How Would You Feel About a Draft?

[phantom]

I hope I don't regret posting this, but I'm genuinely interested in hearing how something like this would affect peoples opinions. This mainly refers to people that aren't 100% against the war already.

I don't know what the likelihood of it is anyway. This article is pretty liberal.

Draft Story

[JK]

I'm not sure if the idea of this will change people's minds....

I think they would have to be realistically faced with it when their number, or their child's number, is called...

Until then, you won't get an honest answer.

[kah2523]

I strongly suspect that support for the war would drop like a rock if the sons and daughters of middle-class America were being drafted into it.

[psychlops]

Um....the sons and daughters of middle class America are already there. I know half a dozen people who are currently deployed in Iraq or on their way and none of them are from poor families. The whole "our military is full of poor folk trying to find a career" take won't work here.

[stlredman]

I will not play the "our military is full of poor folk trying to find a career" card. The people that serve in today's armed forces are there because they enlisted. They are now suddenly realizing that playing war is far different from the real thing and many will be opting out instead of re-enlisting.

Suddenly there will be a lack of volunteers and the need for soldiers will still be there, because this won't be over any time soon. "So come on all you big strong men Uncle Sam needs your help again..." When little Johnny, who lives down the street gets drafted and killed the people's viewpoint will change. How about when little Susie down the street gets drafted and killed?

[psychlops]

Little Johnny and Little Suzie won't get involved unless they decide to do so. There will not be a draft. If so.....they should have gone to college or played the Bill Clinton game and gone to Canada and/or Oxford.

[dv6y]

phantom

I think it would change everything. You can say what you want about Saddam/Iraq, but it's really easy to say "he needed to be removed" when you have no chips in the middle.

dv

[thetorch]

The military esecially non officers are of lower middle class to lower class backgrounds. That cannot be argued against. The percentage of blacks and latinos in the military is much higher than their percentages in the population as a whole. That in itself should tell you that wars are being fought by mainly the lower end of the economic rung. This is nothing new though, wars have always been fought by the lower classes.

There is no way we will have another draft.

[kjoe]

1976--Kansas City---republican convention. Cannot remember why I went. But Phyllis Schlafly was having a press conference on the street, so I pretended to be a reporter and I asked her "If the equal right amendment had been in effect, would the Johnson and Nixon daughters have been subject to the draft, and would the war in Vietnam have lasted as long?" She said yes they would and yes it would. I did not tell her that I disagreed. Johnson did not have the courage to use the Nastional Guard as Bush and Bush 2 have done in the middle east. The draft would be bogged down in a lot of litigation if it were reinstated. There is not enough basic support for it, compared to the number of people willing to see our role in the world become smaller. Something more dramatic than 9-11 would have to trigger the support. I hope it does not happen. By the way, I was drafted and sent to Vietnam. Both Bushes win points for using the ng instead of the draft, but I will vote for Kerry. I don't resent Bush's national guard service---wish the democrats would drop it, if they haven't already.

[kah2523]

Originally posted by psychlops@Apr 1 2004, 10:38 PM
Um....the sons and daughters of middle class America are already there.

Of course they are. What part of "being drafted into it" was unclear? Obviously middle class families with sons and daughters already in the armed forces and in Iraq are irrelevant to any discussion of a draft. I was thinking of middle-class families because 1) the sons of rich families will figure out ways to avoid a draft and 2) middle-class families are where the votes are.

[COACH REGGIE]

Let's see. what do I think? hmmmm, well being 20 years old and form a lower middle class family I would be a prime candidate with no means for avoiding it. I am against the war in the first place, not radically against it, but against nonetheless. But I'll be damned if i go fight for that shit which I don't believe we should be doing anyway. I know a couple Canadian guys from school....and yes i would go there

I'm sure this will piss off any veterans we have here....but i really don't care. Both my grandfathers were in WWII, one taking part in D-day, they both said avoid it if it ever comes up. Hell, maybe I'll dodge it and become president one day just like that nut from Arkansas

[Bleacher Creature]

How about staying out of war?

Just defend our on borders.

[Indu WangZi]

Originally posted by The Kev@Apr 2 2004, 05:31 AM
How about staying out of war?

Just defend our on borders.

Good theory...not very practical.

We live in a dangerous world...sometimes our hand is forced...this was not one of them...put the hand of power is often tipped...it's the response that is critical

[Bleacher Creature]

I know it's over simplistic. But, we've got to realize the gravity of the given situation. Unlike other battles, we're dealing with religious extremism. These people look at their own suicide as an honor. If they don't care about their own lives, you know they don't care about anyone elses.

IMO, we need to get out of Iraq, and just let the place sink to its own level. That part of the world has been in turmoil from the beginning of time. Who are we to think that we can undo an ageold fight, just because we're the US?

[davhaf]

Having lived through the last draft, although Uncle Sam didn't make it easy, I too served in Nam, I would fight another draft. My second son just got his draft sign up card last week. He asked me what he should do, I told him to sign and send it in as there is no draft now, but if a draft were started to stock up on cold weather clothes.