Mothers Against the Draft

A Veteran Comments on Re-instating the Military Draft

Supporters of the draft fail to recognize one central truth: a proper government exists solely to protect the individual rights of its people. One can not claim to defend these rights while one simultaneously violates their most sacred tenet: that the individual has a right to his life that may not be violated. The only effective way to share the cost of war equitably is to pay military personnel those salaries that make military service attractive and to give the military the resources it needs and a mission worthy of the men and women who carry it out.

Is there a draft in the wind? The volunteer military operates under what it calls a 3-1 rotation schedule, which requires two stateside units for every one deployed overseas so that troops can be rotated in and out of harm's way. That means the armed services need three times as many troops as are actually deployed -- 540,000 in the case of Iraq and Kuwait. More than 1.4 million men and women are on active duty, but just 499,543 of them are in the Army, which is handling the bulk of the fighting in Iraq.	The Draft Is Fascist A former speechwriter for President Richard Nixon thinks his old boss made a mistake when he ended the military draft in the early 1970s during the war in Vietnam. Noel Koch reports that Nixon himself came to believe he erred and “[urged] that the draft be restored.”
The Conservative War-Mania The idea of war seems to conjure in their imaginations a picture of a battle between a virtuous America and a purely evil enemy who deserves whatever he gets. In World War II movies, for instance, German soldiers are always shown as cruel, usually beefy men, more than 30 years old, each of whom is capable of strangling Ann Frank with his bare hands. They are never shown as scared kids, drafted like our boys to fight for purposes they don't understand.	The Libertarian Roots of the All-Volunteer Military The United States Constitution is quite specific with respect to compelling men to join the military. Article I, Section 8 authorizes Congress "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions." No other justification is specified.
Conscription never a model of fairness NEW YORK -- No idea excites self-styled reformers, whether liberal or conservative, more than calls to revive the military draft. In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq last year, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, lobbied for conscription. This spring, it was Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska. Both contend that a draft would spread the burden of sacrifice more justly than our all-volunteer armed forces and make jaded Americans own up to the brutal toll war exacts.	Administration's own actions fuel rumors of draft
Leaving on a Jet Plane Most politicians think it's so radioactive, they won't go near it, and government officials keep insisting it's not going to happen any time soon. But the military draft is a subject that just won't go away, particularly for young Americans and the adults who love them.	The Bible and the Draft
Do Like Reagan - Get Out!	No Draft - Ever! At the moment, there are not enough men and women under arms. Troops are being made to stay in Iraq beyond their promised tours. Reservists and national guardsmen have been called up. And the discharges of several thousand military personnel have been delayed; they are now in the armed forces against their will It's still not enough. That's why we're hearing talk of conscription.