Posted on 08/12/2007 5:46:07 PM PDT by ConservativeofColor
You’re too kind.
I am a proponent of the draft for a number of reasons.
1. We really DO need a bigger armed forces. The proposition that we can fight a GWOT with what we have right now is a total joke. I don’t care how precise and lethal are forces are. If you are unwilling to bomb your enemy back into the Stone Age (which we are not), you still need boot on the ground to enforce your will on the enemy.
2. It would instill some discipline in a country that sorely needs it. I really believe that one of the reasons why Liberalism is so rampant, is because many young people have never known any discipline. The miltiary would provide that. Its not a silver bullet, but I think it would go a long way toward reversing the decline of our culture.
3. The Liberals are right (yes) when they say that we will only go to war with a draftee army when we care about the cause. I think we went into Iraq without really thinking things through. Now we are stuck with the consequences and we have no choice but to win. If we go to war with a draftee army, a lot of this politically correct crap will go out the window. The middle and upper classes will want to crush the opposition pronto with whatever means necessary to bring little Johnny & Julie home ASAP.
4. Yes, Vietnam went sour with a draftee army—not because of the troops, but because the war was mismanaged by the politicians. Targets had to picked by Johnson himself fer chrissakes. Failing to crush the enemy over an extended period of time is a prescription for disaster.
5. I actually think that if the upper classes got involved in wars again, we would start to win again. Vietnam was fought without the upper class. Right now, a lot of people look at our military as almost a mercenary force. It is time to stop that. We are all Americans and have responsibilities as such. We would all be better off if we got back to that. Pushing responsibilities off on others is what got Rome in trouble. It is a sad state of affairs that we have a country of 300M, but can barely meet our recruiting goals.
Truth in Advertising:
1. I am retired AF and understand history very well
2. I have a draft age son
That's what my dad, my FIL, and my two uncles did.
South Korea has had a draft for nearly 60 years and they have quite a problem with moonbattery themselves! LOL!
Rangelberry is a racial huckster and a complete fraud in the mold of Jesse Jackass.
I support the idea of required military service and a draft...but the low quality of our current citizenry would make it impractical.
Plus, once you remove a requirement for military service, you’ve lost the idealogical argument forever. You can’t just bring it back.
Want the Vietnam era back? Go for the draft.
Same here. I have no relatives, that I know of, that actually put a boot in vietnam. They all served, but in some other way. Europe, Korea, Alaska, reserves, etc.
Yeah, thanks a lot for that!
My dad was a marine, went to ‘Nam. My FIL served in the Pentagon. One uncle served in Thailand, the other was in the Montana National Guard. All of them served circa 1968-1972.
Nor allow my draft age son to do so unless he kills me and climbs over my dead body.
Yes, Vietnam went sour with a draftee army—not because of the troops, but because the war was mismanaged by the politicians.
There is some truth in your fiction and some fiction in your truth.
But I will again state: "never again"
And in a nutshell, that is exactly what they want to effect with one.
1. Are we going to draft women? Mom and daddy won't stand for little Mary being drafted. Exodus to Canada. Riots and protests in the streets. What about "the children." Drafted males bring lawsuits about "discrimination."
2. Chip and Muffy college boys won't allow themselves to be drafted. Riots and protests in the streets. Burning flags and draft cards. Exodus to Canada. Hanoi Boi Kerry gets a new book deal for "Winter Soldiers Part Deux."
3. Will we draft homosexuals? Heck ya! Get rid of "don't ask, don't tell." Lawsuits galore!
4. Political stunts. Some will allow themselves to be drafted so they can appear on the "Nightly News" in military uniform telling everyone how they "don't believe in war." That plays hell with troop morale but it does help morons acquire their "15 minutes of fame" a lot more quickly. Maybe a "book" or "movie" deal if they're lucky.
5. Chip and Muffy college boys will be on TV every night demanding to know why the Bush twins weren't drafted.
6. Will we draft Muslims? They aren't going to want to fight against their "brothers" in the Middle East. Lawsuits galore! It's against their religion. Lots of "fraggings" in the news.
7. I don't think the draft is worth the hassle. A can of worms we should leave unopened. There are too many cowards and lawyers infesting our country these days to expect anyone to "give back" to their country for the freedoms and liberty that they enjoy.
CW3, AVN
USA, Retired
Yeah, well, never is a long time. I always try to avoid words like “never”, “always”, “all”, “none”, etc, ‘cause they come back to bite me. If you take a draft off the table, then you are basically saying the military will not get much bigger than it is now. That is kind of foolish.
The only way a mass enlistment will happen is if something horrific (worse than 9/11) occurs again. In a time of war, you will only get so many people to volunteer.
You also seem to be saying that most conscripts would be dirtbags. I think that if given the training and opportunity, most Americans would rise to the challenge. And there are plenty of support jobs for slugs that are currently done by highly paid service contractors.
Well you didn't have to welcome them with open arms. :-)
Darn right! And if we catch an illegal who is in the draftable category who has not registered, prosecute them!
Along with the crack dealers that will refuse to report.
Middle America IS and always HAS been making sacrifices during wartime.
What Clinton did...
Friend, do you not see the contradiction of points 3 and 4?
You say in point No. 3 that with a conscripted army the war will be managed in such a ways as to get finished and get home. But in No. 4 you are telling us that a war with a conscripted army could also be sorely mismanaged (e.g. Viet Nam), so that the hoped-for result in No. 3 won’t take place.
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