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Bill Moyers: Bring Back the Draft

Bill Moyers ended his show this week with an editorial comment on what he thinks we should do if President Obama chooses to escalate the war in Afghanistan by sending more troops--bring back the draft

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15 Comments

Current View: 15 / Show all Comments

Charnal : LVL 16: VP 2.5: said:

Charnal

0 votes NegativePositive

18 days 19 hours ago...

I agree, people have become to complacent in there meaningless day to day routines. They fail to see our own brethren suffering and dieing on a god damn daily bases. While we get to come home and get on the computer and watch truly respectable people making speeches about the irony of it all. We have become disconnected to the horror taking place in a not to far off place. But we don`t care! Why should we? As long as it does not affect us. We can sit by and watch the highlights and the death tolls every night on the fucking news. While our government brings hell on earth. Thousands upon thousands of people are dieing needlessly. But no ones cares until it punches you in the face. So bring back the draft!

I hate to say it. And it is not true for some. But most don`t care about other peoples suffering until they experience it themselves. So show them death. Show them terror, pain and suffering. So they might start to understand. That its not just some statistic, or some news report. But another human-being that could of just as easily been you that died today. Maybe then we would stand up and take notice. But lol, I know that wont happen in my life time or my child`s either.

TriMeFoo : LVL 40: VP 4.8: said:

TriMeFoo

8 votes NegativePositive

18 days 19 hours ago...

If they bring back the draft they must also bring back embedded reporting. Part of the problem is that Americans don`t see the actual carnage that takes place, all we see is the crude computer renderings. The Vietnam war was in everybody`s face every day on the news, that`s why there were so many protest. Bringing back the draft without bringing the transparency of war back would be pointless. There would just be more people dying needlessly out of sight and out of mind.

Red Heaven : LVL 40: VP 4.8: said:

Red Heaven

9 votes NegativePositive

18 days 18 hours ago...

^
If Obama decides to escalate Afghanistan, both of those will probably have to do to grind it to a halt.

As it stands, we should swallow our pride and pack up and out of there. Why should we be involved in nation building when its painfully obvious there`s so much work to do here at home?

choreboy : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

choreboy

15 votes NegativePositive

18 days 18 hours ago...

shit, if they bring back the draft, they better legalize weed.

dirk_diggler : LVL 36: VP 4.4: said:

dirk_diggler

1 votes NegativePositive

18 days 15 hours ago...

One problem...Bringing back the draft would be political suicide. He`s in his first term and there is no way he would consider that at this point...I do agree with the post that we have become to complacent and a little sacrifice and saying if you love your freedoms and country get up and fight,bleed and sweat for your rights. Do more than put a bumper sticker on you car that reads "We support out troops" and accuse everyone else of being unpatriotic for not wearing a flag pin or some SH!T ...But that`s all wishful thinking

EckJerome : LVL 42: VP 5: said:

EckJerome

-3 votes NegativePositive

18 days 5 hours ago...

Did you guys actually listen to what Moyers said?

Frankly, it is despicable to facetiously and cynically suggest that we institute the draft just so that thousands of soldiers (especially rich kids) would die and the world would finally see the futility of it all. You think we need to see the blood spattered on our screens 24/7 to understand war? Give me a break!

I`m not sure if it`s futile or not, but it`s Obama`s war now...and he needs to step up and do something; anything.

Charnal : LVL 16: VP 2.5: said:

Charnal

0 votes NegativePositive

18 days 1 hour ago...

It is despicable, I agree. That is truly the sad thing about it. That people won`t change unless you force them to. I`m glad you see it for what it is. But sadly the majority does not. They do not care and why should they? So whats our options. We can either hope that Obama will end it. Or that the people will end it. Obama is not going to end it, so it falls to us. Although we wont end it either. Not unless its forced upon us. Not until people have a stake in the conflict. Be it physical or mental. Personally I don`t like to idea of sending thousands more to die. So people should be shown the results or war. So that they might have a mental stake in it. Maybe then we will see action like in Vietnam.

Here is a question we should all ask. Because it seems blatantly obvious that it does not enter into our minds. Whats more important? Politics or lives? Seems obvious I would of thought. So why is it that someones job comes before the lives of our fellow citizens? Fuck Obamas presidency. Fuck all Senators. If it would save lives I would gladly fire them all

Nefio : LVL 28: VP 3.7: said:

Nefio

2 votes NegativePositive

17 days 17 hours ago...

Jihadism is radical. And the middle east is a clusterfuck. And our actions over there really only help the fire spread. Unless we`re prepared to commit 100% and really go clean up ALL of the middle east, we were better off not going in at all.

The only thing I disagree with is his point about not making young men who opted into the military as a career shoulder the burden. If you have to draft to win a war, then you draft. But you draft to win, not to alleviate the depression of professional soldiers who thought they`d get free healthcare and college money for nothing. I thought that was a silly point he was making in a series of otherwise sound arguments.

