Posted on 11/10/2004 12:49:31 PM PST by rface
Columbia, Missouri: Questions about a potential military or national service draft drew about 140 Hickman High School students to a "Speak Your Mind" forum last night.
Panelists agreed that the draft question has lost some heat since the presidential election, but students, some of whom are very close to Selective Service registration age of 18, still had concerns.
Draft rumors stirred before the election even though both President George W. Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry denied supporting such a move. The Universal National Service Act of 2003, sponsored by three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, proposed a mandatory service draft for men and women ages 18 to 26, but it was defeated soundly in a vote before the Nov. 2 elections.
Air Force Lt. Col. Tery Donelson, University of Missouri-Columbia history Professor Robert Collins and Jeff Stack, a pacifist from the Fellowship of Reconciliation, participated in the discussion.
Senior Matt Szewcyk asked the panelists whether they would bet a week’s salary that there would be a draft in the next 15 years. Stack thought it was a possibility in the next two years. Collins told the students, "I’ll raise you two weeks’ pay. There will be no draft."
Szewcyk agreed. "I couldn’t see a draft really happening," he said, unless the Middle East situation became "more like World War III."
Donelson noted that the Air Force surpasses its recruiting goals and has no need for a draft. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has issued a statement saying that the U.S. military has no plans to draft recruits and prefers its all-volunteer forces.
Even though there is no immediate pressure, students wanted to know how a modern-day draft or national service program might compare with what they’d heard about the Vietnam War-era draft. How long would they have to serve? Would they be able to choose where they would serve? Would college students be excused? Some weren’t sure how a draft is initiated; it takes an act of Congress.
They were interested in what the panel had to say about fairness in the process. Collins described the historical effect of exemptions that drew more working-class young men into the draft and the political cost of expanding the draft to middle- and upper-class families.
Stack was concerned about the "economic draft" - the idea that the military draws volunteers who don’t have many educational or employment alternatives.
Michael Tahani turns 18 in December, and the thought of mandatory service makes him want to hold off on Selective Service requirements as long as possible. He wrote an editorial warning of draft efforts in the Oct. 29 edition of the school paper. The forum made him think the move was less likely, but he believes a draft would be "a definite possibility if we keep attacking other countries."
In retrospect, the discussion also made him question some of the assumptions that went into his own writings. He thinks his draft-age peers are "definitely informed, but the information we receive is not necessarily the correct information."
Collins agreed, telling them not to depend on adults or news reports to shape their opinions on the draft or broader issues related to Iraq. He gave the group a homework assignment: read the Senate intelligence report and the 9/11 commission’s report.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reach Megan Means at (573) 815-1705 or mmeans@tribmail.com.
Register for Selective Service. I did.
Its also the law.
Visit Arlington Natl Cemetery for confirmation.
MV
Stack was concerned about the "economic draft" - the idea that the military draws volunteers who don’t have many educational or employment alternatives.
It’s called “opportunity” and its what this nation is all about.
Plus, many others, from all walks of life, sign up for reasons other than education or employment.
Military Draft: See DemoncRATS!
A fine example of "don't let facts get in the way of what you want to believe".
Anywhere but here where they are just taking up space and fouling the air.....
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