The Draft

There seems to be lots of talk about it in left wing circles lately about the draft. I would argue this is a very unlikely possibilty. The draft was eliminated after the Vietnam War because of the political problem created by it, people started protesting and killing their officers in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The proposals that have been floated, by Charlie Rangel and others, are partly political, they want people to start to worry about having to be forced to war. This in turn is hoped to undermine support for war in Iraq and other places.

I have some anarchist tendencies but they do not include opposition to the state requiring its citizens, men and women, to do some sort of service (teaching, ditch digging, true defense, conservation efforts, etc...) for the collective. Under our current state however I would be opposed to a draft because it would be used for imperial plunder.

For a further discussion of this issue click here.