is it a good ideal to bring back the draft?

[SmoothieX]

It wouldn't affect me at this point as I am beyond the draft age and medically ineligible.

I was a straight A student in high school and scored well on aptitude tests and had recruiters calling left and right telling me I'd make a good officer. Once I got to the point where I told them I was asthmatic, I might as well have told them I was a leper.

 

[Ward Fowler]

Slaves make poor soldiers.

QFT

 

[john titor]

A draft would be a great idea, you cant call yourself a true citizen unless you've served your country

 

[iguana_tonante]

Absolutely! A general conscription would have the effect of sharing the burden of the USA's military adventures among the entire population, and not just on the poor people. If that Senator's son is getting a draft notice, maybe he won't be as quick to approve starting a senseless war...

I can see your point, but in real life a politician that want to make sure his son never see combat duty has ample opportunity to ensure so. For example, see George W.

A draft would be a great idea, you cant call yourself a true citizen unless you've served your country

Would you like to know more? The United Citizens Federation wants you!

 

[jamestyler]

Not surprising given the benefits you get in exchange for a few years of service.

On all our points, yes and yes again. I got interested out of challenge and education. My first role choice would have sent me back to school to learn and I would have loved it.

Now my knees are out of commission, I'm still considering the education but without the army paying the way and tall the obvious benefits it'd be hell for me financially. There were a tone of benefits to signing up, I'm still gutted I'm not able to.

A draft would be a great idea, you cant call yourself a true citizen unless you've served your country

I serve my country by having a glorious ass. What more could Her Maj need?

 

[SeerSGB]

A draft would be a great idea, you cant call yourself a true citizen unless you've served your country

Yeah, I like Starship Troopers too but it makes for poor national policy.

Absolutely! A general conscription would have the effect of sharing the burden of the USA's military adventures among the entire population, and not just on the poor people. If that Senator's son is getting a draft notice, maybe he won't be as quick to approve starting a senseless war...

Yeah, I'll bet you a lot of those senators sons would end up exempting out for having flat feet all of the sudden. It'll still be the poor and poorly connected that'll due the fighting and dying.

The draft is inherently a biased system anyway. It's only men that have to register, and it's only men that get drafted.

 

[john titor]

A draft would be a great idea, you cant call yourself a true citizen unless you've served your country

Yeah, I like Starship Troopers too but it makes for poor national policy.

Absolutely! A general conscription would have the effect of sharing the burden of the USA's military adventures among the entire population, and not just on the poor people. If that Senator's son is getting a draft notice, maybe he won't be as quick to approve starting a senseless war...

Yeah, I'll bet you a lot of those senators sons would end up exempting out of having flat feet all of the sudden. It'll still be the poor and poorly connected that'll due the fighting and dying.

The draft is inherently a biased system anyway. It's only men that have to register, and it's only men that get drafted.

It would make great policy, the star ship troopers kicked bugg ass towards the end and were on the way to winning the war.

 

[Caliburn24]

Active Duty US Army, combat arms soldier here.

Forget all the civic, social, political, cultural reasons. They are irrelevant. The military has a simple purpose, to be the most effective fighting force in the world, and to destroy the enemies of our nation when it is directed to do so. Would a new draft help the USA to have a more effective military right now? HELLS NO.

Now if we go to war with China and we suddenly need a 5 million man Army, sure, then we could look at reinstating the draft.

Not before.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

I was in the ROTC in college, but I never served on active duty. I'm opposed to the draft for two reasons. (What follows is only applicable to American law, which is my current field of study.)

The first is that I believe the draft is unconstitutional in principle. The 13th Amendment prohibits "involuntary servitude" except as punishment for a crime. While I'm well aware that courts haven't agreed with me, if being drafted isn't involuntary servitude, I don't know what is.

The second reason I'm opposed is that I believe it's unconstitutional in practice. Even if the 13th Amendment argument fails, there's a reasonable 14th Amendment argument that it denies men the equal protection of the laws. (Since men are subject to the draft and women are not.) Sex discrimination laws are analyzed under what is called "intermediate scrutiny", which basically means that the law must be substantially related to an important government goal. I'm unaware of any cases specifically on point, but I could easily see this failing. (While the goal of having a properly staffed military likely will qualify as important, I doubt that a male-only draft would qualify as substantially related.) Intermediate scrutiny is a really fuzzy area of constitutional law, though, so it's unclear how a case would come out.

 

[Galactus]

I believe the draft has be held up in the courts a number of times and will continue to do so. Principles are one thing, but if a war starts tomorrow that threatens the very existence of the country then all bets are off. All is fair in war. They can sort it out after the fact.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I disagree. A draft is needed in large-scale situations like WWII. People will do their Patriotic duty when asked, though they will not necessarily volunteer. Wars are mostly unwanted in any case, but I don't think most of the people who waited to be drafted in WWII thought the war was unnecessary or that their service was unwarranted.

