April 04, 2006
Tuesday

With respect to those who believe a draft would do well for the United States, I am really struggling to see even a minor benefit to the renewal of such a law.  I can only assume that the prospect of such a law relates to the continuing war time atmosphere in Iraq and the related military operations in support of the Afghanistan government.  A draft would not necessarily have a direct impact on national catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina.  Why?  When it comes to events such as Katrina, the National Guard troops are the appropriate response resource that should be available.

Instead of discussing a draft, we should instead be discussing why the National Guard had to be called up at all.  Too many politicians implied the war in Iraq could be fought (and won) while maintaining an active defense of our country from any other potential enemy (read this as Iran, China, North Korea, etc).

The United States has an all volunteer force, one that has maintained superiority in the world for greater than 30 years. So, when a country of wealth and power such as the United States has strained it's all volunteer resources to the point where more is needed there can only be one question; "Why did the country's leadership fail to recognize this possibility, and if they did why did they not plan for it several years ago?" As citizens of a democratic government we should demand nothing less that a pro-active government rather than a reactive government. A draft is nothing more than a reactive measure to the lack of planning and foresight.

To the service member who has volunteered and those who continue to volunteer the draft creates a situation where they to work and protect people who are "forced" to be in the service.  There is no lesser motivation in the free world that being forced to do anything.  Likewise, for the volunteer there is no lesser motivation for working alongside someone who is "forced" to be in their position.

Instead of focusing on a draft, the real issues at hand were being discussed a couple of weeks ago here on Sitnews, our youth, the future of our society. The United States' may indeed be having a difficult time maintaining an all volunteer force. We could all identify several reasons for this challenge, but let's get down to some basic concepts instead.

What is it that makes a person volunteer for military service?  For me, I recognized the need for accountability.  This involved breaking the chains of dependency on Mom and Dad. 

What else? Well, I grew up in a time when God was untouchable and no court in the nation dared to challenge that concept. In school, the Pledge of Allegiance started every single day.  These are only two of some very basic foundations which instilled my patriotism for America.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." (http://www.flagday.org/Pages/StoryofPledge.html)

Yes, a draft would be a very bad idea without first addressing the process which brought our country to the highest levels of military activity in over 30 years.

Rick Grams
http://www.akgrams.net
Ketchikan, AK - USA

About: Rick Grams writes, "I have lived in Ketchikan, Alaska since June of 2000. I have four children, all of them grown and living here in Ketchikan as well. I am currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration/Master of Business Administration dual degree program. I also belong to the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce at the individual level. Most of all, I desire to see year round jobs that provide career opportunities to our local population."

 

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