Representative Calls for Conscription
Rough Draft

With Bush ramping up the war against terror around the world, Nick Smith, a conservative Republican congressman who represents Michigan's southern tier, has introduced a bill to restore the draft for men between the ages of 18 and 22. The Universal Military Training and Service Act would "require the induction into the Armed Forces of young men registered under the Military Selective Service Act, and to authorize young women to volunteer, to receive basic military training and education for a period of up to one year."

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), January 24, 2002

Answers

The notion of Universal Service has several potential positives:

1)--Obviously, person-power for national defense.

2)--It could serve as an educational and maturing experience for rootless youths, especially men from fatherless families

3)--If fairly applied, it would apply equally to persons of all classes.

4)--It would reduce the social conflicts between a "military class" and a "civilian class" that can exist in a nation that has a military that is 100% volunteer.

There are many arguments against conscription. I am just saying that there some arguments for it.

I never served in the military but, short of war, I think I missed an experience of value.

-- (lars@indy.net), January 25, 2002.

Lars:

"If fairly applied, it would apply equally to persons of all classes. "

But there is the rub. Back during the small conflict in southeast asia, I was a graduate student with IIS classification. The University screwed-up their reports. I was sent a draft notice.

I went in for the exam. I got a 100 on the written and was one of two who passed the physical without qualification. The other was the starting fullback on the University team [I told you that they screwed-up]. Well, I had been doing cooperative research with a Army Medical Hospital. The person I had been working with said if I was drafted, I could finish officers training school and his commanding general had guaranteed that I would be transferred there to do research. In the end, my draft board said they weren't going to draft me anyway and the University fixed their mistake. When I graduated, I was reclassified IIA. Do any of you remember what that meant?

Don't think that it would work; at least not in the fairly applied mode.

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), January 25, 2002.