In the 1960s, the only thing more threatening and disturbing than the Civil Rights struggles and the war in Vietnam was the possibility any male in America over the age of 18 could be sent off to fight in that war. The protests over the Vietnam war were routed in two things:

1. People did not understand why we were over there

2. Young people that had nothing to do with the political battle that was the Vietnam war were sent to die for something they didn’t understand

The draft was one of the most controversial issues surrounding that war. Supporters of the draft said it was every Americans patriotic duty and opponents of the war said it was contrary to freedom to force someone into battle. The Iraq war has caused the debate over the draft to become an issue again. The arguments on both sides are compelling and they may surprise you. Could a draft be reinstated? Will it be bad for the country? During the 2004 presidential campaign, the draft became an important issue in the race for the white house. It was even used as a tool to get voters to the polls in this ad:

[youtube=http://youtube.com/w/?v=YBhVWTQBafU]

If the Iraq war continues, will this be our new reality?

Congressman Charles Rangel of New York is calling for the draft to be reinstated, but for a very different reason than increasing the number of soldiers in Iraq. Rangel believes that the only way to prevent another war like this one from happening is to put the children of Congressmen and women at risk of being drafted. Simply put, he wants the draft reinstated as a political tool. Personally, I believe this strategy is flawed. Many people on capitol hill will still not be affected by a draft because of their corrupt connections. A draft will only hurt more of the people that have been victims of this war. It is devastating to lose a child that chose to go to war, but it is even more devastating to lose a child that was forced into war.

Other congressional officials are calling for the draft to be reinstated because they believe the military shortage is a threat to national security. The Iraq war in general is a threat to national security however, because the longer we are over there, the more it will deplete our military and our resources. The draft will be a bad choice for America, even if the intentions behind it are good. Once the draft is reinstated, there is no clear way to control who it affects. Congressman Rangel is trying to start a campaign for the draft for political reasons, but my concern is the social ramifications of such actions. We must not, under any circumstances, reinstate the draft or the above commercial will be our reality for years to come.