Required (Military) Service (for all High School Students)?

FOX ^ | Monday, February 04, 2002 | The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[vannrox]

This partial transcript from

[PatrioticAmerican]

#44 - Excellent question, and, no, I would not.

[Ultima Thule]

Do you believe that all 18- 25yo women should be required to serve in the military, too?

[VietVet]

Should all women be required to serve in the military,too? Good question, and not an easy one.

In the Constitution, congress is authorized to call out the Militia for Federal service, and to provide for the training of the Militia. That is the basis for the proposed Universal Military (or community) Service which the Congressman was discussing. Traditionally, the Militia has been all *men* cabable of bearing arms in defense of the country, but in this tradition, women did not vote, nor did they serve in any military capacity.

This has changed. Many tasks in the military today are non-combat and can be performed equally well by men or women. Women serve in all branches of the service, and even get involved in some combat. Whether this is good or bad, it is so. Also, women vote, and otherwise exercise full citizenship rights. So, to be consistant, they should be subject to the same requirement to serve in the Militia as men. If we require all the Militia to serve some period for training, then our daughters should be held to that requirement as well as our sons. QED

[mindprism.com]

A free society does not force its members at gunpoint to defend itself, nor does it revoke the right to representation from those who will not comply with its wishes in the matter.

It pays them under voluntary contract. The same as any other public servant. Even at times of war.

Threats to a free nation do not cause it to lower itself to communistic methods.

[VietVet]

"I suspect that a review of the [awards for valor] to draftees stacks up quite honorably with those awarded to voluteers."

I was a RA volunteer, and I never saw any difference between the behavior in combat of draftees vs volunteers. It is the small unit cohesion, that bond between men sharing danger, which can be formed in training or in the field, which makes the difference, not how those men got into the unit.

[Aric2000]

You are trying to pervert what I said, that was WWII, and maybe Vietnam, they were trying to survive. but Draftees are NOT what I would want covering my back. I would want HIGHLY motivated, HIGHLY trained volunteers at my back.

A draft is wrong!! My STEPfather was a draftee, he was an OFFICER!! In the navy!! He was in charge of a deck gun on the DD944 USS Mullinix, he would sit in the gun and REFUSE to give orders. He was a conciencious objector, YUCH!! I am ashamed that I actually called him my father!!

He was a draftee, the only reason he joined is because he HAD to, and then when he did, he Whimped out. Personal experience has told me that DRAFTEES are not serious, they are not there by choice, but because they HAVE to be. Maybe there are some that have done thier darndest to do the best they can, but my stepfather was a traitor as far as I am concerned, but ONLY because he was drafted, if he had not been drafted, he would never have been there to endanger the men under him in the first place.

It was not my intention to put down those draftees that have served honorably, but to say that drafting men who do NOT wish to serve, IS WRONG!!! It endangers those of us whom wish to serve and LOVE our country..

[Roscoe]

A free society does not force its members at gunpoint to defend itself, nor does it revoke the right to representation from those who will not comply with its wishes in the matter.

Free lunch.

[Ultima Thule]

Your argument is sound, but I wonder about the implications of universal military service for women. If they have kids, who will take care of them? Will taxpayers be forced to subsidize daycare on a massive scale? Or will all women serving in the military be forced to receive birth control such as the Norplant implants for the duration of their service, as the writer Cathy Young has suggested? In that case, would all young people simply be expected to postpone marriage and childbearing until after their service obligation? That kind of social engineering gives me the creeps...

I also predict that if all women had to serve in the military, sexual relations between officers and NCOs and their subordinates would become impossible to regulate. How would that affect unit cohesion and morale?

As I said, I do believe you have a valid argument for requiring women to serve. However, I wonder at what cost that might come to the military and the nation.

[Roscoe]

Everyone else was too busy thinking it was a gung ho action film, while Verhoeven was subtly mocking them.

Hardly subtle.

[Grut]

Bad idea. Remember what military pay was like back when we had the draft? Do you want to screw service members like that again? I guarantee, as soon as Congress discovers it can command labor it will forget all about paying a decent wage.

[harpseal]

The militia concept is absolutely vital to the concept of liberty. It implies a universal familiarity with arms and operating as part of a military. It implies a local responsibility of every individual for his/her own defense and the defense of their community. I for one am in favor of universal training for everyone within the USA. They should become familiar with the use of arms and operating as a unit woth others. I do not believe in any exemptions from this training if one is to be considered educated sufficiently to cast a vote. Further, such skills as basic first aid elementry damage control how to use a fire exringuisher etc. could be incorporated into this training. The actual military could be an all voluteer force where this basic training is expanded upon. The big question regarding this training is how does one handle those who have already committed crimes of violence prior to such training? I am of the opinion that every person including the handicapped should be trained in such a manner that they may participate in militia operations. A blind individual may be able to contribute to some functions a quadraplegic to others. A mentally retarded individual may also be able to contribute to potential militia activities. The knowledge gained from such participation will help the infividual, the community, the state, the nation, and the world. The Constitutionality is covered under Congress' power to set the training standards for the Militia. The actual bearing of arms may be excused by incapacity or moral objection but the knowledge of how to bear arms and their capacity is most useful for all.

