But I’m majorly in favor of this guy’s suggestion. Mandatory military service is actually something I heartily approve of.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/29/mandatory.military/index.html
Getting a word in edgewise
But I’m majorly in favor of this guy’s suggestion. Mandatory military service is actually something I heartily approve of.
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/12/29/mandatory.military/index.html
Not a bad idea, given that it’s all chickenhawks who are currently preparing to send the military off to war in Iraq.
It’s an interesting idea to instill martial caution. Very reminiscent of Stormship Troopers.
On the other hand, the current US military doesn’t have the funds for mandatory service, nor does it have positions for the currently unqualified, or conscientious objectors.
Details I’m sure that could be worked out, but important nonetheless.
My first thought was uhhh – fuck no! – but it does make some sense. I don’t think it is terribly practical but an interesting idea. Mmmmm, glad I am nearing the end of being useful for military service.
Which end of this thing do you use again? :-0
the problem with the idea is that rich people don’t goto war even when it is mandatory.
think of vietnam, it was mostly poor people who atually went into the ground battle. the rich ones went into the coast guard (dan quayle), or to other countries (bill clinton). there’s a reason why bob dylan wrote the song “senator’s son.”
uhh, clinton wasn’t rich. and what about bush the senior?
Similar questions (see http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_140b.html) have been raised as to whether or not this would be constistutional, violating the “involunatry servitude” portion of the 13th Amendment. This argument has been used, mostly (but not totally) unsuccessfully, to question drafts in the first place.
If one could expand “service” to include disaster and emergency relief and Peace Corps-like activities, services that are not war or conflict related, I could see allowing people to choose their area of skill/interest in some form of mandatory service to the country.