Don't Reinstate the Draft
On
the eve of Mother's Day, a holiday with its origins rooted in the peace
movement, it's hard to believe that chatter to reinstate the draft
appears to be gaining momentum by the day.
A return to the draft is not the answer to our problems in Iraq.
In
times of great national purpose, such as World War II, an all-inclusive
draft (with exceptions for conscientious objectors) is the right way to
share fairly the burden of a rapidly expanding military. However, the
current war with Iraq is not such a time.
Today,
the Bush administration presides over an increasingly unpopular war
that has strained to the breaking point our military's capacity. Rather
than admit to a failed invasion of Iraq, the administration's approach
(resorting to extremely aggressive corporate outsourcing of jobs and
aggressive call ups of both the National Guard and Reserve) is busting
the budget and is unsustainable.
While
the Bush administration publicly opposes reinstatement of the draft,
the Selective Service System has quietly begun planning in case it is
needed, and growing numbers in Congress are calling on the President to
begin to prepare the public for the need. With an election a few months
away, it is hardly surprising that an administration that won't even
include the real cost of the occupation of Iraq in its proposed budget
is unwilling to discuss renewing the draft.
Urge
your representatives in Congress to face honestly the human and
budgetary costs of our occupation of Iraq but also let them know that
you oppose reinstituting the draft. A far better alternative for
relieving the strain on our military would be to create a strong
strategic plan to leave Iraq and to bring in military forces from other
countries.
Jennifer Willis
Director
ActForChange.com
Blog For Iowa 