percent, it was a parent — a striking point in a nation where less than 1 percent of the population serves in the military.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/who-signs-up-to-fight-makeup-of-us-recruits-shows-glaring-disparity/ar-BBYQ89L

Here’s a thought for Millennials……pay attention and you will not be surprised…..but I guess for that to sink in I need to be on some sort of social media and have no life…..

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Hell NO! I Won’t Go!

Recent events have me thinking about days of yore and how they equate with today.

The title is a  familiar chant if you are an old fart that remembers the Vietnam War.

Read On!

But what about these days when there is NO draft for the young to worry about?

Could that change?

Today, however, the chances for great state conflict are high. As the threat of interstate warfare increases, America’s small expeditionary force (which is wearing thin from decades of constant deployments) will be insufficient to meet the challenges that rival great powers, such as China or Russia, pose to the U.S. military. This is especially true, considering the focus of America’s enemies on depriving U.S. forces of their aforementioned technological advantages.

…

U.S. policymakers should start planning now for the inevitable need to reconstitute the draft and should start anticipating how best to prepare for the demands placed upon its future force—and the country overall—in the event of another world war. When God told Noah to build the ark, he did not wait until the rain began. Similarly, U.S. policymakers have a moral duty to better prepare the country for the coming storm right now. A lack of planning will ensure the worst possible scenario befalls the United States when a great power war begins.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2020/01/07/the_next_world_war_is_comingand_so_is_the_draft_114963.html

Just so happens that a poll has been done and the question asked was if they would try to avoid the draft if necessary?

… a lottery was held to begin drafting Americans into military service for The Vietnam War. This lottery marked the first time since World War II that the US drew numbers to determine who would serve in the military, and it came amid anti-war protests that showed how opposed young people were to selective service. There was no legal avenue to avoid the draft, but many young men tried to find excusable reasons.

Young men today would do the same if there was a draft, according to data from YouGov. 

Three in 10 (31%) male Millennials say that they would “try to avoid being conscripted into the armed forces.” Since all males between ages 18 and 25 must enroll in the US draft, this group is the most likely to be impacted by selective service. Women and older generations were more likely to select “Not Applicable – I have good reason to believe the armed forces would not try to conscript me (e.g. because I am too old, have a disability).”

https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/11/27/50-years-after-vietnam-war-draft

Millennials would try and avoid serving if possible.

See the full YouGov survey results about conscription

Americans think it’s “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that America will send troops into a new war within the next 40 years. Other YouGov data from June 2019 found that a majority (59%) of Americans believe another “world war” is likely to take place in the next 40 years.

My thought is …REALLY?

Then maybe get off your ass and look up from that damn phone and become the voice to end these goddamn wars of intervention…..endless wars….

Hope I am around  to see how fast these little shits turn to antiwar movement to help save their butts…they will become what they laugh at these days….Boomers.

But if the House has its way they will do away with the Selective Service….once and for all…..

H.R. 5492 (text of bill) would:

  1. Repeal the Military Selective Service Act (thereby eliminating Presidential authority to order men to register with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft and eliminating criminal penalties for failure or refusal to register);

  2. Abolish the Selective Service System (thereby ending contingency planning by the SSS for the Health Care Personnel Delivery System or any other form of special-skills draft);

  3. Prohibit all other Federal agencies from imposing civil sanctions (denial of Federal student financial aid, Federally-funded jobs, etc.) for nonregistration or using nonregistration as a basis for other adverse determinations (denial of naturalization as a US citizen, etc.);

  4. “Preempt” (and thereby override and prohibit) all state sanctions for nonregistration (denial of drivers’ licenses, state financial aid, state jobs, etc.); and

  5. Preserve the rights of conscientious objectors under other laws and regulations (such as applicants for reassignment to noncombatant duties or discharge from the military on the basis of conscientious objection).

(antiwar.com)

Bill Introduced To End Draft Registration

But with Trump’s fanning the fires of war with Iran the Selective Service had so many panic visitors that it crashed the service…..

In the aftermath of the US drone strike that killed the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad, the phrase “World War III” began trending on social media.

More startlingly, a US government agency which registers young men for a potential military draft saw its website crash.

Related: Iranian Americans on edge as tensions surge: ‘The fear is palpable’

“Due to the spread of misinformation,” the Selective Service System (SSS) tweeted on Friday, “our website is experiencing high traffic volumes at this time … We appreciate your patience.”

It added that it was “conducting business as usual” and emphasised that a return to the draft is not imminent: “In the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the president would need to pass official legislation.”

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/us-government-agency-website-crashes-212942668.html

Once again…if you are that afraid then maybe becoming part of the solution would be in order…..well at least Idaho has tried to make a difference…..

