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Jewish World Review
Nov. 1, 2012/ 15 Tishrei, 5773
Good reasons to revive draft
By
Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Maybe Charlie Rangel is right in saying that America should bring back the draft, although we get to the same conclusion for different reasons.
Rangel believes that reinstatement of the draft is most equitable toward all. He thinks it's unfair that privileged kids like mine don't equally share the burden of military service. Actually, I'm starting to think that making them serve is the best way to keep them safe. It sounds counterintuitive, but think about it.
Order in Afghanistan is crumbling. So far this year, 51 NATO soldiers have been killed in what are referred to as "blue on green" attacks in which supposedly friendly forces attack our troops. So even though the Taliban knows we are leaving, and could sit back and wait to make its move when we cease combat operations in 2014, it wants to send a message to the United States about the futility of the last decade of war in the same country that the Soviets couldn't conquer.
Meanwhile, as investigators still seek to learn the circumstances surrounding the murder of J. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, an estimated 30 people have died in 20 nations in protests over the movie "Innocence of Muslims" and, on Friday, France closed a number of its embassies to prevent confrontation stemming from a French magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. In the final 50 days of the American election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that an American line be drawn in the sand with regard to Iran, even though he has not drawn one himself.
We live in very dangerous times, and some who would otherwise preach fiscal responsibility seem to relish the opportunity to pursue even more on military intervention, overlooking that we can't afford it, both in dollars and in bloodshed.
Perhaps, then, the best way to restrain our leaders against another foreign entanglement is to ensure that any significant commitment of troops will involve all American families. We need to make going to war more difficult.
This won't be an easy sell in Washington. Despite a decade of war, there has been no serious discussion of a draft since 9/11. Rangel, a Korean War veteran, has been the exception. Rangel has said fairness demands that the white middle and upper class share the burden of war. He has formerly proposed what he calls the Universal National Service Act on four occasions, most recently in 2010. The only time he received a vote was in 2004, when it was defeated, 402-2, and such was the farcical nature of that roll call that Rangel himself voted against it.
In March 2011, Rangel tried again. In seeking co-sponsors, he wrote to his colleagues: "The test for Congress, particularly for those members who support the war, is to require all who enjoy the benefits of our democracy to contribute to the defense of the country. All of America's children should share the risk of being placed in harm's way. The reason is that so few families have a stake in the war which is being fought by other people's children."
Rangel proposed that "all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25, if called upon by the President during a declaration of war, a national emergency, or a military contingency operation, to perform national service for a minimum of two years with few exceptions."
He said such a law would cut down the number of deployments for active duty and Reserve military units who now see multiple deployments during the course of their enlistment due to troop-strength shortages, and provide an opportunity to work in education, health care, ports, security, and other services as deemed necessary by the president.
That effort didn't even get a vote.
Last December, on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Rangel tried again. "It's abundantly clear that everybody does not assume the same sacrifices, whether we're talking about taxes or loss of life," he said.
Had there been a draft on Sept. 12, 2001, Americans would have rallied to the cause. Whether the need was for troops, a war tax, or rationing, the public would have responded. But a force recruited by mandatory conscription would not still be in Afghanistan after 11 years. Rangel has said that if a draft had been in place, the invasion of Iraq would never have happened. He might be right.
Funny thing. Rangel sees a need for the draft so that kids like mine aren't off-limits. I see the need for a draft to ensure that a trigger-happy president and Congress don't overextend us in a dangerous world to fulfill commitments that should never have been made. Either way, it's an idea worthy of debate.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here. Michael Smerconish writes for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Previously:
09/25/12 If Romney loses
04/19/12 Christie will get GOP nod in 2016
04/06/12 Romneys not only family with embarrassing stories
03/08/12 Here's an easy fix for King monument quote
02/28/12 Valor-medal lie as free speech
02/21/12 Now we know: Van Halen's M&M rider was just a test
02/14/12 Life inside the (class) bubble
02/09/12 Rethinking paths to wealth
01/17/12 Romney must face his work history head-on
01/11/12 Don't let those gift cards be a gift to retailers or the state
01/03/12 Headlines hoped for in 2012
11/09/11 Romney, beware: Cain may bob through the straits
11/02/11 Where there's ad smoke, there's … what?
10/20/11 After husband is murdered, 30 long years of phone calls
10/13/11 Black women should only marry out of their race?
08/31/11 Some political gaffes really say something
07/27/11 An overture of candidates' theme songs
06/28/11 Where's the app for common sense?
06/02/11 Over-scrutinizing lives costs us potential leaders
04/19/11 Taking a chance to say, Hi
04/06/11 Race policies should be altered to reflect new demographic reality
11/10/10 Delaware's independent, but short-lived, voice
11/03/10 Papers should leave endorsing to others
10/21/10 Media help to hype perception of bullying
09/23/10 Officer down, killer hyped up
08/04/10 Documents highlight Pakistan's shortcomings as a U.S. ally
07/06/10 On taking back Sept. 11
06/29/10 Name elite corps to develop energy independence?
04/21/10 New account reinforces a serviceman's valor
03/11/10 Medical profession must police itself better
02/18/10 One-trick athletes
02/09/10 Active, retired law officers should be able to carry guns on planes to help stop terrorists
02/04/10 How to bring tech up to speed
01/28/10 Campaign donations must be fully and immediately disclosed online
01/07/10 The flying emperor still has no clothes, and no one is willing to say so
12/24/09 A law to mandate college football playoffs?
12/17/09 Cheney's abuse of freedom of speech
11/26/09 The true cost of freedom from anxiety
10/27/09 If GOP wants to win in 2012, it must reshape its primary process
10/08/09 It's time to get smarter on extended school day
09/03/09 What a summer of eulogizing flawed public figures reveals about society
08/12/09 It's time for cyclists and motorists to reconcile
08/05/09 Faces have changed, but vitriol remains
06/25/09 Fair comment or foul? Warm up the Muzzle Meter
06/08/09 Believability is key in crime-hoax villains
05/14/09 Did Hollywood inspire the meltdown men?
04/20/09 Let's give killers their due: Anonymity
03/12/09 Uninsured who can't afford medical care lose a lot more
02/06/09 My debate with Musharraf on hunt for bin Laden
01/29/09 Torture must remain an option
01/15/09 Making a case for suing Madoff
12/22/08 A difficult but rational chat about plans
12/17/08 Facebook epidemic: More than 120 million have joined, many too old for this nonsense
12/01/08 The high price of downsizing the news biz
11/14/08 Prescience on greed, arrogance of a system
09/29/08 Closer look at party lines
08/26/08 Obama's pick creates GOP opportunity
08/21/08 Fishing with the Angry Everyman
07/31/08 The perils of e-mail: Ponder, then click
05/22/08 Two very different sides of the Internet
02/12/08 Sublimely ridiculous suits
11/28/08 Cell phones cut out secondary circle of kinship
09/26/07 What do we owe those who have died in Iraq?
08/30/07 A Navy SEAL's gut-wrenching tale of survival
07/30/07 First it was a faux pas, now it's a new word
© 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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