All Israeli youth HAVE to go into military service at age 18.

[Erika]

Women for two years, men for three.

We would have never even gone into Iraq if this had been the case here. We're raising generations of chickenhawks.

[napi21]

1. That's true. When we did have the draft, it was similar to that,

only it exempted women, and toere was a lottery, at least when I was 18+.

Personally, I don't have a problem with reinstuting the draft, except I sure can't trust our current leadership. They're so intent on going to war everywhere, giving them an endless supply of new troops would be a big mistake!

[SheilaT]

13. In Israel

the Ultra Orthodox are exempt from service.

We never had anything close to a universal draft in this country, although President Wilson was getting ready to draft ALL men ages 18-44 towards the end of WWI. Even before the lottery exemptions were many and common.

Our military is not and never has been geared up for universal service. That would mean how many millions on active duty at any one time? One of the things our Founding Fathers didn't like was conscription. Personally, I'm opposed to it.

[Warpy]

2. Aw, rubbish.

If Stupid had that kind of manpower supply, we'd be bogged down and our kids would be getting blown to bits in Iran and Syria now. The only thing holding that little bastard back is a LACK OF MANPOWER.

Do you REALLY want to give a fucking madman an endless supply of kids to sacrifice on the altar of his ambition and vanity?

[Erika]

4. Can you imagine the Congress committing their own to war?

Or like the Bush tribe of kids?

[Warpy]

6. Can you imagine Congress not sending draft age kids

to Europe to school, after conveniently including that little loophole for their own brats?

Get real.

[StellaBlue]

32. they'd get out of it, like the always have

nt

[LSK]

3. uhhh, lots of countries have mandatory military service

Greece also has that. Is Greece about to be "pushed into the sea" also?

:shrug:

[tabasco]

9. Greece might not slip into the sea but it will make it a lot easier

for Albania to slide on in.

Less friction.

It's a joke.

Nevermind.

Yep, last time I checked, most European countries have some type of mandatory service.

I support it here but only instituted during peacetime and with VERY STRICT deferment rules.

[spindrifter]

5. And they are in the reserves till age 50,

spending time each year training and doing other reserve work. If you immigrate to Israel, you also have to spend time in the military.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. We're raising generations of REPUBLICAN chickenhawks.

I have a friend who is RWer. We actually had the following conversation a year ago.

Her: If there wasn't a war, I would encourage Joey to join the military, but you, know there is a war. I think it would be good for him because he's not a good student.

Me: (In a blind rage) So, it's okay for other people's kids to die in this ungodly war that YOU fucking voted for? Do you have any fucking idea how hypocritical that is? Do you?

Her: *CRICKETS CHIRPING*

[Cha]

8. Then there's Iceland and

Switzerland.

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Not true.

Not all Israeli youth have to go into military service.

[Erika]

14. The Israeli military spokeswoman said this to AP

Who doesn't have to go?

[Behind the Aegis]

18. IDF

National military service is compulsory for Jewish and Druze men, and Jewish women, over the age of 18, although exemptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds (see Profile 21). Men in the Haredi community may choose to be exempt while enrolled in Yeshivas, a practice that is a source of tension <2>, though some yeshiva programs like Hesder provide opportunities for service.

Men serve three years in the IDF, while women serve two and sometimes under two. The IDF may on occasions require women who volunteer for combat positions to serve for three years because combat soldiers must undergo a lengthy period of training. Women in combat positions are also required to serve as reserve for several years after their dismissal from regular service, pending marriage, or pregnancy, is in order.

---snip---

Druze Arabs and Circassians, like Israeli Jews, serve mandatory service in the IDF. In recent years, some Druze officers have reached positions in the IDF as high as Major General and many have received orders of distinction.

Service is not mandatory for all other Israeli minorities (notably Israeli Arabs but also Black Hebrews and others). However, a large number of Bedouin, as well as some Christian Arabs and even a few Muslim Arabs, volunteer. Six Israeli Arabs have received orders of distinction as a part of their military service; of them the most famous is a Bedouin officer, Lieutenant Colonel Abd El-Amin Hajer (also known as Amos Yarkoni), who received the Order of Distinction. Recently, a Bedouin officer was promoted to the rank of Colonel.

IDF

[Erika]

21. Thanks. How would this concept apply to our population?

Theory question.

