The Coming Draft

Col. David Hackworth has written a thoughtful discussion of the coming draft. This from an experienced military man and Senior Military Columnist for DefenseWatch magazine. Read and consider:

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Most of our warriors -- who are mainly from blue-collar families from Small Town, USA -- have few political connections and few conduits though which they can effectively sound off. So when they get screwed over by a desperate Pentagon's makeshift policies -- such as the "Stop Loss" program that's holding over large numbers of our servicemen and women well beyond their contractually agreed-upon terms of enlistment, or the widespread calling up of out-of-shape, ill-trained citizen soldiers from the Individual Ready Reserve -- these "volunteers" salute, suck it up and lay their lives on the line.

But like elephants, they won't forget that they are "backdoor draftees," as Kerry and John McCain call them. Which means that when their hitches are up, they won't be rushing to re-enlist. And they're also warning their younger brothers, sisters and pals to stay away from recruiting stations.

Although Pentagon puff artists insist they're making quota, recruiters are already saying it would be easier to find $100 bills on the sidewalk outside a homeless shelter than fill their enlistment quotas, even with the huge bonuses now being paid.

So the draft -- which will include both boys and girls this time around -- is a no-brainer in '05 and '06.