Reply #5: Actually, it would take a great deal of political courage [View All]

[maxrandb]

but re-instituting the Draft could be a positive thing. As someone whose Navy career is winding down after 25 years, let me explain why I say this.

1. This is a great, if flawed, country. For the sake of preserving it, and enabling it to become better, some form of "shared sacrifice" should be required. If you can't give 2 years of service to a country that has given so much opportunity to you, then something is seriously wrong.

2. Requiring service with the only deferment being for physical disability, would ensure that those "teabaggers", "chickenhawks" and especially, those 535 people in DC who commit our military to missions to defend America, will know and understand what it is like for little Timmy or Tammy to get their asses shot at as they eat dirt and crawl on their belly under barb-wire for 12-18 hours a day. I think we would have had a much more spirited and thoughtful debate before the Iraq War, if "Senator Wingnuts" son our daughter had a chance of getting half of their face blown off.

3. It could have a significant and positive impact on economic growth. Believe it our not, Navy, Air Force, Army and even Marine Corps schools are pretty damn good. Young people who have no marketable skills could develop them. I'll give you an example. The Navy Nuclear Power School is one of the most, if not the most, intense Engineering, Physics, Mathematics and Electronics programs in the world. Some folks would come out of the military after two years with a trade that could last them a lifetime, while others would go on to college.

4. Discipline, Discipline, Discipline. I'm not talking about "go sit in the corner", or "drop and give me 20", but the everday discipline it takes to make it in the world. The discipline to be on time. The discipline to groom yourself. The discipline to take care of yourself. The discipline to mesh and interact with a diverse group of people of every race, religion, ethnicity, socio-economic status, intelligence level, culture, gender, political philosophy, or sexual orientation (yes, in my military, Don't Ask, Don't Tell would die a quick death. Trust me, there is nothing more diverse than a military bootcamp

5. Giving us a pool of people with military experience would mean that in time of really true crisis, we could quickly expand the ranks, so that the same 2% of Americans that serve are not simply recycling though a fricking meat grinder.

Believe it or not...this country is worth fighting for...why are so few asked to do all of it?