berkeman said:
I've never heard of this before! At first I thought you guys were talking about another country like Sweden or something, but the link is clearly to the US government. Maybe I never heard about it because my kids registered to vote (and this is linked to that registration?), but still. And what is up with it only applying to men? That seems pretty screwy given the integration of women into the US military and their new ability to assume combat roles. Is this legislation behind the times or something?
The selective service system has existed for almost a century. I've never heard of a young man being forced to join the military, and it can simply be refused when drafted. I do agree that it should be abolished. This is part of a national homeland defense strategy to aid in mobilization, in the case that war is immediately upon us or an ally. There are around 2 million active duty military, those would be called to war first. 16 million young men are in a system ready to be called for combat. Out of 320 million Americans, 75 million are children. There are 125 million adult women and 120 million adult men. There was a big ordeal about this recently, when threats were pulled out to also require females to sign up for the draft, even the most extreme feminists got scared...
I don't think it is screwy when you consider that although women have been more integrated into the military, they still only make up 14%- that means most women don't
want or don't feel they are fit to assume combat roles (they have a choice) or challenge a traditionally male occupation. Why make them? Do you really want American women to go to war, although it's evident that at 14%, the overall female gender doesn't choose it? America is most definitely still a patriarchy, ruled by men, and it will likely stay that way. I don't have a problem with that. But, I am always disappointed when I come across the bad attitude of some men these days. It's essentially one of abandonment of women and children. After the tens of thousands of years that women have stood behind men, some men allow
one little century of a very new social experiment (which we have no idea how this will turn out), to cause them to throw their hands up and just walk away. All of the men in my bloodline have served or fought for this country, most before it was even America, they would be very disappointed in these defeatist attitudes as well. I certainly don't want my nephews in war as I don't want my daughter. But the huge difference is that I haven't planned to raise her in a way that would benefit her later in combat, it would actually work against her in that event; although some do raise their daughters that way, and that is it okay for them, but not my preference. Do I need to start getting her ready or something?
