This is for my Democracy class....Should the U.S reinstate the draft? Should we draft women too?

Question

Please answer Honestly, Give your opinion and ya....

I have to do a paper so I want some peoples opinons...

Answer 1

I do not think the draft should be reinstated. If it had to be, the only exception should be for people with disabilities. Women should be included, too. And rich people.

Answer 2

"Should the U.S. reinstate the draft?"

I don't think we're at the point yet where we need to reinstate the draft.


"Should we draft women too?"

No. Even if we need to reinstate the draft, it should be for males only.

The primary purpose of the draft is to obtain more infantry troops for ground combat. The reason why we go to war in the first place is to ensure the survival of our country.

Children are the future of our country. WOMEN, not men, are the ones who bear those children and WOMEN, not men, are the ones who are capable of breastfeeding them.

The reality is that it only takes a few minutes for a man to do his part in furthering the species, while a woman spends 9 months carrying that baby in her womb. Women are the reproductive bottleneck. Kill 90% of the young men, the other 10% can repopulate the country. Kill 90% of the young women, and your country has essentially been destroyed.

This isn't just theoretical. During World War I, in some countries, more than a quarter of the male population was slaughtered. Yet, even after MILLIONS of male chests were riddled with machine gun bullet holes, the populations of the countries those young men died for recovered in a couple of generations.

If all of those machine guns rounds had pierced the breasts of young females instead of the chests of young males, Europe would be a much emptier place today.

Here's something else to consider. If we do draft women, what do we do with those who are pregnant? Presumably, you can't force a pregnant woman to fight, so she would get deferred at least until giving birth. That means any woman can automatically get out of the draft by becoming pregnant. That would make drafting females a moot point.

Answer 3

If there must be a war, then all families should have to sacrifice, not just the poor who need the scholarship money. I think there would be far less war if more children of senators and corporate executives were on the front lines.

As for women, yes, women are just as capable of service as men. They don't all have to get combat duty, just as many male conscripts serve in non-combat capacities.

In addition, I'm old enough to remember that the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) failed because that would have meant drafting women alongside men--and people weren't prepared to see women come home from war dead or maimed.

I say this as a father to a daughter: if families had to send their daughters off to war, we would have NO more elective wars like the disgraceful debacle in Iraq.

Answer 4

I agree with an earlier poster who thought we should have the draft and alternate forms of service to country. Many nations do have some sort of mandatory service obligation that can be met through military duty or other national service.

I think it would provide many young adults with much needed job and life skills.

In addition, the service this would provide our country would be good, but feeling of responsiblity for our country and interest in the politics of our country that this would likely generate would be even greater.

As for drafting women: in our current volunteer-only forces women are in every facet of the military except front-line fighting units. And with the kind of war that's being fought in Iraq this exemption does not mean they don't fire their weapons or get fired at or die in combat (65 US servicewomen have died in Iraq so far). The question of whether women can perform or do perform in combat is now completely moot (as though we couldn't look at countries that have had women in combat for the last 50 years and figure that one out, but whatever).

There's no good reason to NOT draft women along with men. (Although my husband would argue that there's one very good reason: women are meaner than men. He firmly believes that women hold grudges longer and that we're far more devious than men. . .I have to admit, there are times I think he may be right!)

Answer 5

I don't believe that a draft would work in this day and age. Many people are opposed and/or apathetic to our government for a draft to be instated. I think reinstating a draft would prove for more of a discourse than the government would want. As for women, if women want to defend our country, who are we to stop them. There are people who are soldiers and there are people who aren't. If a woman wants to defend our country why would we want to stop them just because they are a woman?

Answer 6

I think reinstating the draft would be good, for reasons explained below. In addition to military service, I would accept alternative forms of national service as a substitute, for example Vista or the Peace Corps.
* A draft increases the quality of military personnel.
* People who serve their country appreciate it more; the principle is that if you have sacrificed for something, you cherish it more. What is unearned is unappreciated, i.e. things you get for free aren't valued highly. If you need to serve your country in order to gain full citizenship, you appreciate it more.
* The military has been an important part of the American melting pot. In the past, disparate ethnic groups have had a chance to meet others in America. It helps build a sense of unity beyond ethnic groups.
* Most young people are pretty aimless at that period of life, so national service would give them something positive to do during that period of their lives.
* A lot of young people could benefit from the discipline they get in the military, plus other character building exercises.

Answer 7

I think they should reinstate the draft but I am torn on whether women should be drafted.If I were drafted I would be proud to do my duty for my country even if I died but the thought of my daughter being drafted is unbearable.

Answer 8

Heck no and heck no. There are enough crackers in the south and the various rural pockets of America working away at lucrative WalMart jobs who still haven't signed up for the military. If we ever need--say--two million people to fight a war I am sure they wouldn't be very hard to come by without reinstating the draft. Just drive through any trailerpark in Arkansas and you will find enough idle men to make a platoon. Get it? Got it? Good!

Answer 9

My opinion is YES, the U.S. should reinstate the draft, and YES, women should be eligible for selection. I think young Americans would be much better citizens after a term of service to their country, and the quality of the armed forces would be improved by including a broader cross-section of the population. As to women, I'm sure they understand that demanding equal rights means accepting equal risk and equal responsibility.

Answer 10

No women shouldn't have to fight. By large we are emotional, sweet, gentle beings.. who like to nurture and love things. (Okay that's not all women) But it does take a very strong special kind of lady indeed to volunteer for that kind of life.

With men it's different though.. a lot are naturally more tough and aggressive. I still don't think people should HAVE to do anything though - men or women. Except maybe those who make a habit of getting in trouble with the law, and do nothing else - maybe we could sentence them to some military training, it's better than sitting in a prison cell - and it might help them to turn their lives around. Apart from that, I don't see how anybody should be forced to fight if it goes against their own personal beliefs, or if their heart just isn't in it. There would be no point. :-)