Do you Feel a Draft?

There has been a lot of discussion in America lately about the possibility of the draft being reinstated by the Bush administration. I personally don't think anything is imminent but it's an interesting issue and since I grew up during the Viet Nam war, I certainly have an opinion on the matter.

I'm not opposed to a draft in principle but I have a strong opinion about what it takes to justify the draft. Defending America from foreign invaders is a pretty good justification for the draft. Perhaps the only justification that works for me. I certainly don't see anything going on in the world today that would justify a draft. I do see things going on that will cause some politicians, especially those of the neo-conservative bent, to consider and eventually propose that America reinstate the draft, though.

Armed forces recruiting has failed to meet their goals for the second consecutive month; the first time that has happened in ten years. Recruiting of African-Americans continues it's five-year slide, having dropped 41 percent since 2000. There is a lot of speculation as to why recruiting has fallen off but I don't think it's rocket science. I think there are simply not enough people who feel personally committed to the president's war to risk their lives participating in it. There are far more people who "support" this war than are actually willing to place their lives on the line for it. If even ten percent of the people who claim they support this war were to trot on down to their local recruiting center, there wouldn't be any problem meeting recruiting goals.

If recruiting continues to be a problem and especially if it gets worse, pressure to reinstate the draft will grow, in my opinion. Modern American politicians are renowned for their moral flexibility and their willingness to change their position based on their perception of the need of the day, regardless of the stand they may have taken in the past. It is this flexibility and adaptive reasoning that makes me believe that the issue of the draft could heat up and become a sad reality in the blink of an eye. The government has ensured that the Selective Service Administration is well-oiled and ready to rock once they throw the switch. And the Bush administration has certainly shown their propensity for making things happen so quickly that there's not time for opposition to get going. All of which is why I believe we should be debating the matter now and not wait until the government tells us its too important to take the time to debate it.

The draft is, fundamentally, forced servitude. As such, it really should be an instrument of last resort. It should be reserved for desperate times when our nation is at risk of being taken over by foreign powers. I'm talking about real threats here, too. Not perceived threats described in terms of hyperbole by politicians with an agenda. Given the choice of having a draft that could be activated by politicians based on the same sort of nonsense that got us into war with Iraq and not having a draft, I'll take not having a draft.

I'd personally like to see a Constitutional Amendment that very specifically defines the circumstances under which the government can force servitude on us citizens. I even think we should require the government to take a vote before instituting the draft and require at least a two-thirds majority before they can do so. The Constitution is, after all, the contract through which we, the people, give our power to the government. I simply don't trust our elected representatives to do the right thing on such an important issue. History has shown that politicians won't be exposed to the same risks as the rest of us when they use the draft. I think those who lives will be placed on the line should be the ones to decide if it will be allowed or not.

A Constitutional Amendment may be the only way we will ever prevent the government from once again using the draft to force Americans to participate in immoral wars against their will.