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and arguably the most influential foreign policy voice in Congress, Saturday returned home to Idaho, only to find himself under growing public pressure from veterans and even his own party to end America’s ground troops presence in the Middle East.

Initiated by a group of veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in the heavily Republican state, whose efforts have quickly spread to other states, the Idaho Republican Party’s state central committee Saturday approved two resolutions urging Risch to support President Trump’s efforts to withdraw U.S. troops from the Middle East, hold public hearings to spotlight recent revelations of “constant lies” by U.S. government officials and corruption by military contractors in Afghanistan, and return to a doctrine of deploying U.S. troops for long-term combat duty overseas only after Congress has approved a formal declaration of war as provided by the Constitution.

Idaho Republican Party Passes Antiwar Resolutions

Finally the antiwar protesters have come out of the shadows…….https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2020/01/04/anti-war-protestors-organize-after-us-killed-iranian-general/2813297001/

It is good to see that the American people have not lost their courage or their concern.

Could antiwar become more pronounce?

Today, as we spiral perilously toward direct military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, it is worth reflecting on the failures to rein in Trump’s aggression along the way. Given the obvious signs that Trump has been keen to escalate the United States’ many wars — and begin new ones — the complicity of other institutions in Trump’s belligerence, particularly Congress, is stunning.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/01/08/we-need-strong-anti-war-movement-yesterday

Time to return to those days of yore and protest….you may not like them but they have been effective in the past….why not try again?

Their signs were much as anticipated, likewise the chants, the word and curse “imperialism” hardly ever absent from either. But most everybody else with an interest in sign-carrying brought their own, hard-made or a few dozen of the same item offset, like the 8×5” sheet handed to me with the DSA messaging. Looking around, I saw a diorama of the Madison Left—the former leader of the state AFL, a city council member or two, youngsters that I’d never seen before and oldsters that I had seen many times. Only days since New Years, “Auld Lang Syne” went though my head as I took note of the absent-because-dead, generations of lefties and peaceniks since I first got to town in 1967. My favorite home-drawn sign, seen now many times over the years, was probably “Who Would Jesus Bomb?”—the tone of the legislature being dominated by hypocritical white evangelical Republicans. Even better is the one I did not see at this demonstration, “What Would Bob La Follette Do?” because hardly anyone even now fails to recognize the visage and message of our great antiwarrior, 1917 style, sometime governor and Senator to boot.

The Return of the Antiwar Movement: Memories and Intimations

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Do We Have An Obligation?

Closing Thought–05Feb19

Conversations With my Granddaughter

In this case the obligation is that of military service.

I have been having an internal debate (was hoping there would be an expanded debate…but it did not work out that why) on the necessity for some form of conscription for military service…..an easy term would be ….the Draft.

Should I give a short synopsis?  Not a chance because this topic is more complex than a simple short synopsis.  The posts that I have written in the past…..

https://lobotero.com/2015/10/05/would-a-return-to-conscription-substantially-reduce-the-probability-of-war/

https://lobotero.com/2007/04/10/why-no-draft/

https://lobotero.com/2018/02/26/conscription-is-not-the-answer/

But what are the pros and cons of a military draft?

First the pros……

1. It eliminates multiple re-deployments and provides a stronger military.
With more soldiers, there can be a sufficient number of fresh reserves ready to defend the country in case war breaks out. Aside from that, since there are more troops there is less tendency for individuals to be re-deployed several times during their service period, allowing them more ‘down time’ and hopefully decreasing the number of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases.

2. It promotes stronger national unity.
A large number of individuals who volunteer for the United States army are in need of a career or money for higher education. Conscription can diversify the military since people from all classes of society should enlist. This removes the disproportionate amount of burden from ethnic minorities and the poor, and creates better integration of races and economic class and stronger national unity.

3. It creates a more competitive workforce.
Military training equips young people with skills and knowledge that make them better equipped and more competitive even when transitioning to a career outside the armed forces.

4. It promotes discipline and public service in the youth.
Youth who have no direction or drop out of school due to bad behavior can learn essential life skills when joining the military. They learn about responsibility, working for a greater cause, and protecting freedom.

Now the cons…….

1. It violates individual liberties.
Freedom of choice is a right that many Americans firmly believe in. By taking away this liberty, citizens can feel resentment towards the government and even towards the armed forces.

2. It can cause civil unrest.
It won’t be just those who are forced to enlist who will harbor negative opinions about the government and military. Loved ones and anti-war advocates will also be disapproving of the idea, especially since they know it is putting the lives of so many young citizens at risk. Rallies and demonstrations were very common during the Vietnam War draft.

