Reinstitute the Draft

Today is the anniversary of the passing of the Selective Service Act in 1940.

Hmmm. I just can't help thinking that every American Citizen should be drafted at age 18 for two years of required military service. They'll do better in college after a little "real world" exposure anyway. And they won't be disadvantaged, 'cause everybody else their age will have to go too. Every college freshman would be 20 or older.

The key to making it acceptable is that EVERYONE would be required to serve.

Every single person whether blind, deaf, wheelchair bound, fat, short, male, female or other has a contribution to make. The drag queens can entertain the boys. The deaf can use computers, the blind can play music in the band (ok, maybe not the marching band), girls can man the desks, the motorpools, the messes, accounting, housekeeping, and procuring (no, not that kind) so more boys can tote guns.

I'll make an exception for the extremely retarded, the comatose, and brain-dead. One has to be reasonable. Those incarcerated when they turn 18, will be drafted promptly upon their release.

People with asthma can do jobs that don't require running. Fat people can do jobs that don't require being fit. Stupid people can clean offices and latrines, and wash cars. Queers can decorate: there are tons of really ugly military buildings that could use a tasteful touch.

There's a lot of jobs in the military...just like in civilian life that don't require a college degree or the sort of courage, strength and character necessary in a fighter. From among the draftees, we'll still let the warriors volunteer. We'd have more good fighting men because once they were drafted anyway, people who have the skill set, but might not have joined on their own, will prefer the challenge of being a warrior to serving drinks in the officer's club.

If the purchase price is too low for anything, it isn't valued. And that's just what we've done to the value of America and citizenship. We allow anyone to enter our country and enjoy the privileges of citizenship because they seem to be free. If citizenship cost the sheep a couple of years of sweat and discipline, I'm not sure they'd be so willing to give it away to underserving leeches who never paid the price.

Even Liberals are funny that way: they don't like people getting free what THEY had to work for. Welfare checks, subsidies, government grants, ACLU suits, and trust-funds don't teach them that. Maybe a stint in the military would.