New bill may reinstate the draft for 2005
New bill may reinstate the draft for 2005
By Meredith Veto
Published: Friday, April 2, 2004
Article Tools: Page 1 of 2
Those who love this country have a patriotic obligation to defend this country. For those who say the poor fight better, I say give the rich a chance," said Democratic representative Charles Rangel in January 2003, when he and Democratic senator Fritz Hollings introduced a bill for a universal military draft.
The revised draft calls for all Americans between the ages of 18 and 26 to enlist in the military, including women. College students are not exempt from service, and neither are conscientious objectors, who would be placed in non-combative service.
In addition, the "Smart Border Declaration" of 2001 between the U.S. and Canada would monitor draft-dodgers from the U.S., implementing a "pre-clearance agreement" of people attempting to enter the country.
Though the proposed draft sounds like an effort to boost Bush's war on terror, it was actually introduced by Rangel, who voted against the war with Iraq, and Hollings-both liberals.
The new draft is meant to "call the bluff" on conservative war hawks. In other words, Rangel and Hollings wanted to demonstrate to Bush the severity of committing to a potentially long-term war.
Rangel said he introduced the bill "in hopes that those people who make the decisions to go to war, to attack Iraq, would be better influenced against it if they had kids that would be placed in harm's way, or if they felt closer to the shared sacrifice that we often times talk about."
Although instituting a draft during the current war is considered unnecessary by most, many feel that revisions to make a draft more equal are needed.
"There were people that had a means of avoiding the draft (during Vietnam)," said Jerry Joplin, professor of Justice and Policy Studies, who served in the Vietnam War. "If you're going to make it a fair process, you've got to eliminate those class issues."
Charlie White, Director of Information Services, was a conscientious objector during Vietnam. He agrees that there are class inequalities in the military. "If that's truly an injustice, then maybe there's some validity in it (the revision)," White said. "A piece of what's wrong with the military now is that the wealthy and the educated don't have to participate."
