Concerning Draft - Up or Down

[Jack Sprat]

More against than for by 55% to 45%. I voted "For the Draft", but it had nothing to do with the current occupation of Iraq. It reflects a long-range outlook on what kind of military that I believe works the best. The recent appeal from the Army to offer 40k bonuses to maintain an adequate force level is disgraceful to me. It surely reflects a force that has been over-extended and misused. I am of the opinion that the all volunteer army is not only unfair, but has led to the misuse. If the broad segments of our society had a personal connection to world events that involve our military forces, I believe that we, as a nation, would have a more sobering disposition to go to war.

Then, too, it is no secret that our current military composition is filled with many kids, who were desperate for work and a steady job of any kind. I don't think it is healthy or moral to use these poor kids to sacrifice their lives because other kids can afford not to.

How many times have you heard a pro-war chickenhawk justify the current quagmire in Iraq and the deaths of our soldiers, by asserting that our troops get paid to risk their lives? This infuriates me.

The present all-volunteer army has become twisted into a tool for partisan politics. The Armed Forces are not supposed to be political at all. I ask you to look at the example of the Pat Tillman friendly fire death and the cover-up. The complete military command structure has been filled with Neo-con idealogues and this has led to this kind of public mistrust. Now, we have been reduced to "Blackwater mercenaries misrepresenting American values acting outside of the rules of the UCMJ and the Geneva Convention.

My vote "For a draft" is not linked to ending this current debacle in Iraq. It is for a fair and long-term vision of a healthy, apolitical military force that is not subjected to consecutive remote tours of duty in a combat zone and the reinstatement of the old G.I. bill for education, and that includes a sense of sacrifice for all. I may be completely wrong and off-base with these arguments, but I am a veteran and this is my outlook on the Draft. The original poll was about the Draft and not whether someone supports this war. I don't.