This may end up in GD. Mods, if it does denigrate, please feel free to move it.
I can think of two side effects of a draft that could be viewed as positive. (Of course, positive depends on your point of view.)
If the draft were to go into full swing, I would imagine the dringking age would have to go back down to 19, as people all over the country start arguing that if they are considered mature enough to get shot at, then they should be considedered old enough to have a beer.
Gays would be allowed into the military. Young people who don’t want to get drafted realize that staying in college or going to grad school is no longer an option. Since being a homosexual no longer carries the same stigma it did in they 1960s tell their local draft board they’re gay. After 75% of young men come out of the closet, the president implements, “Don’t ask/Don’t tell/Don’t care.”
I don’t think I’m out in left field here. After all, Amendment 26 was ratified
A greater number of people have been through basic training, learned to defend themselves, trained with firearms, learned to operate equipment, developed leadership skills, etc. This means that the citizenry as a whole is better prepared to defend the country in times of crisis.
It makes it possible to have a smaller standing army, but at the same time have a vastly greater pool of reservists.
On the individual level, it’s a great opportunity for education/self-improvement. Improve physical fitness, learn the value of discipline and teamwork. Instill patriotism and sense of duty.
Of course, being an Army brat, I have a somewhat romanticized view of military service.
I have read both Jefferson and Franklin in their defense of a “citizen” army, and I believe that intellectually their arguments are still very valid. In reality, however, I feel that we have stepped so far into the world of a professional army, it is impractical. Yes, I know Rumsfeld would agrue that a professional army is the only way to defend ourselves against the terrorist hoard.
The key to keeping the military in any sort of check (which I honestly feel is a valid desire) is the draft. The draft will force people who don’t like being in the army to be in the army, which is good. If all you have in a military is people who want to be there, then it can become separate, elitest and a power unto itself feeding on its own delusions that arise because of no actual dissent within its forces.
Yes, I know an efficient army works best without discent. I was in it, remember. But I also know that an army that is really efficient is not always the best thing for a democracy. I feel that indeed you should have the occasional person in the army that really doesn’t want to be there. He (or she) adds to the mix and intellectually and morally it becomes less inbred. And in that way more voices are out there, even if they may not be heard.
By the way, even though I was drafted, I made it up to the rank of an officer.
Draft is good discipline for wayward youth… but it delays others from getting on with their studies.
As for Gay rights… in Brazil if you try to get away from service by claiming homosexuality… they stamp a big red “Pederast” in your military exemption card. This card has to be shown quite frequently when your looking for a job in civil service or big companies or too vote. So no I don’t think the draft will help Americans accept homosexuality… especially in the Army.
I agree with what was mentioned before… if the military become a culture onto themselves they will act in their own interests and ideals… not the USA’s. So the Draft would stop the US being so belligerent.
A lot of the Nordic countries actually have universal conscription (I remember one of our Norwegian posters making a thread about how much that sucks). Yet they’re much less likely to send their troops anywhere. I think the upshot of a draft is once a John Politician’s rich brat grandson (old people start wars, young people fight them you know) is put into a platoon he’s less likely to want to go to war himself.
IIRC, there are non-Nordic nations that require military service. Israel and Switzerland come to mind. Of course true universal military service is different from the draft.
Frankly, I think the non-universality is one of the factors that made for resentment back when there was a draft here. For a time, there were exemptions for college students and certain professions. There was a time when married men, or married men with children, were exempt. This tended to make low-income guys more vulnerable. In addition to that, a lot of it was just luck, even before the birthday lottery method began.
I volunteered and served; my entire service was in peacetime. There is no dishonor in serving in the military- but no one should be forced into something that they can’t handle, so there had better be safeguards in place to protect both the draftees and the military.
If there contiues to be an emphasis on contiued education, regardless of the military specialty, then it can benefit the private sector- when the minimum term of service is done then the workforce gets a skilled individual. The person benefits by having more choices than someone without the experience, like getting a skill-based job or continuing their education. The military pay and benefits system can help with tuition and other costs of a higher education.
So, if one gets a free education in return, then the draft can be a benefit to America in general.
It’s ironic that compulsory military service would be considered an asset to democracy. I can understand and appreciate the argument, but I would have never thought of it on my own.
Regarding non-universality: I think congress addressed it with the Selective Service Act. About the only way out of the draft now is to be in an essential carreer, gay, or a conscientious objector.
Or female? I’m sure that reinstating the draft would spark debate over why/whether only men should be forced to serve—and perhaps debate over equal treatment of men/women in general, the likes of which we haven’t heard since they tried to pass the Equal Rights Amendment back in the 70s. Although I’m not sure what, if anything, positive would come of this…
Good point. As part of a survey I did for a friend’s grad class last week, you have to finish sentences. The sentence “Women are lucky because” I finished " because they can’t get drafted." I don’t think anyone should be drafted, so count me out of that equal rights argument… although, I don’t think it’d be terrible if kids who commit not violent crimes (like minor possession charges or statutory rape; because their girlfriend is 15/16/17 and they’ve 18) were still given the choice between a jail sentence or military service. My parents know several people who chose military service, and it straightened them out. Sorry for wandering far afield.
