The Draft: Part II

In a free society when men volunteer to fight and they die on the battle field, they have not sacrificed their lives. They have fought for their freedom. They have said: I died fighting for my freedom because I refuse to live as a slave.

A soldier drafted into service dies a slave of the state. He has truly been forced to make a sacrifice: He has sacrificed a higher value, his unalienable right to his life, for a much lesser value, the goals of the political leaders who forced him into service.

The only moral army in a free society is a volunteer army. If there is a shortage of volunteer soldiers, the government has several moral options at its disposal to increase enlistment. They are:

PERSUATION:
Propaganda—The government may work to “sell” the war to the media and to the citizens. If the war is just, the government should have no trouble gaining enlistees. In fact, going to war against the Taliban in Afghanistan required very little selling on the part of the Bush Administration. The righteous cause for which that war is being fought was apparent to nearly all Americans. The Iraq War was sold to the Congress and the American people and was executed [the first three weeks] with the overwhelming support of the public. Right up until images of the un-policed Iraqi streets, widespread looting and mayhem, reached into America’s living rooms, the Bush Administration could claim Mission Accomplished. Support for the war eroded over time. After the lawlessness and looting, Don Rumsfeld had to explain why nobody could find any weapons of mass destruction. The media began to turn against the war. Then Abu Ghraib. [The Bush Administration’s failure here was to apologize for the criminal behavior of a few individuals, empowering our morally bankrupt adversaries in the Middle East by declaring our own moral bankruptcy.] Then the Democrats on Capital Hill found their collective voice in John Murtha, and for the first time since 9/11, seized an opportunity to recapture power in Washington: They would be the party against the war. How would they explain their votes supporting the invasion? Bush lied...he tricked us into supporting the invasion. Harry Reid, the Democrat, Majority Leader in the Senate actually declared the war lost even as the Democrats won their first majority in the House since 1994.

Most Americans are now against the Iraq War. Still, young men and women enlist to serve in the U.S. armed forces.

The Bush Administration failed to close the deal with the American people. They allowed support for this war to erode. They fought a limited war to appease Europe and our “friends” in the Middle East and sacrificed victory. They permitted the Iraqis to draft a ridiculous constitution [declaring Islam the official religion of the state] and sacrificed any hope for liberty in the new Iraq. Now, our government is divided and the Democrats on the Hill—with the help of CNN, MSNBC, and Bill Maher—are winning the propaganda war.

Financial incentives—A volunteer army must be paid well. A soldier’s work is very dangerous and necessary work. Dangerous and necessary work must be duly compensated. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the median annual household income in the United States was about $48,000.00 in 2006. Soldiers, like police officers and fire fighters, should be paid a salary above the median. In today’s Army an enlisted man would have to serve about 12 years before his salary even approached the U.S. median. A soldier on the ground in Bagdad can expect a few hundred dollars more each month in what the military calls “imminent danger pay,” about the same stipend a teacher can expect for achieving a Master’s degree completing on-line courses in the comfort of their own home. Putting your life on the line has to be worth more than that. A soldier should pay nothing for health care for life, and as Senator McCain proposes, go to any doctor, any clinic, any hospital. A soldier should never have to worry about being homeless in old age. If America took better care of her soldiers our government would never have to contemplate the immoral use of force, conscription. Politicians must stop glorifying sacrifice in order field an army on the cheap. Pay professional soldiers what their dangerous work is worth.

CREATIVE RESTRUCTERING:
Reduce educational requirements for service—Currently, one must have good grades and a high school diploma to serve in the military. If the armed forces determine that more bodies are needed on the battle field, they can make military service available to people who are currently not accepted.

Grow up!—If I were gay, the last thing I would do is join the military. It’s the only career I can think of where a person is not free to be themselves…even off duty! “Don’t ask, don’t tell” means that if they find out you’re gay, you will be discharged. If the military didn’t actively discriminate against homosexuals, gays would probably be more inclined to choose a career in the military.

Admit women—There is no objective reason why women who want to serve should not be admitted. Women should be permitted to perform any and all military tasks for which they can be trained… including combat.