3. It demands more financing from the national budget.
Currently, the military already takes more than half of the national budget. By increasing the size of the armed forces, more funds are required. So, more money will be taken from other government sectors and projects, affecting social resources and programs.

4. It increases the number of wartime injury cases.
Even if troops can have more down time, it does not guarantee that they won’t incur physical and emotional injuries during deployment. Cases of PTSD are still highly common among current volunteer military and veterans, and they will most likely increase as more individuals witness the ravages of war first hand.

With all that info at hand….what prompt me to write this post was something I read about the “obligation of military service”…..

In 1778, Samuel Johnson said that “every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier,” but should that still be the case today? John Stuart Mill claimed:

a man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for…is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

Was Mill right? Does every able-bodied citizen have an obligation to put him or herself in harm’s way if needed? Should the United States compel such service by a draft? Perhaps most importantly, is a fully-informed discussion about these issues overdue in America?

https://warontherocks.com/2018/06/can-we-talk-the-obligation-of-military-service/

What had me going to rite about something I detest was the simple fact that our troops are stretched too thin……all have multiple deployments as many as ten times…..and the society does not care…..time for the nation to share the burden…..

I hate to admit that as an antiwar person for over 50 years I would support a re-introduction of conscription as an obligation to this society.  Why?  The Society needs to share the experience of wars on families.

Closing Thoughts–27Sep18

I have been writing for years about the Draft or if you will conscription……..

https://lobotero.com/2015/10/05/would-a-return-to-conscription-substantially-reduce-the-probability-of-war/

https://lobotero.com/2007/04/10/why-no-draft/

As an antiwar person I would not support the draft….but on the other hand it would make the media focus on our numerous wars and American deaths….and in return help create a vibrant antiwar movement.

But recent news has it that the Army is not meeting their goaals in recruitment…..

For the first time since 2005, the US Army missed its recruiting goal this year, falling short by about 6,500 soldiers, despite pouring an extra $200 million into bonuses and approving some additional waivers for bad conduct or health issues, the AP reports. Army leaders said they signed up about 70,000 new active-duty recruits in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30—well short of the 76,500 they needed. The Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps all met their recruiting goals for 2018. The Army’s shortfall, says Maj. Gen. Joe Calloway, was fueled by the strong American economy and increased competition from private sector employers who can pay more. But the failure has triggered an overhaul in Army recruiting, including an increase in recruiters, expanded marketing, and a new effort to reach out to young, potential recruits through popular online gaming.

Calloway says there were several thousand permanent legal residents seeking to enlist, but they did not get through the screening process in time. The recruiting struggles come at the end of a tumultuous year for the Army, which faced questions from Congress over its expanded use of waivers for recruits with previous marijuana use, bad conduct, and some health problems. In addition to the Army competing with the private sector, there just aren’t that many potential recruits: Only about 30 percent of 17- to 24-year-olds meet the physical, mental and moral requirements for the military, and only one in eight are interested in serving.

Like I said I am starting to re-think my stand on conscription……

When I started working for War Resisters’ International in 2012, we were beginning to rethink our strategy as a group supporting conscientious objectors: a central concern since our foundation in 1921. According to international standards, the right to conscientious objection should be available not just to conscripts but also to professional soldiers who join up voluntarily. In reality however, most of WRI’s work up to that point had been in supporting conscripted soldiers – those who had to sign up without making an active choice to do so. But in the twenty years leading up to 2012, conscription had been suspended or abolished in at least twenty two states[1]. What did this mean for those supporting draft evaders, if there was not much of the draft left?

https://www.wri-irg.org/en/story/2018/return-conscription

I have been an antiwar activist and protester since 1973 when I returned to civilian life after 2 and half years in Vietnam…..but the only way to keep from fighting endless wars (like we have now) is a strong antiwar movement and if conscription can deliver then I am going to support it.

Why A Draft Is Not a Good Idea

I have written many times about our endless wars and the drain it is taking on our military and even though I am an anti-war person I would support a draft since we cannot seem to end these damn wars.

https://lobotero.com/2018/02/26/conscription-is-not-the-answer/

https://lobotero.com/2007/04/10/why-no-draft/

https://lobotero.com/2015/10/05/would-a-return-to-conscription-substantially-reduce-the-probability-of-war/

I have been working as an anti-war activists since the 1970’s….apparently war is more profitable than I once thought…..anyway I have had many debates on why we need to re-instate the draft….

After reading a report on the state of our citizens I am re-thinking my stance.  If the report is accurate then we must depend on a volunteer military and that is not looking to sound either….sorry on to the report….

