Two years of service in Armed Forces for all?
- November 14, 2003
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- Geoffrey Oliver, Guest Columnist
- Section: Opinions
There is a dark deed rising from the depths of Washington. It is being constructed quietly behind the scenes, with little fanfare. It is called a draft.
On Jan. 7, both the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced the same exact bill entitled the “Universal National Security Act of 2003.” The text of this bill can easily be read on the Library of Congress’ Web site.
Simply search for S 89 (the Senate version) and HR 163 (the Representative version). It really doesn’t matter which one you read because they are both exactly the same.
The bill, if passed, would require all Americans, age 18 through 26, to serve for two years. Women… this includes you. Conscientious objectors… you’re included, too. The wording takes into account a person’s gender, religious belief and philosophical view. Unlike the draft of the 1960’s, this one leaves few avenues for escape. And before you go blaming the Republicans, I will tell you that both bills are proposed and sponsored by 100 percent Democrats.
Now, just proposing a bill like this is not necessarily a sure sign anything will become of it. A different and rustier version of it existed throughout most of the 1990’s. No, the thing that bothers me is what was proposed earlier this month.
The Department of Defense (who keeps claiming they will never reinstate the draft) has posted a request for volunteers on their website. I only found this out by reading the online newspapers of Europe and Canada.
The public website, located here</A>, posts an article entitled “Serve Your Community and the Nation: Become a Selective Service Local Board Member.”
The article requests volunteers for the Selective Service Board, which is the engine used by the Pentagon to draft soldiers and has been unused since the 1970’s. The mainstream media has been alarmingly quiet about a great many things.
So what we have is a war started by Republicans, fueled by Democrats and led by a petroleum business executive accountable to neither. After the Selective Service Board is assembled, Washington will have the method for quickly creating an incredibly huge army and the trump card to play it with, without even calling it a war.
Yet, we are expected to believe that all of this means nothing. Move along now, nothing to see here. And, by the way, the rest of the world is more aware of the inherent dangers than we are. Because historically, this is how dictators came to power and drove their countries into the ground.
But regardless of political persuasion, if we don’t end this “pre-emptive defensive engagement” now, things are inevitably going to get worse. So, when you go home for Christmas this year, point out to your loved ones that both sides of this two-party system are pushing us into darkness. Maybe through a third party, we could take the power back.
But the way to stop this war is through your votes. Let your political leaders know you can vote them out of office easily, California-governor style. But next year is an election year, so you better represent … from the heart. You can’t afford to just flip a coin this time or not even show up.
Well, I grew up in the South surrounded by colorful clichés. So let me leave you with one that I think applies here. “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
Geoffrey Oliver is a Sociology major from Gleason.