"Needed: Sense of service and sacrifice" (Mackenzie calls for 'compulsory service' - a draft lite?)

Townhall ^ | Nov. 21 04 | Ross MacKenzie

[churchillbuff]

"We require a renewed sense of service and sacrifice. We also require a populace fully appreciative of the importance of the military, and knowing full well where additional manpower will come from should the need arise. The way to accomplish all that is through a new program of compulsory universal service with a front-end military component - one year, no exceptions. Now."

I predicted 1) there would be calls for a renewed draft; and 2) it would be called something different.

Mackenzie's a prominent conservative voice, making the kind of proposal I saw coming - and, indeed, calling it something else: compulsory service with a 'military component.'"

As long as neocons keep talking about the US effecting regime change in Middle East countries beyond Iraq, it's foolish NOT to talk about a draft, er "compulsory service with a military component" - because Iraq alone is more than the troops we've got there now can handle (as McCain admits today in calling for tens of thousands more to be sent to Iraq.)

[kuma]

Our military since the 70's has become purely professional. I believe it would be a mistake to dilute their greatness with those who would protest and carry on to no end about having to be there. It would automatically sink morale to below negative levels. The professionals who volunteered would resent having to carry the burden for all the pansies.

Sacrifice and love of country won't be instilled by compulsory service. Those attributes can only be taught by parents or accepted willingly in adulthood.

In short, the military is opposed to a draft and that should be reason enough.

[BigBobber]

I've got no problem enlarging the military. But we have had much large armed forces in the 1980s without resorting to a draft.

Let's try getting the recruits we need with a volunteer force before jumping to government compulsory service.

[nj26]

There's the second sure way (the first is illegal alien amnesty) to lose in 2008.

The average American is not going to support a draft to "bring freedom" to the people of the Middle East. They can take care of themselves, as far as I am concerned. There needs to be some boundary on this neo-con outlook.

And it would hugely dilute our military, and its ability to defend OUR country. Do you want OUR troops to be dependent upon draftees? Public school graduates that are illiterate? What about liberal kids from Marin County and the Upper West Side that support Saddam over Bush? Would you want to put your life in their (incompetent, treasonous) hands? I sure wouldn't.

[nj26]

And.. I almost forgot... what are we going to do about gays? I am sure the troops will appreciate sharing the showers with a bunch of gay draftees.

[endthematrix]

Re: I predicted

churchillbuff, thank you! </sarcasm>


Before Northern Command, there was talk on the hill and policy think-tanks on national service. Heck its been floated (drafts and national served) for over a decade.

That said I am no supporter of compulsory service.

[endthematrix]

IIRC conventional forces (peace time?) by law must be 2.1 million.

[Socrates1]

That's the worst possible scenario I can imagine.

It's always interesting when people talk about shared sacrifice, it is some one else doing the sacrificing.

Talk a good look at the average 18-23 year old and think how interested they will be in this legislated sacrifice.

This 18-23 yr old must be about 20 million people. Are they going to work for free like the Americorp "volunteers".

What about the administration of another massive Federal program? Free?

Who is elegible to receive the "volunteers"? Social activist groups and Get-Out-the Vote scams?

I think us non-veteran Boomers should be the first to sacrifice, since it would be a novel experience for so many.

FDR would love it.

/sarcasm

[kuma]

You better believe those with an agenda would use compulsory service to demand compulsory "acceptance".

There are legitimate reasons for anti-sodomy laws in the UCMJ and it needs to stay that way. The same thing for women in direct combat.

If those two issues are ever breached it will be the beginning of the end of American military superiority.

[nj26]

"This 18-23 yr old must be about 20 million people. Are they going to work for free like the Americorp "volunteers".
What about the administration of another massive Federal program? Free? Who is elegible to receive the "volunteers"? Social activist groups and Get-Out-the Vote scams?"

This country would be a whole lot better if we could draft every 18 year old from Kentucky or Indiana, send them unsupervised to New York City for a year, and put them to work for handing out birth control, photocopying court briefs for gay marriage, picketing energy companies, and signing up voters in the projects for Hillary's 2006 reelection campaign.

[kuma]

I truly had no idea. I had the great misfortune of being in the Army during Clinton's CIC days. The way he was scaling back and gutting the forces I don't see how those numbers could be possible.

[durasell]

Inside of six months they'd be decked in out in Armani, working for MTV or Saatchi and hitting on euro-trash chicks while talking about semiotics' place in a post-modern world.

[injin]

allow 'older' Americans to enlist....
come on ! change the darn rules....

[nj26]

"Inside of six months they'd be decked in out in Armani, working for MTV or Saatchi and hitting on euro-trash chicks while talking about semiotics' place in a post-modern world."

Isn't MTV going to be running Hillary's get-out-the-vote operation like it ran Kerry's? I bet the NY Times and NBC News could use some draftees as well. Somebody's got to hold the camera, as they chase our troops around Falluja.

[durasell]

Go ahead, laugh. I actually saw it happen recently. Sweet girl from Minnesota or someplace. I see her once and she's dressed in suburban pastels and awed by NYC. Three months later she's dressed in black Helmut Lang and lecturing me on Matthew Barney and the Cremaster Cycle. Quickest transformation, ever.

[nj26]

Agreed. This program has the potential to corrupt young Americans, and corrupt our military.

I will say... and I initially censored this

6 months.. Euro trash chicks. 12 months.. something else.

[durasell]

I actually like the idea of some form of voluntary service with some GI Bill type pay off at the end.

[DustyMoment]

Track all illegal aliens (including terrorists) in the United States, and move to temporary-worker cards for legals

WRONG!!!!

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!!! Hunt them down and toss their butts out!! They don't belong here, they are breaking our laws. By rewarding them with temporary-worker cards, we might as well invite them to tea!

The illegals are lawbreakers and they either belong in jail or, better yet, need to be booted out of the country. They're MEXICANS!!!! Let Vicente Fox and MEXICO deal with them and find them jobs!!

As for the focus of his article, I agree that there should be some sort of compulsory service so that Americans have a stake in this country. However, the Dems have sabotaged that effort and if Bush puts it on the table, he will be savagely attacked by the MSM and Dems who will gleefully proclaim that they "told us so"!

Now isn't the time.

[nj26]

We already have a volunteer military, with scholarship and ROTC programs.

In terms of civilian volunteer service, we need to see what we can afford. Spending is already out of control, before we go and subsidize Planned Parenthood or America Coming Together.

Just my opinion.

[durasell]

I'm not thinking Planned Parenthood, but something on the order public works projects or a partnershhip with businesses. I don't watch cable television often, but when I do watch it, I'm appalled that it's what is being fed to teens. Particularly offensive is the MTV show Cribs, which glorifies mindless extravagance bought with easily acquired money.

Also, we don't know what is being wasted out there. The next Jonas Salk or Einstein could be sitting in some trailer park or housing project...