[Behind the Aegis]

24. In all honesty, I don't know.

I don't think it would ever be an issue. The size of our country lends itself to a large military. Even when numbers were down, we still had a huge army. We also are not always under a security threat, despite the rantings of the current administration. We are more likely to have a terrorist attack in this country by one of our own, as opposed to a foreign nation or foreign terrorist group.

[Erika]

27. Can you explain Druze? Thanks n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

28. Druze

The Druze (Arabic: darazī درزي, pl. durūz دروز) are a distinct religious community based mostly in the Middle East who are a sect of Islam but influenced by other religions and philosophies, including Greek philosophy. The Druze refer to themselves as "an Islamic, Shīˤī, Unist, reformatory sect (madhhab Islāmī, Shīˤī, Tawḥīdī islāḥī)" (Note 1), although they are not considered Muslims by most Muslims in the region. The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawḥīd ("the People of Monotheism") or Muwaḥḥidūn ("Monotheists"). The origin of the name Druze is traced to Muḥammad ad-Darazī, reputed founder of the sect.

Druze

Do read more at the link. Also, check out some of the external links. The Wikipedia excerpt doesn't give very much info. I will see if I can find something better.

Here is one to Religious Tolerance.org. It has a little more info.

[Erika]

33. Thanks. I've learned a lot and will read more.

Isreal appears to have religious exemptions from military serviced based on sectarian beliefs. Is my interpretation correct?

[Behind the Aegis]

35. That would be correct.

However, the religious don't always take the exemption, but that is a personal choice.

[rockymountaindem]

19. Jews and Druze only...

and ultra-orthodox Jews generally get study deferments for Yeshiva training, and their religious rules forbid their women from serving.

[Erika]

23. Women can opt out based on their religious sect?

Am I reading this right? Thanks.

[rockymountaindem]

30. For secular Jewish women, it isn't an issue

For the orthodox ones, many are married at a young age (shortly after their 18th birthday) to Orthodox men with exemptions from the service for study purposes. For others, the strict religious rules regarding contact between men and women who aren't married or family members prevent them from serving and honoring their religious beliefs. It is kind of like conscientious objector status.

[Renew Deal]

11. That's half true.

Only Jews. Non-jews are not obligated.

[Midlodemocrat]

12. Is that true? I thought it was all Israeli youth?

TIA.

[Renew Deal]

15. It's true

"17 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for men, 21 months for women (2004)"

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/is.html

[Erika]

16. That is not what the spokesperson said

She said "all Israeli youth". Do you have a source?

[Renew Deal]

20. Yes

look up.

[Selatius]

17. We had the draft, but it didn't stop Viet Nam from happening, did it?

The difference between mandatory service in Europe and mandatory service in the US is that in Europe people remember what it was like to see 50,000,000 people die before the end of the last war and remember what it was like to have entire cities and nations devastated.

We don't have that kind of experience to draw from. We are not war-shy like the Europeans are. For them, two world wars in less than 100 years is fucking enough. They are not interested in a trilogy.

[Warpy]

25. And it sure as hell didn't weaken support in the suburbs

even when working class kids came home in boxes. Those kids weren't from their neighborhoods, so the war to stop dominoes from falling and communism from spreading was just fine with them.

Congress thoughtfully exempted the "nice" kids by allowing them deferments for college, after which they'd enter as OFFICERS, mostly away from the front lines.

A draft in this country would be unmitigated EVIL, allowing a bloated military machine and an out of control government to engage in even more death and misery worldwide.

No thanks. There's a reason we all fought to get a volunteer military in the 70s.

[Erika]

26. It stopped Cheney, W, all the rest of the GOP chickenhawks

from going and serving.

[Selatius]

29. So you are saying that we should repeat history by reinstituting it?

All you've suggested is how to identify future Cheneys and Rumsfelds by keeping a list of those who came from rich families who dodged the current draft, while every poor man's son or daughter dies in wars launched by current Cheneys and Rumsfelds.

The only way your notion would work is if you drafted everybody regardless of economic status, and I doubt you could get a draft bill past a Republican Congress that won't exempt their sons and daughters from serving.

[Erika]

34. I have suggested or recommended nothing

Observations only.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

22. Yes We Would've. n/t

[StellaBlue]

31. Mandatory national service/draft = conscription = slavery

nt