Reinstating the draft pure folly

The way we figured it, Congressman Charlie Rangel saying he wants to reinstate the draft was his way of making a point that all you gung-ho warmakers love to talk the talk, but don't necessarily wanna walk the walk when it comes to sending Junior overseas.

Our Congressman Ron Paul chimes in today via his weekly newsletter that "most military experts" think reinstating the draft would impair our readiness cause it would cause "training and morale" problems.

Then he says this:

The political right favors sending young people to fight in aggressive wars like Iraq. The political left longs to send young people into harm's way to save the world in places like Darfur. But both sides share the same belief that citizens should serve the needs of the state-- a belief our founders clearly rejected in the Declaration of Independence.

To many politicians, the American government is America. This is why, on a crude level, the draft appeals to patriotic fervor. Compulsory national service, whether in the form of military conscription or make-work programs like AmeriCorps, still sells on Capitol Hill. Conscription is wrongly associated with patriotism, when really it represents collectivism and involuntary servitude.

Here's another thought. If they reinstated the draft, I guess they'd have to include the gals this time. This could make the Vietnam-era demonstrations look like a picnic in the park, we suspect.