refusing military service

a few times throughout american history, the government has enacted a draft to bolster their military numbers. would you serve, if drafted for our wars tomorrow?

 

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I would go, even though I'm too old to be drafted. In fact, I did my time in the military between ages 18-21.

 

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This is a difficult question for me, as simple as it seems. My family has served this Country since before the Revolutionary War. I love my Country and all the principles upon which it was founded. I would serve without question, on American soil, to defend and protect. But I would not go as fodder to the ME.

 

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i am the same, dreama.
i would come home to america without being drafted, if there was a foreign invader. i would not, however, fight a war on foreign soil.

 

Under ANY conditions??

 

well, im fairly reasonable.
for example, if china went on a rampage, destroying all of asia (for example)... i would probably go, but it would depend on the reasons for u.s. involvement.
but under MOST conditions, no i would not go.

 

I'm 37, so thank God, nobody will be drafting me, but I WILL do my part nonetheless.

I'll pass on the wealth of my knowledge of the system so that other young(er) guys can beat the draft.

Jaybee.

 

Draft? Depends. I think national service is a good idea, build discipline, teamwork, etc. But I don't think deploying national servicemen in war zones is a good idea. Using national service to maintain manpower levels while professional soldiers go into the line of fire is a better option.

I wouldn't personally want to be used a pawn by a government I didn't elect. I wouldn't want to go and kill whoever some suit told me to. If you choose to abdicate your political will to theirs, and become a professional soldier, that's a different matter.

Now, if my nation was really under threat (not some phantom menace bullshit), or there was a genocidal maniac committing large scale atrocities, I would join up.

But the army is used too often for dubious purposes, and not deployed where there is true humanitarian need. We pulled out of Rwanda, letting some 800,000 people die in 100 days, but then our govts justify invading Iraq in really spurious grounds.

So, given the current state of affairs, no, I'd not serve if drafted (although that's not been mooted in the UK).

 

national service conditions young people to feelit is justified to KILL. why do people always associate discipline wth becomig part of the military industrial complex killing machine?.....there are actually other ways to acquire responsible living....?

ALL war is wrong, and ismanufactured by the peple in power you seem to trust. itis horror and evil. and it'd be better you, and family if you haveone, get your arses in a neutral zone if trouble kicks off

 

Well, under some circumstances, like preventing your homeland from being invaded, or preventing the mass killing of 800,000 Rwandans, killings is justified, don't you think? If the people bent on committing these acts won't be reasoned with, and mean others harm, what's the alternative?

Because being handed a loaded firearm, and only using for the right reasons does take a lot of discipline. But like I said, I have no issue with National Service, if draftees don't see active service. If they are drafted to fight a war, well, that is plain wrong.

Sure, but that's not what this discussion is about.

I agree with you, but sometimes, others, with guns and an intention of using them, don't. Then we have to make war, because others make it on us. I never want to be the initiator, which is why I disgree with the draft, on the whole, but I will rise to a threat if needed. Surely, everyone would do the latter?

 

Depends who's doing the invading. Proven murderers? Yes, but it also depends on who's doing the 'preventing'. The system, as it stands, is best; we have people WILLING to murder defending us. We're setting wannabe killers against killers, and each time a war happens, natural selection takes its course. Only in Iraq, our government is setting those wannabe murderers against civilian targets.

I object to the theory of obligating civilians to enlist; I object to the purpose to which the armed forces of the west are currently being used, and object to the western military presence in the middle east, both pre and post 9-11.

Thorny issue. The massacres were part of a civil war; it's easy (and legitimate) to respond to a clear and present danger, but reports of the killings were several weeks after they actually happened, and even then, they conflicted amongst themselves. Neither present, nor clear; had they been either, let alone both, I'm sure that, national borders be damned, the killings would have been stopped.

I'll concede this; AS a pacifist, it IS right and proper to use all means necessary, up to and including terminal force, to STOP ONGOING massacres.

Iraq, however, is a LONG way from the extremes of Rwanda.

Not me. I wouldn't be stupid enough to put myself on a front line. Plenty of dickheads willing to do that for me.


Jaybee.

 

Tomorrow? No way! I would burn my draft card immediately, and encourage others to do so, especially young people. I also object to the tactics used by military recruiters.

 

i have a cousin that just enlisted in the army.

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Then you'll be glad to hear this...back 20 years ago I was still in FE College, there was a poster in the Student Room titled, "Join the Army, and get away from it all!

Underneath was a picture of a graveyard.

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Jaybee.

 

I don't object to having a military, or joining and participating in general, if the commander in chief was a rational person, and the conflict was justified, but I'm not going to fight for corporate interests.

 

Yeah it is only cool if we fight for oil in Yugoslavia, or hire terrorist groups to do our dirty work in Iraq.

 

Absurd. ALL WAR IS WRONG? Was it wrong to stop the NAZI's? Is it wrong to fight against tyranny, oppression, and murder? Pacifism gives licence to anyone willing to resort to violence.

As far as the poll goes, sure I'd go. We will not see a draft unless there is a dire emergency, so all you listing various qualifications might just as well say yes. A draft just doesn't make sence politically unless you're in a situation where everyone would pretty much sign up anyway. No draft means no big demonstrations on college campasses. It takes the energy and urgency out of any protest against military action since ALL the soldiers are volunteers.

We will not see a draft in any situation short of world war three.

 

No no, we pacifists are smart enough to let the aggressive elements die out by killing each other.

It's a tidy arrangement; you die, we sip Espresso.

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Jaybee.

 

They ask and I will go without complaint. Here or overseas, it makes no difference.
Its one cost I woud be obligated to pay just for the right to live here under the protection and support of my government.
If I didn't want to have the risk of paying it, I wouldn't be living here.

 

I don't object to fighting for oil, as long as you don't lie about it, and say it's about nuclear weapons strapped to a remote control cessna-that-can-get-here-in-5-seconds-andifwedon'tfighthemovertherewehavetofightthemoverhere.

I don't object to getting terrorists to do our dirty work, we did that in Afghanistan. Assassination is much easier than invasion.