Youth Vote Issues #1: Military Draft
Lately I have been noticing that the very group of people that I am working hard to register and get to vote are a touch misinformed, or they have chosen not to critically evaluate the candidates and are prepared to vote how they were brought up by their parents in rural Iowa. There are a number of issues that these students should be looking at in this election and so I am going to explore them a bit. Today's issue regards the military and the possibility of a draft.
This past weekend John Edwards proclaimed at a rally that the Kerry-Edwards ticket would not impose a military draft. I thought it was a great statement to make because Bushy will not be able to say it. The Bush administration has adopted and believes in a policy of pre-emptive military action to protect the national security needs of the country. We have invaded Afghanistan (in a just war, but where we did not finish the job) and we have invaded the nation of Iraq under the banner of dissarming them of their stockpiles of WMD's (which were not there). With this past history of protection, I find it likely that we will be forced to be pre-emptive again if we maintain Bushy's policies. Some other folks think so as well. So Iran and North Korea are boldly ignoring International policies regarding nuclear weapon development. Unlike Iraq, both of these nations have a very capable military establishment that could easily impact American influences, especially North Korea.
Let's say that we don't reach a resolution with North Korea and we decide they are an emminent threat to our National Security. We must pre-emptively attack them to stay consistent with our policies. Airstrikes happen in North Korea taking out nuclear weapon facilities. In response, North Korea and their nearly 1 million man army invade and overrun American forces in South Korea. Okay, that is the sunniest outlook, the most negative is that North Korea drops nuclear weapons on Seoul and other South Korean cities. At any rate the point is that we will then be committed in another military conflict and will need to send the troops.
Wait a tick, our troops are all committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are already using 50-60% of our National Guard and Reserve troops to support these efforts at defeating terrorism. We need at least an army of 250,000 troops to stem the hemmorrage in South Korea. Where will we get those troops....how about a draft? The possibility is very real.
I support a shared sacrifice of military service, meaning that I support some type of draft initiative that means that our poorest citizens are not the only ones carrying the burden of service in the military. However, I do not support drafting soldiers for pre-emptive wars. North Korea may well be a legitimate threat that we need to deal with, and we have stimulated Iran into action with our colonial presence in the Middle East. Our policies have led us to the point where we may now have to be more pre-emptive, but we certainly do not have the resources. All of this at the same time that Osama Bin-Laden still draws breath, is still recruiting, and is working to attack us again. Think about the future of the military and your role in it when you cast your ballot. Selective Service is age 18-25, and with civil rights in place, a draft would include women as well.
This past weekend John Edwards proclaimed at a rally that the Kerry-Edwards ticket would not impose a military draft. I thought it was a great statement to make because Bushy will not be able to say it. The Bush administration has adopted and believes in a policy of pre-emptive military action to protect the national security needs of the country. We have invaded Afghanistan (in a just war, but where we did not finish the job) and we have invaded the nation of Iraq under the banner of dissarming them of their stockpiles of WMD's (which were not there). With this past history of protection, I find it likely that we will be forced to be pre-emptive again if we maintain Bushy's policies. Some other folks think so as well. So Iran and North Korea are boldly ignoring International policies regarding nuclear weapon development. Unlike Iraq, both of these nations have a very capable military establishment that could easily impact American influences, especially North Korea.
Let's say that we don't reach a resolution with North Korea and we decide they are an emminent threat to our National Security. We must pre-emptively attack them to stay consistent with our policies. Airstrikes happen in North Korea taking out nuclear weapon facilities. In response, North Korea and their nearly 1 million man army invade and overrun American forces in South Korea. Okay, that is the sunniest outlook, the most negative is that North Korea drops nuclear weapons on Seoul and other South Korean cities. At any rate the point is that we will then be committed in another military conflict and will need to send the troops.
Wait a tick, our troops are all committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are already using 50-60% of our National Guard and Reserve troops to support these efforts at defeating terrorism. We need at least an army of 250,000 troops to stem the hemmorrage in South Korea. Where will we get those troops....how about a draft? The possibility is very real.
I support a shared sacrifice of military service, meaning that I support some type of draft initiative that means that our poorest citizens are not the only ones carrying the burden of service in the military. However, I do not support drafting soldiers for pre-emptive wars. North Korea may well be a legitimate threat that we need to deal with, and we have stimulated Iran into action with our colonial presence in the Middle East. Our policies have led us to the point where we may now have to be more pre-emptive, but we certainly do not have the resources. All of this at the same time that Osama Bin-Laden still draws breath, is still recruiting, and is working to attack us again. Think about the future of the military and your role in it when you cast your ballot. Selective Service is age 18-25, and with civil rights in place, a draft would include women as well.
posted by GT at 7:25 AM
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