# Rangel: Bring Back the Draft

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangel-bring-back-the-draft/145870>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [December 31, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangel-bring-back-the-draft/145870 "2002-12-31T14:50:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangel-bring-back-the-draft/145870/1 "2002-12-31T14:50:08Z")

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[Rep. Charles Rangel Calls for Resuming Military Draft in Event of Iraq War](http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAAUE1TDAD.html)

> [@](#):
>
> NEW YORK (AP) - Rep. Charles Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War, says he plans to introduce legislation to resume the military draft in the event of a war against Iraq.

> [@](#):
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> Rangel said the prospect of a draft would make Congress less likely to support a war.
> 
> “I believe that if those calling for war knew their children were more likely to be required to serve - and to be placed in harm’s way - there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq,” Rangel wrote.
> 
> Military service should be a “shared sacrifice” asked of all able young Americans, he said, noting that minorities make up a “disproportionate number” of enlisted members of the military.

I would certainly agree with Rangel that having a draft will create less sympathy for war. But I don’t see why this factor needs to be added. As it is now, those who are in the army are those who signed up for the risk of war, and while they should obviously not be thrown into war like cannon fodder, if a situation arises that requires war, that’s what they signed up for. By contrast, having a draft would be creating an artificial obstacle to war even in cases that it is necessary, by creating a large number of reluctant warriors who would exert political pressure out of (legitimate) self-interest.

And his minority claim is just more racial junk. Minorities make up a disproportionate percentage of the military, but not nearly enough for ostensible racists to be thinking “let’s go to war - the casualties will all be minority anyway”.

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**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangel-bring-back-the-draft/145870/2 "2002-12-31T14:51:48Z")

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[Here’s the other thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153385)

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**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangel-bring-back-the-draft/145870/3 "2002-12-31T14:52:36Z")

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I’m sorry, I did not see the other thread. Please ignore this one.

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**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangel-bring-back-the-draft/145870/4 "2002-12-31T16:01:53Z")

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**Moderator’s Note:** Closing at the request of the OP.