The military depends on a constant flow of volunteers every year. According to 2017 Pentagon data, 71 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are ineligible to serve in the United States military. Put another way: Over 24 million of the 34 million people of that age group cannot join the armed forces—even if they wanted to. This is an alarming situation that threatens the country’s fundamental national security. If only 29 percent of the nation’s young adults are qualified to serve, and if this trend continues, it is inevitable that the U.S. military will suffer from a lack of manpower. A manpower shortage in the United States Armed Forces directly compromises national security.
The Trump boyz have said that there will be surge in Afghanistan….may not be as easy as these guys pretend…..(more from the report)

The Trump administration’s ambitious new military buildup is at risk of being hobbled before it even starts — by a dwindling pool of young Americans who are fit to serve.

Nearly three-quarters of Americans age 17 to 24 are ineligible for the military due to obesity, other health problems, criminal backgrounds or lack of education, according to government data. That’s a harsh reality check for the Pentagon’s plan to recruit tens of thousands of new soldiers, sailors, pilots and cyber specialists over the next five years.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pentagon-buildup-troop-recruiting-shortage-351365

Obesity is a problem in the US and now it may well be a problem for the military and the wars we feel we must fight.

Conscription Is Not The Answer

For years I have been bitching about that their is NO shared experience by the American people when it comes to all these wars the US fights….I have even said that I might support the action to bring back the draft.

Not that I am a war lover on the contrary I am as antiwar as they come and have been since 1971.  But when about 1% of the population knows the horrors of war then it is time for the rest of the country learn a thing or two.

I never thought a draft would make it easier only that more of the country would suffer the horrors military families face daily…..thus the country would possibly re-think the constant war footing.

Being a stand up type of guy I will offer up an opposite thought on conscription…….

Every now and then the old argument that the draft should be reinstated pops back up. Most recently it appeared here at The American Conservative in a piece by Dennis Laich and Lawrence Wilkerson that contended America’s all-volunteer force is deeply unfair. Without directly stating it, they implied that the draft should be brought back.

“Said more explicitly,” they write, “if the sons and daughters of members of Congress, of the corporate leadership, of the billionaire class, of the Ivy Leagues, of the elite in general, were exposed to the possibility of combat, would we have less war?”

Source: Bringing Back the Draft Won’t Stop Unnecessary Wars | The American Conservative

I will agree with their conclusion…..but restatement of conscription would resurrect a dead antiwar movement and maybe we could end some of the wasteful use of American lives.

This country desperately needs a renewed antiwar….seeing how Congress will do the job it is up to the people to bring all this insanity to an end.

Stand Up To End These Damn Wars!

Carry A Big Stick Or Be Quiet

I have been writing for years about the disconnect between the public and the military.  It is so bad that war and troops deaths is nothing more than a fluff piece in the evening news.

The public turns a blind eye to all the conflicts we are fighting these days because there is NO shared experience…..it effects less than 5% of the population.

Although I am antiwar ….I have come down on the side of returning to the days of conscription (that is the draft for you Trump supporters)……

Source: Would a Return to Conscription Substantially Reduce the Probability of War? – In Saner Thought

Source: Time To Re-Think Conscription? | Ace News Room

Source: Time For Americans To F*cking Stand Up!! – In Saner Thought

As the wars drag on more and more people are starting to see the need to return to the days of conscription…..

Each year as they testify before congress, America’s armed service chiefs roll out pleas for the latest technology ‘essential’ to confront a predictable cast of global boogeymen. A pessimist could accuse them of using such testimony to scare congress and the public into supporting their slice of annual defense budgets. A pessimist could justify his position by pointing out the testimony’s conspicuous omission of conscription, essential to victory against any one or combination of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. While the technology of warships, aircraft and combat vehicles trotted out during testimony season is impressive, it can only give America an edge. Nations win wars on an irresistible wave of resources. America must therefore either include conscription into any discourse about confronting Russia, China, North Korea or Iran, or stop talking about confronting them.

America’s approach to warfare has changed for the worse. Current conflicts indicate a disturbing satisfaction with stalemate as a substitute for victory. America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan offer abject lessons about a national strategy unready to win a global war, much less isolated regional engagements. The stalemate in both conflicts betrays America’s inability to translate success and sacrifice at the tactical and operational level into anything close to strategic victory. America’s powerlessness to generate the political will for victory emboldens adversaries and exposes significant strategic vulnerabilities.

Source: Carry a Big Stick or Be Quiet: A Case for Conscription | Small Wars Journal

If we must fight these damn silly wars then we need to make the sacrifice of our troops and their families a shared experience….I am NOT a warmonger!  Something has to give….we are asking too much of the pool of soldiers we now have…….

That means a return to the DRAFT!