Poll: The Draft
- Thread starter Sgt. Pepper
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Just to clarify a point that has come up several times:
When I say, would you choose to serve, I don't mean would you call up the Army and say, "No thanks." What I mean is that if confronted with a draft, would you be willing to move away / go to jail instead of serving? That's where the decision part lies.
When I say, would you choose to serve, I don't mean would you call up the Army and say, "No thanks." What I mean is that if confronted with a draft, would you be willing to move away / go to jail instead of serving? That's where the decision part lies.
If the politicians send their sons and daughters then i might consider. But while they send their family to international safe houses while drafting others to die for their cause i refuse. But if outside forces were to invade, that would be another thing entirely.
Nope, I surely would not. That's mostly only because I'm a veteran, and saw exactly how much individuals in the military get screwed over. Seriously, go watch the movie "Stop Loss" for more. It's based on a true story, and most of it's facts are correct.
Please don't twist what I say. Not sure what you mean by "run" since i'll probably in jail or something. I said politicians, that's with an s. Has nothing to do with partisanship, I'll go by what I see. If there is a draft and the majority of politician/'s family aren't drafted, then i'll refuse.
Democrats use the draft when it's absolutely necessary, republicans would use the draft every chance they get.
The reason why the draft isn't like always on is because the democrats would turn it down.
The reason why the draft isn't like always on is because the democrats would turn it down.
Thank you, bigcountry. I was hoping someone would post who took the time to research everything! If there's one thing I can't stand on the Escapist, it's people (who know who they are) calling other peoples' statements "retarded" without any evidence to back it up. It's good to see my (and your) statements vindicated with that post.bigcountry78 post=18.75146.860885 said:
What are you implying there?Portkins post=18.75146.863363 said:
That we Canadians are a bunch of peacenks that would never institute a draft. Might I remember that there was conscription during WW1, WW2 and the Korean war, that all in all more than a 100,000 kids died. We already have, and we will if it becomes necessary.
If they institue a draft. I'll go, It's anyone's duty as a citizen, sometimes paying your taxes isn't enough in the context. Anyone who shirks away from their duties is a coward in my eyes. It's not necessarily about your choice, so let's not be individualistic to the point of refusing to serve unless we're sure that our house is going to be threatened. How the hell could the allies have mustered enough manpower to defeat the Nazis without conscription.
An all-volunteer army is one of my favorite things about America, and demonstrates our commitment to personal freedom, even in the face of horrific war. If we abandon our freedoms in order to fight for them, we make a mockery of ourselves.
And yeah, as far as I understand it, the draft is something democrats usually pushed for throughout our history. I'm kind of glad to see people's attitudes about the draft changing from the stodgy "Go fight and die or you hate America" ways. The Vietnam War is an interesting argument against the draft. When the soldiers came back from serving, they were pretty much universally hated by the populace. However, most of them had been drafted, and had only been doing what they were required to do.
If a volunteer army had been in effect, the only people going to Vietnam would have been those who signed up with that in mind... Well, and those still serving their terms.
And yeah, as far as I understand it, the draft is something democrats usually pushed for throughout our history. I'm kind of glad to see people's attitudes about the draft changing from the stodgy "Go fight and die or you hate America" ways. The Vietnam War is an interesting argument against the draft. When the soldiers came back from serving, they were pretty much universally hated by the populace. However, most of them had been drafted, and had only been doing what they were required to do.
If a volunteer army had been in effect, the only people going to Vietnam would have been those who signed up with that in mind... Well, and those still serving their terms.
That's a touchy one, you know. Most of the South Vietnamese were certainly getting screwed over by their government. Were they really any better off after the North took over? The sheer number of refugees answers the question to my satisfaction. It's craptastic that the Vietnamese got caught in the middle of the Cold War, and I am making no excuses for any of the administrations that so badly mishandled the situation.Fondant said:
I'll give you that one. The US conducted itself nearly as despicably as every European power had for the last few centuries. Although the public was led to believe the Army was riding to the relief of the repressed Cubans, this doesn't lessen the shame.
Not sure where you're going with that one.
It's disingenuous to imply the body politic intentionally stayed out of the fight until a clear winner had been determined. Everyone, from Senators to sharecroppers, wanted nothing to do with either war for a long time. We certainly weren't waiting with baited breath for things to turn decisively in one direction or the other. FDR knew from the beginning where things were headed, and he had to work against a hostile and isolationist public to get the nation ready for the inevitable. In both cases, the US was provoked into fighting. It didn't swoop down after the fighting was done.
In any event, the notion that WWII was already swinging in the Allies' favor at the end of 1941 is either pernicious or ignorant.
That was another lose-lose proposition, wasn't it; no matter who won, the the Russian people lost.
Macarthur was an egoist of the worst sort by then. He was relieved from command very promptly and with good reason, and his plans didn't reflect the goals of the US. You must have noticed that he didn't get to use The Bomb, I hope. As for the motives of the US, it's once again a case of a third party getting caught in the middle of the Cold War, but you might ask some of the older South Koreans how they felt about US (or rather, UN) involvement.
That's a mighty wide brush you have there. Everyone else? One has to draw the line at being equated with Robert Mugabe or Vladimir Putin. But here I'm being too harsh. In my reading the point Rogue 09 was making was that most of our wars were not fought for outright selfishness. The wars against Mexico and Spain were unjust by modern standards, but that doesn't invalidate the rest of the balance.
Re: the draft (finally) Robert Heinlein summed up my feelings many years before I was even so much as a glint in the milkman's eye.
There is an old picture of a people traveling by sleigh through deep woods - pursued by wolves. Every now and then they grab one of their number and toss him to the wolves. That's conscription even if you call it "selective service" and pretty it up with USOs and "veterans' benefits" - it's tossing a minority to the wolves while the rest go on with that single-minded pursuit of the three-car garage, the swimming pool, and the safe & secure retirement benefits.
-from Glory Road.
Well, I'll add my two cents. I don't like doing things I don't want to do, and I particularly don't like people telling me let alone forcing me to do those things. So I say, "Fuck no!" I'd move country or take a sick day off work or something. Why should I fight in a war because my name is on a list?!
If memory serves me correctly, wasn't it Labor (under Whitlam) that abolished conscription? I don't think Rudd's stupid enough reinstate conscription.Lord Krunk post=18.75146.858436 said:
Personally, I wouldn't support a draft, and would only fight if Australia itself was being attacked. I'm not fighting my country's wars, but if my loved ones are threatened...
I would serve. I have no problem with war, war is a part of the human existence, It will NEVER go away. People that think world peace is possible are naive and optimistically misguided. I will try to avoid war if I can but if it is going to directly affect me-missles in my backyard, enemy vehicles on my roads, I will fight like hell to make it stop, I will launch the guerilla war from hell to make it stop. but that is because I am agressive and am not willing to bow to fascism in any form. and a draft isn't necessarily fascism, not if the government needs more soldiers to fight a war merely survive as a nation.