EckJerome : LVL 42: VP 5: said:

EckJerome

-4 votes NegativePositive

17 days 7 hours ago...

Charnal, I love how liberals assume that everybody would feel just as they do about the world if only they were shown the correct and righteous path. In case you hadn`t noticed, I`m in favor of the war in Afghanistan and think that we should send more troops...and that we need to engage Pakistan in much bolder way. And, yes, I realize this means the lives of thousands people.

I tend to agree with Nefio, however, if you`re going to institute a draft, you do it to WIN the fucking war(!), not so you can play propoganda with dead soldiers.

Red Heaven : LVL 40: VP 4.8: said:

Red Heaven

2 votes NegativePositive

17 days ago...

^
Liberal or Conservative shouldn`t have anything to do with it.

The fact of the matter is we`re facing a war that isn`t WON with more troops, more bullets, and more bombs. I guess when all you got is a hammer ever problem looks like a nail, eh?

The fact of the matter is that escalation is only going to cause more escalation. We`re not fighting Afghanistan as a state/government.

We`re fighting free-roaming, hyper-religious fanatics on their home fronts. These aren`t soldiers in a city. Furthermore, their ranks increase as people get killed, particularly innocents. To make it worse, they`re more than willing to die to kill us. They`re fanatically ready. They`re even ready to kill their own civilians.

Not only that, but the civilians don`t want us there. This war has to be fought THROUGH the Afghan people, not aside from them.

This is an operation that requires tact and precision.

Charnal : LVL 16: VP 2.5: said:

Charnal

4 votes NegativePositive

17 days ago...

Karzai fucking won in Afghanistan... Are you going to support a government that is proven corrupt and not supported by the afghans? Or are you going to fight the government the Taliban. and the THOUSANDS of people flooding into Afghanistan for the sole reason of killing American troops. Our very presents there provokes violence and hatred. We tore the middle-east into ruins. countless people have died for what? Have you ever asked that question? Is your reason really worth almost 10 years of constant war. Over 6000 US deaths and COUNTLESS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IF NOT MILLIONS of deaths on the other side? 2,740 US citizens and 236 foreigners died in 9/11. We failed to get Osama when we had our best chance at the Afghan/Pakistan boarder. Yet we are still pounding away.

Is it really worth it?

boomersooner : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

boomersooner

0 votes NegativePositive

13 days 17 hours ago...

You guys should have voted for Ron Paul.

pr0mythius : LVL 25: VP 3.4: said:

pr0mythius

3 votes NegativePositive

13 days ago...

^^ we have no business in these other countries .. u wanna protect america .. do it here .. defend america .. course this is all based on the idea that these wars are combatting terrorism .. they`re not .. its never been about terrorism to the ones pulling the strings. and this lil war on terror is doing nothing but creating more terrorists. you bomb an entire country killing thousands of civilians .. how in the hell can u even entertain the idea we would be greeted as liberaters. morons

exploder : LVL 50: VP 5: said:

exploder

2 votes NegativePositive

11 days 16 hours ago...

Repeat: Grant 100% refugee status to all their women and children (boys up to age 13). Run massive armed convoys to give them all a free ride over here. Ban the burka and make school mandatory for them once here. Justify it all on humanitarian grounds. 100% military withdrawal otherwise.

Let those crazy bastards (men) rot in their own hell and die out. The women and children over there are mostly innocent victims, completely aside from the political / war / oil issues. And their salvation would be a great solution to the issue.

Anyways, aside from that, I think that the children of any politician / bureaucrat / military industry people, should have x2 chance of being drafted, and mandatory to serve in active front line combat. Let those who make the decisions to war do so with a much heavier heart, and let them decide to conduct the war in the best possible way. We also have to ban hiring mercenaries, because that is another whole massive scam and crime.

exploder : LVL 50: VP 5: said:

exploder

2 votes NegativePositive

11 days 16 hours ago...

^ Eckjerome, "... suggest that we institute the draft just so that thousands of soldiers (especially rich kids) would die ..."

NO. You have broken logic, or a flare for deliberate distortion (lying).

THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS ARE DYING ALREADY. THIS IS ALREADY TOO MANY.

The point is that without the draft, the loss and the pain is not justly and fairly shared, it is not democratic or ethical. The point is that rich kids don`t pay the price of war, politicians and their families do not pay or risk the cost of their decisions for the rest of us. The point is that politicians will not respect the gravity of war unless they risk the real costs too.

In a world gone to corporatism and corruption, I think it`s inevitable that money will buy cheap lives for cannon fodder, the poor will be exploited and burnt like fuel in the boilers of rich people`s conquests. Voluntary service opens war to become a market profit venture game. This is not ethically tenable when life and death and sovereignty are the tender.

Military service must be a mandatory equal opportunity obligation. I think that the real horror of compulsion is a just match for the real horror of war.

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