A military draft? (Thomas Sowell)

Townhall.com ^ | 8/1/06 | Thomas Sowell

[Gordongekko909]

Stop! Sowell Time!

Ping coming later today, as per usual. Also, the comments on Townhall for this article are pretty cool, so follow the link and check 'em out.

Also also, sorry if this was double-posted. I tried searching, and I kept getting a "this document does not exist on this server" message.

[dead]

Patriotic and educated young Americans who want to serve in the military are available. We need to stop academia from sabotaging national defense by blocking them from R.O.T.C. and from even hearing what military representatives have to say.

That's one step. Also, a significant increase in military pay will help bring in qualified fence-sitters.

A draft would be a disaster, as Sowell notes. The absolute worst idea possible.

[Huck]

Sowell served in the US Marine Corps as a photographer and pistol instructor.

[mtbopfuyn]

We happened to stop by a row of newspaper stands yesterday and I commented on the headlines of the Qana disaster/scam/whatever. Every eye in the mom taxi glazed over. I can only imagine if the war came here or these kids were drafted....

[GSlob]

In ancient Rome the cursus honorum for the aristocracy/elite ALWAYS included [and usually started with]a military stint at tribune level. One could say that they practiced selective conscription for the elite.

[RexBeach]

Nothing like having an army full of folks who don't want to be there. Not a good idea.

[GSlob]

"A draft would be a disaster, as Sowell notes. The absolute worst idea possible."
Well, the drill instructors are probably the only ones who could reeducate the products of PC-infested schools. In this aspect the draft would [IF the drill instructors were not very busy as it is, and IF there were enough of them] be best thing imaginable.

[nina0113]

I'd like to see everyone go through Basic Training, or some variant thereof, as a prerequisite to voter registration. If you don't care enough about your country to learn the tiniest crumb of last-ditch defense, then you shouldn't have any say in how it's run.

[HaveHadEnough]

Moreover, if you had a draft, the percentage of gay people in the population would jump to 30-40%.

[kabar]

A draft would also have to selective and exclusionary since we have about 26 million men and women between the ages of 18-24. There is no way we could absorb such numbers in our military. Hence, most would be excluded from serving in the military. We would also have difficulty employing such numbers in national service, both in terms of numbers and costs.

[RexBeach]

LOL!!!

[taxcontrol]

I believe that the Selective Service needs to advance by a half-step. By that I mean that Congress should require every person who has to register for the Selective Service to report for 8 hrs of training in their birth month. For this 1 day, they would receive $50 as compensation.

The time spent would be used to:
1) update the registrant's records. Address, height, weight, education, job, medical overview, shoe size etc.

2) provide weapons familiarization with the M-16... dummy rounds only.

3) basic first aid. Treatment for breaks, bleeding, breathing, etc.

4) education on what a draft would look like, under what authority, provide a copy of the Constitution etc.

The processing centers could be run by Reserve / National Guard troops with assistance from IRR.

[kabar]

I'd like to see everyone go through Basic Training, or some variant thereof, as a prerequisite to voter registration.

Totally unrealistic in terms of numbers and the logistics involved let alone the legal hurdles that would thrown in the way.

[JamesP81]

If a draft becomes necessary, I think it would also be necessary to conduct basic interviews with potential draftees just to see who and what they are. Some method would need to be in place to weed out traitors.

Although I seriously considered it, I admit, I didn't join the military because I didn't think that sort of life is what I want for myself (I see myself getting married, 2.5 kids, white picket fence, all that stuff) but if my draft card comes I'm not going to even think about dodging it. I'm gonna go, get my training, get my rifle, and kill terrorists until either a) the Army sends me home, b) God brings me home, or preferably, c) all the terrorists are dead. I don't think I'd necessarily enjoy that sort of life, but one of the responsibilities of freedom is registering for the draft. Just the way it is.

Not everyone sees this as I do. The pansy-a$$ed libs want to crawl up in their ivory towers and reason, diplomatize, talk, and fret their way out of trouble. Their contact with reality is questionable at best.

[llevrok]

I do not think you can create patriotism.

Those volunteering today have it. A draft will not create it.

A national public service draft will only become a brain washing school for liberals

[nina0113]

In today's legal environment, you're correct. It's what I'd like, not what I expect. I think the logistics could be made similar to summer school.

[Gordongekko909]

I've simply never been physically inclined, so a military career was out for me. It'd take me a while to get in fighting shape. But yeah, if things ever got so bad that the military wanted me, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Well, several heartbeats and a lot of panting and wheezing later...

[Gordongekko909]

Agreed x3. Just look what the libs have already done with the public school system.

[kabar]

Based on the 2000 census figures, there were 2,078,853 males and 1,972,745 females aged 18. If you trained these aproximately 4 million per year for one day approximating 333,000 a month at $50 per person, you would pay $200 million a year. The logistics involved would include the trainers who would have to be paid, the facilities, and administrative overhead to process and transport these folks. To what end? At what cost?

Such feel good measures are not worth the time or expense nor do they contribute to the overall defense of the country. We can use the $200 million plus other costs more beneficially in other areas.

[kabar]

In today's legal environment, you're correct. It's what I'd like, not what I expect. I think the logistics could be made similar to summer school.

The legal hurdles would pale in comparison to the numbers, logistics, and costs involved. The 18-24 cohort contains over 26 million people. We are a nation of 300 million and growing. Such a scheme as you propose would be totally unworkable.