In an disgusting op-ed in the NY Times, “Bring Back the Draft”, Democrat Charlie Rangle states that the guiding principle behind a draft is that of “shared sacrifice”, and that a draft will undermine the American government’s ability to engage in a war against Iraq because,
“…those calling for war knew that their children were likely to be required to serve — and to be placed in harm’s way — there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq. A renewed draft will help bring a greater appreciation of the consequences of decisions to go to war.”
In regards to the draft Ayn Rand writes in her Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal,
“Of all the statist violations of individual rights in a mixed economy, the military draft is the worst. It is an abrogation of rights. It negates man’s fundamental right–the right to life–and establishes the fundamental principle of statism: that a man’s life belongs to the state, and the state may claim it by compelling him to sacrifice it in battle. If the state may force a man to risk death or hideous maiming and crippling, in a war declared at the state’s discretion, for a cause he may neither approve of nor even understand, if his consent is not required to send him into unspeakable martyrdom–then, in principle, all rights are negated in that state, and its government is not man’s protector any longer. What is there left to protect?”
Of course, the protection of individual rights is not Mr. Rangles concern–the enslaving of American adults through “national service” is. After all, are not our children forced to “serve” through mandatory “volunteerism”? Now that we have conscripted American children, are not America’s young adults the next logical step?