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tazzygirl
Being part of this country carries a huge responsibility.

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ORIGINAL: GoDolphins

All right, since there are 2 different people misinterpreting what I said perhaps it is the way I said it. I will explain it in full now so there will no longer be any confusion.

What I meant was:

1. I don't like those people who want to ship other people, predominantly young people, off for public service or often, for military service, who didn't actually do any of this themselves.

2. I focused on those in their 30s and above because these people are the ones who generally will be old enough to avoid something like this.

3. I did not mean to imply I felt all people 30 and above were like this.

4. I should point out that while my post could have meant military service, and does for some people, I really aimed it at the post which simply mentioned public service.

Yes, I registered for the selective service because it is the law and I could go to jail if I didn't. Believe me, it wasn't much of a choice.

Many older people did serve in the military, but many more did not.

I'm curious now, what did you do like this Tazzy? Which of these public services like this are you willing to do now?

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ORIGINAL: BKSir

I completely agree with some form of public service.  Military?  If they choose that route, sure.  But something else possibly as well.  Fire Dept., Police Dept., answering phones and doing filing work at the county clerk's office, garbage man, librarian, whatever.  Give them a solid sense of working for their country.  People that have to work for something take more pride in it, and thus, more responsibility FOR it.  In turn, they'll put more back into it in the long run.

Military though, god no.  I work at a V.A. hospital, and do you have any idea at all, any guess as to the numbers of veterans I see with ptsd or other mental injuries, or physical injuries because of the draft?  Because of a system that dragged these kids out there, when they weren't suited for military service, for mental, emotional or physical reasons?  They would have been  perfect for other jobs though.  But, because of circumstances they were screwed as far as any job at all in many instances.

Is the military wrong for everyone?  Of course not.  Some people are perfectly suited for it, and thank god for that.  But just as with anything in the world, it's impossible to have something suited for everyone.  Some people are great for fighting fires, some are great for filing case files, some are great for investigating the scene of a crime, some are suited perfectly for stocking shelves, some are inclined wonderfully for waiting tables.  And there's a place and need for all of them.  Public service for everyone, in some form, I wholeheartedly concur.  Military draft for everyone?  I think would be one of the largest travesties we've seen.

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Not that it would ever fly but I always pondered giving prison lifers of the appropriate age for military service, and making units solely made of them..train them..air drop em into enemy territory to do their thang. If after 3yrs of service they survive..reduce their sentence so much time. The longer they stay in the military..the more of their life sentence time is reduced. Probably a major long shot but sure beats housing and feeding them for free the rest of their lives.

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ORIGINAL: submittous
Right now the folks who profit so much from armed conflict like Halliburton or Raytheon can lobby for more interventions and there is no one, not even most voters who seem to care. I think we need the draft back to force the American public to take responsibility for the actions of our government.

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

quote:

ORIGINAL: GoDolphins

All right, since there are 2 different people misinterpreting what I said perhaps it is the way I said it. I will explain it in full now so there will no longer be any confusion.

What I meant was:

1. I don't like those people who want to ship other people, predominantly young people, off for public service or often, for military service, who didn't actually do any of this themselves.

2. I focused on those in their 30s and above because these people are the ones who generally will be old enough to avoid something like this.

3. I did not mean to imply I felt all people 30 and above were like this.

4. I should point out that while my post could have meant military service, and does for some people, I really aimed it at the post which simply mentioned public service.

Yes, I registered for the selective service because it is the law and I could go to jail if I didn't. Believe me, it wasn't much of a choice.

Many older people did serve in the military, but many more did not.

I'm curious now, what did you do like this Tazzy? Which of these public services like this are you willing to do now?

Fair enough question. I would sign up with whatever service would have me at 45 and work in the nursing field. Would i be happy? nope. again... citizenship requires responsibility.

Those you so eagerly accuse of dodging also had to sign up for selective service. They were also at the mercy of the system, just like you. We just havent had to enable the service yet. Many in that age group also served time in the service... many just 4 years... some longer.