@Endymion,
No offense, Endy, but there's a cartload of BS in that post. I get the feeling that you're not so much arguing against the draft but rather against the military establishment
per se. I might agree with you; I might disagree with you. But, poit is, that's an entirely different argument.
What does 'should' mean? I think that, properly phrased, the original question in this thread should have been,
"If it is felt that a standing milittary force is necessary for the security of the nation, should there be a draft of all able-bodied persons to staff that military force? At any rate, that's how I understood the question. Those who know me and who know that I support a draft also know that I do so, in part, at least, because I distrust a professional army, essentially a well-trained military force which has more loyalty to its leaders than to the people they are supposed to be protecting.
You refer to "young, disadvantaged people" as those who would be the "first to get drafted." Who do you think the majority of the volunteers are now? Young, disadvantaged people who are having difficulty finding jobs in the civilian sector. There are the random few who just simply like military life, who join the army because they want to "play soldier." But they're the rare exception. Most people -- men and women -- join because it's a job and, with the benefits the government offers, could be a gateway to a better career after their enlistment is up.
[Aside: The undeniable fact that "our Governments SHOULD have behaved responsibly after 9/11" is a
non sequitur. It has nothing whatever to do with an argument either for or against a draft.]
Where did you get the notion that the army teaches "brutality and servitude"? Do you watch a lot of war movies? The army teaches brutality in the same sense that a business course in bookkeeping teaches how to cheat on your taxes. If that's what you carry away from the training, so be it. It's not the intent.
Please allow me to tell you what is the most important thing I learned in the army. (And, with respect to Thomas, no, it wasn't how to sew in my own buttons or how to do my own laundry.
) What I got from my army training was an understanding of the importance of responsibility in whatever you do. I learned that no matter what assignment you're given, it is important to try -- I mean, really try -- to do it to the best of your ability. It doesn't matter what the assignment is. It might be what is euphemistically known as "policing the area" which basically means to go over inch by inch by inch the area assigned and pick up every damned cigarette butt and piece of scrap paper and anything else anyone might have dropped. Truly meaningless, stultifyingly dull work, right? Right. And I learned that it's important to do it well, to get in the habit of doing
any job well. Why? Because your next assignment might be so important that several lives depend on you. If you're already in the habit of not missing any details (e.g. cigarette butts hiding in corners), you might save those lives.
For most people, military training is a positive learning experience. And there are unexpected fringe benefits. I have never been in such good health, either before my service or after, as I was when on active duty. Right weight, good muscle tone, proper diet, etc. etc. etc.
There are a number of other inanities in your post, as well, but everybody's tired of reading my diatribe by now, I'm sure. Best of luck to you, Endy.
