NO MILITARY DRAFT! NO WAY!

COMMENTARY

As I have mentioned ina recent blog I am occasionally placing my commentary on the liberal, pro-Democratic Party, Daily Kos site. Recently one of the featured writer there conducted an online poll concerning reinstitution of the military draft. For a liberal venue the results rather astonished me. Hence this blog (known there as diary entries). Nobody said fighting for the 'soul' of the liberal youth was going to be easy, right?

No Military Draft! No Way!

To paraphrase the blasé Vichy French administrative officer on hearing that gambling was going on in Rick’s American Café in the classic Humphrey Bogart film Casablanca-“I’m shocked”. Why? A couple of days ago Bill From Portland of the Cheers and Jeers section conducted a poll asking about the reintroduction of the military draft. The response indicated that an astonishing 69% wanted such a draft. Correct me if I am wrong, but this is the Daily Kos site not Fox Channel online, right? This site is at least in spirit anti-war, right? Then how the hell can a strong majority of participants who, assumedly are fighting tooth and nail for withdrawal from the Iraq (and Afghanistan) wars, desire to give the state additional powers to provide the 'cannon fodder' necessary for those and future wars.

I am aware that there was a little ‘bomb’ in the poll to take a dig at those neo-cons who had exercised ‘other options’ rather than military service in their generation’s war-Vietnam- but I do not believe that prank accounts for this result. I am beginning to believe that those reports about Daily Kos and other liberal political blogger demographics-mainly white, male, forty something, and comfortable financially might be true. In other words people who have never been subject to or had to sweat out a military draft. I cannot believe that today’s youth would response in such a way. If that were so, dear readers, we are doomed in our efforts to fight the beast. Thus, I am going to conduct my own opinion poll (or rather a series of polls until I get to the bottom of this as I am really trying to get a grip on this result) in order to separate the real from unreal in this. And what better way to do so than to ask the question point blank- a draft with no exemptions, particularly student exemptions. This is no ‘theory of the draft’ type question. That means ‘yours sons and daughters and other loved one go’- come hell or high water.

Should the American government reinstate a universal military draft for all young men and women at age 18 with no student, or other, exemptions?


Here is a November 2006 archival commentary on this subject.

NO MILITARY DRAFT! NO WAY!

A very good case can be made for calling Sunday the worst political news day of the week. At least that seems to be true in recent weeks when the capitalist politicians start blathering on the Sunday news shows. A case in point that confirms this is an interview on Sunday November 19, 2006 where Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel of New York, soon to be the House Ways and Means Chairman, stated that he intended to propose legislation in the next session to reestablish the military draft. Who needs this madness when we anti-war militants are calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq? Christ, and this is a liberal Democratic politician. Rangel's rationale, if it can be called that, is that reinstitution of the draft will make capitalist politicians think twice about going to war.

Hello, what planet does this man exist on? President Bush did not have to twist the arms of the likes of John Kerry, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and a whole galaxy of supposedly astute politicians-Democratic and Republican- alike when he pulled down the hammer to rachet up the hysteria to go to war in Iraq. Of course those were sunnier days and everyone was a good fellow (or gal) and true. And then of course everyone assumed the war would be a walkover. Now there are not enough seats on that hell-train out of Iraq. Despite that recent sorry history what the esteemed Congressman proposal really means is that the lives and fortunes of the youth of America rest on the 'pacifist' whims of the Congress. Even Vietnam War draft dodger Vice President Dick Cheney would know not to base his career plans on that eventually. No thanks, Congressman.

Apparently the military chieftains do not think much of Congressman Rangel's idea either. They are very happy having their all-volunteer armed forces that, by their lights, are a much better disciplined and maneuverable force. No way do they want an average cross-section of American youth gumming up their works. They saw their army almost destroyed when uppity citizen-soldiers started questioning the Vietnam War. They are still in shock. As for the position of militant leftists we stand fully opposed to reintroduction of the draft. Hell, this is a 'no-brainer'. As this issue comes to the fore over the coming months militant youth must rise up and shout-NO DRAFT! NO WAY!