If you're a member of Generation Y (those born between 1977 and 1994) or if you have any relatives in that age group like I do, this is something you should be very concerned about. Even though both candidates may deny it, the military draft will most likely return in 2005. If he is either elected or finds some other way to stay in power, Der Fuhrer is already thinking about how to retaliate against Iran for their alleged role in the September 11 attacks. Afterwards, he will most likely invade Cuba and Syria as well. As overextended as our forces are around the world already, he will most certainly need more troops. Even though George W. Bush has called for a worldwide rearrangement of our armed forces, one of the places where troops are leaving; the Korean Peninsula; is a place where they are desperately needed. John Kerry has made the overextension of our forces one of the talking points of his campaign and has proposed adding troops to all branches of the service. The only way this can be done is through the draft.
Personally, I have a 21 year old brother and although he rarely has a job, I still would not like to see him get drafted. I also have two sisters who are 17 and 16 years old and are planning to go to college after they graduate high school. Since women are such a big part of today's military, you'd better believe that they will be included in the new school draft as well. It would be a disaster for my family if my sisters were drafted.
There are lawmakers like Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-SC) who foolishly believe that the draft would apply equally to rich and poor and white and non-white alike. If this is so then why was it that the last time we had a draft (the Vietnam War), rich kids were either getting deferrments; like Vice-President Dick Cheney, or pulling strings to get into the National Guard; like Der Fuhrer? The rich have found a way out of mandatory military service all throughout history and in every country from the Roman Empire to Medieval Europe to the U.S in every war it has fought. This is something that will never change and if you are poor and especially if you are Black or Latino, you should be plenty worried.