More on the Draft

I wasn't entirely pleased with my previous post about the draft (a few down) because part of it sounds like Peggy Noonan fake hand-wringing while the other part implies I know what the right answer is supposed to be.

Of all the other wars in which I know the draft was called, this situation in Iraq and Afghanistan is one of the worst applications of it. Like the Spanish-American war that media giants at the time like Hearst helped fund to increase circulation, this one is being fought only for the benefit - and I say benefit, NOT security - of some elements within the United States.

We aren't going to wipe out terrorism because for every effort and action, there is likely to be a group vehemently and perhaps violently opposed to that effort and action. One person on one side of a two sided issue will always refer to the opposing side as a terrorist if they think they can get any political traction out of it. A terrorist - for most people who don't give it great thought - implies a dangerous loony-tune and not anyone with a legitimate gripe (and a legitimate gripe is, of course, different than blowing people up).

Now, much of the world - which means, not Bush and company - are wise enough to realize the War on Terror is a rather selective war where the sole definition of a terrorist often seems to be "anyone standing in the Bush party's way", and they don't expect 2, 5, 10, 20, or 50 years of fighting this so-called war to render anything but more terrorism.

Thus, there shouldn't need to be a draft because we shouldn't be fighting this kind of war this way. But we are. And as long as we're willing to allow Commander Jumpsuit-on-the-FlightDeck to keep bringing us into war, we're going to have to institute the draft. It shouldn't only be the poor who go. And it would not in anyway be fair to institute a draft without including able-bodied women in themix.

Both of the conditions I would like to set on the reinstitution of the draft would be seriously hated by the right wing. They don't want women in service - and wanted to make Jessica Lynch a poster girl for proving women aren't capable - unless they're in the service of servicing commissioned officers in the nice, safe officer's quarters. And Congress and the White House will do everything possible to protect their own kids, along with the kids of key political/financial associates, at the expense of their constituents' poorer kids.

But place both conditions on the draft and you get a) a more fair system and b) perhaps a little more thought in what's involved in keeping us OUT of war - or maybe I'm just c)stoned on antihistamines - it seems to be allergy season and everytime I try a new "no drowsy" antihistamine I end up hanging from the ceiling fan. Ah well.