With a possible war against Iraq looming, it may not be long before the United States begins amassing thousands of troops at the Saudi border again. What a melancholy contrast then, to see so many privileged students wandering about last week, joining a riot while shouting “U-S-A!”
We must instill discipline in these kids and channel their excess energy. We should reinstate the military draft.
Attitudes toward the military have changed since the Vietnam War. In May 1970, the Ohio National Guard killed four people at Kent State. That spring, protesters in Eugene attempted to torch the ROTC building on campus. These students decried the deaths of 58,000 Americans and two million Vietnamese. Only the end of the draft in 1973 quelled anti-war protests.
Slowly, ROTC returned to college campuses, and students came back to ROTC. There are now 200,000 cadets nationwide, according to The Oregonian. As we face new terrorist threats, maybe it’s time for young civilians to share the burdens, as well as blessings, of liberty. Draftees could work at airports, fight wildfires and patrol sporting events. They could quell the occasional riot in Eugene, or join former drug czar Bill Bennett’s proposed “patriot SWAT team” to silence dissenters.
Recently, Uncle Sam has been cracking down on Oregon schools. In 1997, our law school was forced to exempt military recruiters from its policy forbidding discrimination against gays. Now the government is back for younger bodies. Two weeks ago, the Portland school district reversed its six-year ban on military recruiters in return for funds from President George W. Bush’s education plan. Oregon high schools now must give recruiters a list of students’ names, addresses and phone numbers. The name of Bush’s plan? “No Child Left Behind.”
A draft may bring racial balance to our military. The Army’s Web site notes that 45 percent of Army enlistees are minorities; 29 percent are black. Unlike in higher education, we don’t hear conservatives moan about overrepresentation of minorities in the military. A draft ensures middle-class white males are fairly represented on the frontlines.
A draft could do what Bush can’t — help end the recession. It will create a huge underpaid work force and stop wages from rising, which dovetails nicely with the pro-business Republican agenda.
A draft would relieve the Pentagon from having to recruit and indoctrinate 17-year-olds who can’t even vote. According to UNICEF, about 300,000 children serve at the pleasure of governments and rebel groups. By ending the recruitment of children, we could become a moral superpower as well as a military one.
If everyone served, we might even cure the overwhelmingly male, conservative bias of the military. In Israel, where military service is compulsory, citizens of all political stripes are well-represented. Earlier this year, 100 reserve officers refused to serve in Palestinian territory. They declared their unwillingness to fight for the purpose of “dominating, expelling, starving and humiliating an entire people.” If only our officers spoke their conscience!
A draft could make our leaders more conscientious, too. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney avoided the Vietnam draft, as did many other chicken hawks whose Iraq policy amounts to “sentence first, verdict afterwards.” But Secretary of State Colin Powell and Senator John Kerry, both decorated Vietnam vets, have argued for a more restrained approach to disarming Iraq. Could service in battle make leaders think carefully before starting another war?
The draft may soon be a fait accompli. With Selective Service in place, the government could start running a lottery just hours after Congress passes a draft bill. An auditorium in Washington, D.C., has been reserved for this special occasion. In the name of national security, let’s agree not to debate this modest proposal. Otherwise, the terrorists will have won.