None the less, they didn't choose to enlist. They were forced to by their government to further its own ends... and I'm sure many of them would've preferred not to serve, though doubless many thought it was right (but perhaps not right for them). I don't believe a democratic government has any business forcing its people to do anything - especially to fight for it.

Of course they would have preferred not to serve. Who in their right mind wants to fight in a war? And the draft is enacted through the same Democratic processes as any other law-- which, in their multitude, force citizens to do millions of things from stopping at red lights to paying taxes to refraining from murder.

The first is that I believe the draft is unconstitutional in principle. The 13th Amendment prohibits "involuntary servitude" except as punishment for a crime. While I'm well aware that courts haven't agreed with me, if being drafted isn't involuntary servitude, I don't know what is.

This was a reference to indentured servants; it was not the intent of the framers to outlaw the Draft.

The second reason I'm opposed is that I believe it's unconstitutional in practice. Even if the 13th Amendment argument fails, there's a reasonable 14th Amendment argument that it denies men the equal protection of the laws. (Since men are subject to the draft and women are not.)

That doesn't make the Draft inherently unConstitutional; it just means the Military is inherently chauvinistic. But it's less chauvinistic than it used to be. The last Draft ended over thirty years ago; if it were to come back, women would undoubtedly be included.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

If there's a draft, i'll see you all in Canada.

 

[sidious618]

A draft? Never.

 

[Mallory]

If there's a draft, i'll see you all in Canada.

You'll have to find another place this time. Canada and US signed a treaty stating that Canada would return draft evaders in the future.

As for conscription, I'm not in favor of restoring it unless we suddenly have a huge demand for a bigger military. Volunteers have done a damned good job IMO since the draft went away in 1975.

 

[Ethros]

Well it's not going to happen so I wouldn't worry.

It's like all those fuckwits here in Britian who say "oooh, kids today, they should bring back National Service"
Well it's not gonna happen. Simple as

 

[JuanBolio]

Who in their right mind wants to fight in a war?

Lots of people, if they believe the war is right. Back in World War 2 signing up was very popular. People wanted to go and kill the enemy.

And the draft is enacted through the same Democratic processes as any other law-- which, in their multitude, force citizens to do millions of things from stopping at red lights to paying taxes to refraining from murder.

I disagree. All those things are necessary for a civilized society to exist. For a government to force its people to die overseas to project a political agenda that many of those people may not support is inherently wrong. It might be different if the war was defensive, and thus necessary to defend one's way of life, but not much. Those who want to defend their government or fight to execute its policies globally will do so. Those who do not should not be made to. As for democratic principles, my neighbor has no more right to force me into service and death than I have to force him. It is inherently immoral and unjust.

 

[FPAlpha]

Who in their right mind wants to fight in a war?

Lots of people, if they believe the war is right. Back in World War 2 signing up was very popular. People wanted to go and kill the enemy.

Very different era.. after 9/11 recruitment into the armed forces did rise but when the going got rough and reports filtered in that it wasn't such a cakewalk (especially after Iraq dived into chaos) the numbers dropped sharply.

Suddenly many people who had the loudest mouth how they would kill those "sandniggers" (or whatever term they use nowadays) had multiple medical or family reasons why they couldn't go but they supported everybody who went.

Imagine they'd have to sign up after something like the Normandy landings.. people would fight tooth and nail not to join the army.

 

[Mr. B]

I don't think it's necessary. I don't think there will be any more wars like WWII that need that sheer volume of bodies... beyond that, the volunteer force we have is far superior to any mass conscripted forces in the world.

 

[FPAlpha]

I don't think it's necessary. I don't think there will be any more wars like WWII that need that sheer volume of bodies... beyond that, the volunteer force we have is far superior to any mass conscripted forces in the world.

Wanna test that theory against China?

 

[Lookingglassman]

I'm a veteran and currently work for the Army as a civilian and I dont support the draft. There are active duty Soldiers who signed on the dotted line who cause all sorts of problems and are thrown out, I would hate to deal with people forced to be Soldiers.

In the unit I work with we have chaptered out numerous Soldiers for drug use, DUIs, spouse abuse, AWOL, overweight, failing a PT test, etc. I really think the number of incidents will rise if the draft was put back in effect.

If I was anti military and was some young guy and forced to serve, I would do what I could to get thrown out. I would gain weight, fail my pt test, show up to formation late. If all else fails I would just go AWOL, after 30 days the unit drops me from rolls. If I get caught I am sent back to the unit and they process me out the military.

I say keep the volunteer force in place.