Persusaive Esasay- Military Draft
The reinstatement of a military draft is a controversial issue that has surfaced in American society. Although a draft would challenge the liberties granted to us in the Constitution and be detrimental to our society, some people believe that a draft would be insignificant to all the benefits we receive as American citizens, and that the draft can be utilized as an effective tool. People that argue that the draft needs to be reestablished have a strong base for their commanding arguments. Some believe that serving in the military is a civil duty, and to live in this country one must defend it. That patriotism is illustrated in this quote by George Washington, "It must be laid down as a primary position and the basis of our (democratic) system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal service to the defence of it" (Gill). Although not completely relevant to events of today it still emphasizes the fact that we as Americans need to serve our country if we expect the government to serve us. As we, the United States, are at war, people believe that a draft is needed because our "Army is stretched so thin" (Means). An influx of new troops could possibly invigorate the war effort and allow us to pull our young men and women out of Iraq. To go hand in hand with the war in Iraq some seem to think that a draft would open our eyes. A quote in the Boston Globe reads, "Reinstate the military draft and see how quickly the United States ends its war in Iraq" (Vennochi). This again ties to a general concern of the well being of our men and women in arms. These claims are both logical and understandable. The defense of our country and the protection of those who have taken that responsibility upon themselves is a concern for both sides of this controversy. The welfare and security of the US is a number one priority for both sides, and each has different views on how to achieve
Cited: "Calls For Military Draft" CounterRecruiter.com. 16 April 2005. 20 October 2007. http://rncwatch.typepad.com/counterrecruiter/the_military_draft/index.html Chavez, Erik. "The Draft Debate." 29 April 2004. 20 October 2007. http://media.www.chibus.com/media/storage/paper408/news/2004/04/29/Perspectives/The-Draft.Debate-676425.shtml Gill, Kathy. "Military Conscription, Recruiting and The Draft." 13 March 2007. 20 October 2007. http://uspolitics.about.com/od/electionissues/a/draft_5.htm Means, Marianne. "Reinstated military draft would equalize sharing the load in Iraq" seattlepi.com. 19 May 2004. 20 October 2007. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/173848_means19.html Vennochi, Joan. "A military draft might awaken us." Boston.com. 22 June 2006. 20 October 2007 http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/06/22/a_military_draft_might_awaken_us/ White, Deborah. "US Military Plans "Contingent" Draft Based on Special Skills, Not Just Age" 10 June 2005. 20 October 2007. http://usliberals.about.com/b/a/176486.htm