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I'm guessing that it would be totally dependent on the supposed war involved. I'm guessing that the problem with Vietnam is, first, that it wasn't a direct threat, second, that it became the quagmire, and maybe third that it was gradually seen to be immoral. If there was a situation where none of that applied, the attitude toward the draft might be very different.
Of course, on the other hand, after we've had a president whose response to an attack was to encourage the public to go shopping, there must certainly not be much of a mindset to actually sacrifice for our country.
There will never be another draft. By Vietnam, young people were learning the patriotic hangover of winning a righteous war in WW2 did not justify the interventionist policies of our federal government since. The oil-grab wars started by the Bushes have just opened peoples' eyes further to our govt's propensity to start wars to line pocketbooks of the elites, not actually protect the public. Only fools would go to war based on the rhetoric of a megalomaniac like Trump who just wants to inflate his terrible popularity numbers.
Obviously after Vietnam the thought of drafting is hardly conceivable, but say the U.S military were to get bogged down in another Vietnam type scenario, worse than Iraq/Afghanistan even and they were to implement another large scale draft, albeit this time they draft thousands of men and women, would there be mass chaos? A civil war?
A military draft is always oppressive and unjust. But if all men and women had an obligation of national service, it would be less unjust. There could be types of service that people with handicaps could perform. It would do them a lot of personal good, especially if it came right after high school and didn't disrupt the lives they'd started, by being inducted at age 27, which is what often happened with the old draft. The term of service might be only one year, if not in wartime. This is how they've done it in Israel, since they first existed.
In my younger days I might have drank the kool-aid and went off to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan if told to but I like to think I know better now. We're a warring species historically but that has to become obsolete if were going to go places. it's inherently wasteful and unproductive behavior.
Obviously after Vietnam the thought of drafting is hardly conceivable, but say the U.S military were to get bogged down in another Vietnam type scenario, worse than Iraq/Afghanistan even and they were to implement another large scale draft, albeit this time they draft thousands of men and women, would there be mass chaos? A civil war?
A military draft is always oppressive and unjust. But if all men and women had an obligation of national service, it would be less unjust. There could be types of service that people with handicaps could perform. It would do them a lot of personal good, especially if it came right after high school and didn't disrupt the lives they'd started, by being inducted at age 27, which is what often happened with the old draft. The term of service might be only one year, if not in wartime. This is how they've done it in Israel, since they first existed.
I don't think Israel sets a great example of how to do anything (positive and productive anyway) but that's JMO.
There is no need for a draft. The Pentagon does not want one.
If a person joins they may get a salary that would qualify them for food stamps but the benefits are good. There was a FB post about oh poor me enlistee. So I started looking at enlistee pay.They get about 80K in benefits, housing allowance, PX, medical, etc. Then free college tuition. In Texas the kids of military also get free tuition at any state school.
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