Attention all males ages 18 to 25: You’ve been chosen for service in the United States Military, to wage war, to have your life and your livelihood disrupted and to die for a cause that may or may not succeed.
Enacting the draft would move America in the wrong direction. To be frank, the US government is out of sync with the concerns of its citizens. War, and particularly the draft, presents a false image of protection. Protection entails Americans being convinced that the government will do everything it can to prevent the deaths of its citizens. An executive decision to reinstate the draft would violently go against the anti-war feelings of the majority.
Words can be extremely dangerous and the U.S. government never disappoints me with its political war rhetoric. Today our armed forces are charged with “defending and protecting” the essence of the words “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Better yet, the government continues to send thousands of soldiers overseas to fight an unseen, faceless, cowardly enemy named terrorism. For our soldiers that volunteered, it’s their duty and responsibility to serve. However, how would you feel if you were forced to defend those words.
You see; if the terms of this current war were defined more clearly, maybe I would be more inclined to support the efforts to provide peace for our nation, even if it meant enlisting the help of those who didn’t volunteer to serve in the armed forces.
But this god-awful war has already cost our nation the lives of so many. Several thousands of men and women have left their families to fight and some will never return. This is one of the biggest fears of enlisted soldiers. Yet to calm and ease the fears of those who dread being drafted, the government plays a game of semantics. You’re not drafted but “selected” for service.
If push came to shove, you wouldn’t really have a choice in the matter. War is a reality and Uncle Sam may soon be calling on you. This time, unfortunately, it will be more than a suggestion. That’s right: When the government runs out of soldiers to send to Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia, you might be next in line.
As civilians, we need to implore our leaders to resort to an alternative solution for peace. The American government needs to approach this battle with power that doesn’t need the ammunition of bullets.
Amanda Wilkerson, 22, is a junior political science student from Miami. She can be reached at aman_da22@yahoo.com.