National Service Is Unconstitutional!
Before I begin, let me state that I am not against the entire notion of National Service, the idea that is being bandied about by many of the Presidential Candidates. What I am against is the idea of...
View ArticleUniversal National Service
In this final post I will address my idea for a "Bill of Responsibilities" to match the Bill of Rights, specifically, the addition of a requirement that every able-bodied person between the ages of 18...
View ArticleTime for Conscription?
America today faces great problems going into the future. The free market failed in many areas, and we need to make up for it.But more important then the failings in the stock market; there is utter...
View ArticleAn Unjust Burden.
There are no people more praised and abused than the men and women in our military. We pretend to be shocked by the consequences of our actions even though death and horror were an absolute certainty...
View ArticleThe Truth About A Draft
teacherken is one of this site's great diarists. But unfortunately, in his recommended diary on the draft, he makes a number of unforgivable errors and misinterpretations about the political and social...
View ArticleDraft Board Realities and Gender-Based Arguments
This post is written in response to a very well-crafted argument against the resumption of military conscription. What I will say is that I have engaged in hypothetical discussions at times about what...
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Open thread for night owls: An unremembered anniversary
At The Nation, Dave Zirin writes, This Day in History: When Muhammad Ali Took the Weight:In an era defined by endless war, we should recognize a day in history that won’t be celebrated on Capitol Hill...
View ArticleAfghan President Hamid Karzai Considers the Draft. WTH.
As many of you know I'm often focused on events in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. It's an interest of mine, our most important area in foreign policy, and it just always seemed generally useful to...
View ArticleWhy America Needs a Draft (w/poll)
I have been arguing for a reinstatement of the draft, without exceptions, for a very long time. Through the years my main argument for universal military service has focused on a simple equation that...
View ArticleKeep DREAMing, Congress
Immigration reform is needed, but it would be foolhardy to suggest that the DREAM act satisfies the requirement. It would seem that we have entered a new era of protectionism. Perhaps we should...
View Article"Strangle Yourself With That Damn Yellow Ribbon"
I wish I'd written it, but I didn't. Here's the link:http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/...The writer, a Marine in a scout-sniper unit, says something I have heard before from a variety of different...
View ArticleMy Great-Grandfather, a Rich Merchant's Son, Me, and Mitt Romney
My great-grandfather emigrated from Hanover, Germany in 1859 on his 19th birthday at the behest of his parents to avoid being conscripted by the Prussian Army. He made his way by himself via Ellis...
View ArticleYour Mother Wears Army Boots
Lots of mothers wear combat boots these days. As an insult, it has lost its punch. We are beginning to rethink its implications. All military occupational specialties (MOSs) have now been opened up...
View ArticleWomen and Draft Cards: Feel the Burn
One of President Nixon's good deeds was to abolish the draft in 1973. One of President Carter's bad deeds was to restore draft registration in 1980. On Christmas Eve 1963, I was the first draft card...
View ArticleA Modest Proposal: Conscript Don Jr, Jared and Eric into a combat infantry unit
Eric Trump is 32.Jared Kushner is 36.Donald Trump Jr. is 39.They’re all young enough to serve. Yes, the Army won’t allow Jared and Don Jr to enlist since they’re over 35, but I’m sure the President can...
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Ukraine Update: Russia vs. Russia as Putin adds a host of paper soldiers
On Wednesday, as Ukraine marked its independence day, Vladimir Putin put his signature to an order officially increasing the number of slots in the Russian army to over 2 million. While that sounds...
View Article"Russians Are Terrified and Have Nowhere to Turn"
Ilia Krasilshchik runs Helpdesk.media, a website that offers advice and support to people affected by the actions of the Russian government. He had a recent opinion piece in The NY Times that provides...
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Russian economy nearing the brink with mobilization & falling oil prices?
Some doomsayers have been knocking the sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the Russian invasion, saying they’ve had no practical effect.That’s a narrow view. The Russian economy took a...
View ArticleRussia begins it's spring conscription drive.
Vladimir Putin signed a decree directing Russia to begin it’s annual spring conscription process this week, meaning that up to about 150,000 18- to 27- year old Russian men may be conscripted into the...
View ArticleAnother Reason Why Macron Is Willing to Be More Confrontational with Putin?
Just saw this in the Kyiv Independent, which might help explain why French President Macron has been so willing to be more confrontational with Putin of late over the war in Ukraine — he apparently has...
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