Among the benefits of having such knowledge universal is a greater wariness of war among the population but at the same time a greater strength should our nation have to engage in such an endeavor. As to a knowledge of history and the American system of government. I am of the opinion that in order for anyone to graduate high school they should be able to recognize the Bill of Rights in its entirety. Also they should at least be able to score 80% or better on a test that includes recognizing the enumerated powers and the rest of the Constitution. They should be able to perform basic arithmetic (addition subtraction multiplication and long division). They should be avle to read and write. They should know who George Washington was along with Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Linclon, Benjamin Franklin, Benedict Arnold, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton Andrew Jackson Theodore Rosevelt and the last ten Presidents. They should know about all the major declared wars and the Civil War. The above is a minimum for anyone who will be participating in our public discourse.

Stay well - Stay Safe - Stay armed - yorktown

[mindprism.com]

Free lunch.

Ha! It is the taxpayer who wants the free lunch. Im willing to pay for free men to defend my interests, you want to point a gun at them and force them to risk their lives for you at wages you specify.

[pt17]

In response to the issue and not anyone's opinion:

IMHO, military service should be one of the highest honors and a privileges and not the result of impressment.

If you study the history of the British Navy, you'll likely find that Better one volunteer than three pressed men, was widely accepted as truth. Volunteers made a leaner, meaner and less costly fighting force.

[Shooter 2.5]

http://saturn.he.net/~danger/freepnet/album/ 18 to 25 years old? You're kidding, right?

I think most of us already did our little bit. I have that red and yellow ribbon[National Defense] from the army and so does my son for the first time he was in.
I wondered why he asked to borrow my book on Puller.

This politician who wants to force an indoctrination for six months is wasting his time and the kids. What the schools should do is have a community service course like my son went through. It was a prerequisite for graduation and it had nothing to do with the military. My son had to teach mathmatics to inner city kids. All kids should be kept in school until they are 18 or until the parents are no longer responsible. The biggest trouble is that the kids can drop out at the age of 16 and the parents are responsible for them until 18[Dallas has the third highest dropout rate in the country]. There is a two year gap where there is nothing you can do to disipline your child. They can quit and freeload off you for two years.

[glockmeister40]

Can you really tell me that a teenager in todays America couldn't benefit from a little discipline and direction?

Yes I agree, for many though, it's probably too late.

[BJungNan]

First, should every male high school graduate be required to serve in the military? A new bill before Congress would require all young men to be available to serve in the military for at least six months.

What is this nonsense. How about, "should every male and female high school gratuate be required..."

While the males are off doing their duty, the females are on their way to college and on their way to the upper rungs on the ladder. Duty is comenserate with the rewards of living in a free society. Those that enjoy those rewards should be obligated to serve. Geneder, the female gender, should not be a ticket to pass.

[verity]

At least 20% of the students should be encarcerated!

[vannrox]

My dear "rack42", be real, you couldn't of beaten me to a pulp.
The moment you would of raised a fist to me I would of blown your sorry face off.


Firearms are the great equalizer. And I believe in defending myself with the strongest means possible.


Military training has been very very good for me. As a Libertarian, you would expect me to believe in Live and let live. But we live in a society. All socities have laws and rules to live by. In the past, and in other socities, the parents taught the rules of societial behavoir to their children. But when the liberals started to take that responsibility away from them, they failed to replace this omission.


I am not necessarily advocating manditory ACTIVE Military service. But I am advocating Manditory military training and displine. There is a difference.

Countries should be governed by those who are willing to participate in it on a personal level. I repeat, it must be personal. They must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their brethern and their nation.


Nations whom themselves fail to require their leadership to maintain active participation in the society made manditory by the government develop a class system. Eventually turning into India.


To prevent this, countries are formed and instituted by men who are willing to participate at the most human level. To keep the country fresh and vibrant, this level of participation must be maintained. The moment the rulers or presidents of a country start to take their children to private schools and create special enclaves for them, is the moment that there is created a special ruling class. Destruction of the country is not far behind.


To keep a country young and vibrant, the youth must understand and participate in it. Political and military training is manditory for proper operation of a Republic. Not so with a Democracy. We are a Republic. (Last I checked anyways).


Postscript...I didn't mean to be insulting, just illustrative of the consequences of the advocacy of force without visible consequence, and the results inherent in a violent response.

[vannrox]

I am not advocating manditory ACTIVE Military service.


I am advocating Manditory military training and displine.


There is a difference.