American society has lost its way, abandoning agreed upon values like not only defending the Constitution and Bill of Rights but understanding that they are the glue of the Republic which education and academia are subverting and undermining. As a draftee in the Vietnam War I believe conscription is necessary because you understand the nation and its people much better. However, without agreed upon values the military draft would be counterproductive. What is chilling today is that about 75% to 80% of males are physically and mentally unfit for military service. The U.S. is definitely in decline in many ways led by incompetent and corrupt elected officials passing harmful legislation in Congress, primarily Democrats with some Republicans, who are an impediment to the nation.
That's why it's less important to enforce "stand for the flag" rules, and more important to explain the promise of America any standing for the flag points to respecting those values.
I liked the column because I like the discussion, not your conclusion. I’m very glad we have been able to have a volunteer military for 50+ years. But I can imagine circumstances in which that may not work. Should a draft military be routine? No. Should it be planned for in case of emergency? Yes.
I have not reviewed the other comments but I want to include that there are other forms of patriotic public service that is not military. Consider the 4th purpose of US government included in the preamble to the constitution - Insure Domestic Tranquility. Governments at all levels could invest in people, NGOs, churches, colleges, universities, etc to convene diverse groups of citizens to hold informed and moderated discussions on political topics, starting with rewriting our national constitution. Call them civilian citizen juries. I believe there could be many other ways that adults could serve the public good and be supported by public funds - as in military service.
Forcing the young to fight is a betrayal of the western ideals, so how could it save them? The military has also learned that the professional army is better than the drafted army. The last thing they want is another draft.
Since human beings have legitimate individual rights, legitimate because they have their source in the exclusively and essentially human-defining faculties of reason and volition, with their primary rights being their rights to their own life and personal liberty (all other legitimate rights are logical corollaries, including freedom of speech and conscience), no human being is a legitimate slave to any person, group of people, or government.
Therefore, in a free and civilized society, conscription has no legitimate place, no moral defensibility by any objective, i.e., rational, logical, and factually based standard of morality, at any time or under any circumstances, whether it be to assist a foreign ally fighting a foe on their soil, or during a direct invasion of one's own country's soil.
Just as one has the right to freedom of speech and conscience, which one exercises when one chooses to respect one's country's flag because of the country's founding ideals that it symbolizes, or by burning it (as I do, publicly, every 4th of July) as a speech act to express one's criticism, for any right or wrong reason, of one's country and its government, one has the right to be free to choose to defend one's country, motivated primarily by self-interest in defending one's own life, liberties, and freedom. with the secondary consequence being that one is supporting other citizens in their freely-chosen defense of the country and their rights and liberties, and freedom.
People united in their shared passion for, understanding of and commitment to their individual rights and liberties will fight far more vigorously and resolutely, to the death, if need be, preferring to live freely than in the living death of enslavement, than people will when threatened with death at the hands of their own government.
Conscription is a common feature of dictatorships, based upon the false premise that one's life is one's country's and its government's property.
Such is the reality of conscription, and the reasons why the proper response to it, always and unconditionally, is adamantine defiance, never compliance.
I’m surprised it didn’t given your focus on the idea that the West should negotiate a surrender rather than fight. Recruiting people who don’t like the idea of defending or going on offence to defend the civilization, it might go wrong to have them fighting for a country even if you conscript them.
God King and Country, or Faith Family and Flag were once our cultural and moral moorings , from which , just yesterday, we appear to have up anchored. The replacement looks a poor choice by any comparison.
American society has lost its way, abandoning agreed upon values like not only defending the Constitution and Bill of Rights but understanding that they are the glue of the Republic which education and academia are subverting and undermining. As a draftee in the Vietnam War I believe conscription is necessary because you understand the nation and its people much better. However, without agreed upon values the military draft would be counterproductive. What is chilling today is that about 75% to 80% of males are physically and mentally unfit for military service. The U.S. is definitely in decline in many ways led by incompetent and corrupt elected officials passing harmful legislation in Congress, primarily Democrats with some Republicans, who are an impediment to the nation.
That's why it's less important to enforce "stand for the flag" rules, and more important to explain the promise of America any standing for the flag points to respecting those values.
I liked the column because I like the discussion, not your conclusion. I’m very glad we have been able to have a volunteer military for 50+ years. But I can imagine circumstances in which that may not work. Should a draft military be routine? No. Should it be planned for in case of emergency? Yes.
A nuanced position, to be sure. Too bad you didn't ask that in audience Q&A!
I have not reviewed the other comments but I want to include that there are other forms of patriotic public service that is not military. Consider the 4th purpose of US government included in the preamble to the constitution - Insure Domestic Tranquility. Governments at all levels could invest in people, NGOs, churches, colleges, universities, etc to convene diverse groups of citizens to hold informed and moderated discussions on political topics, starting with rewriting our national constitution. Call them civilian citizen juries. I believe there could be many other ways that adults could serve the public good and be supported by public funds - as in military service.
Forcing the young to fight is a betrayal of the western ideals, so how could it save them? The military has also learned that the professional army is better than the drafted army. The last thing they want is another draft.
Since human beings have legitimate individual rights, legitimate because they have their source in the exclusively and essentially human-defining faculties of reason and volition, with their primary rights being their rights to their own life and personal liberty (all other legitimate rights are logical corollaries, including freedom of speech and conscience), no human being is a legitimate slave to any person, group of people, or government.
Therefore, in a free and civilized society, conscription has no legitimate place, no moral defensibility by any objective, i.e., rational, logical, and factually based standard of morality, at any time or under any circumstances, whether it be to assist a foreign ally fighting a foe on their soil, or during a direct invasion of one's own country's soil.
Just as one has the right to freedom of speech and conscience, which one exercises when one chooses to respect one's country's flag because of the country's founding ideals that it symbolizes, or by burning it (as I do, publicly, every 4th of July) as a speech act to express one's criticism, for any right or wrong reason, of one's country and its government, one has the right to be free to choose to defend one's country, motivated primarily by self-interest in defending one's own life, liberties, and freedom. with the secondary consequence being that one is supporting other citizens in their freely-chosen defense of the country and their rights and liberties, and freedom.
People united in their shared passion for, understanding of and commitment to their individual rights and liberties will fight far more vigorously and resolutely, to the death, if need be, preferring to live freely than in the living death of enslavement, than people will when threatened with death at the hands of their own government.
Conscription is a common feature of dictatorships, based upon the false premise that one's life is one's country's and its government's property.
Such is the reality of conscription, and the reasons why the proper response to it, always and unconditionally, is adamantine defiance, never compliance.
This article is trashy and dumb, pretty sure the author never went near a firearm in his life
How do you know it’s not both?
It certainly could be. That did not arise in the discussion.
I’m surprised it didn’t given your focus on the idea that the West should negotiate a surrender rather than fight. Recruiting people who don’t like the idea of defending or going on offence to defend the civilization, it might go wrong to have them fighting for a country even if you conscript them.
God King and Country, or Faith Family and Flag were once our cultural and moral moorings , from which , just yesterday, we appear to have up anchored. The replacement looks a poor choice by any comparison.
Unless, of course, one is actively attempting to bring about the end of empire.