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Part 106: A Universal Draft V:
June 7, 2004:
Continuing with the details of the universal draft, I see an area of possible need in a Military Support Service (MSS). This would be basically a logistics service for the United states Military services. The functions would be procurement and distribution of materials, preparation and serving of food, equipment cleaning and repair, and any other support type functions needed. It would be a service performed for military units regardless of where they were.
Traditionally these functions were performed by military personnel. That is how it was when I served. Later, the military came to realize what a waste of trained service people that was. You spend half a year or more training a person to be a soldier then use him as a very expensive servant. Now the military farms that work out to firms like Haliburton. The work gets done for a price and the specially trained military people are freed up to do what they were trained to do.
Now I am proposing that work be done by a specialized service organization of drafted people. These people would be part of a quasi-military unit attached directly to the military units they were serving. The term of service for these people would be three years. It is less rigorous and dangerous than military service, but rigorous enough and it carries some of the inherent risk of field operations.
Our situation in Iraq has brought to light another possible need for a specialized service. I would call it the International Police and Training Service (IPTS). I see in Iraq that military personnel are attempting to do this kind of work with limited success. The truth is, a soldier is not a policeman. He is not properly trained to be a law officer and hence is not qualified to train policemen.
As I see it, this IPTS organization would fill that gap with qualified police officers. They could act as local law officers and also train other people to replace them as law officers. This is definitely a dangerous occupation so I would visualize the commitment as one of two years, much like the military. I would think these people would have to spend their first half year or more in a special police academy. There they would be trained to be effective law enforcement officers rather than foot soldiers.
This would not be the extensive training I will later propose for a United States Police academy, but it will be specific for this service. The academy I want for America is a four year intensive academy much like West Point. That will be for career law enforcement people. The IPTS academy can be less rigorous because it does not have to cover all of the facets of law enforcement. In particular, it can be somewhat brief on investigative techniques. It can concentrate more on the "cop-on-the-beat" type of training.
As I see it, this service would be useful in situations like Iraq, wherein we created a law enforcement vacuum. We can hope the future will offer less of that kind of situation. The other place I would see a chance of using this service would be by request from some smaller third world countries. This might be in some kind of disaster situation where riots and looting become a problem. This service could step in temporarily to fill the need. Unlike an armed military this service would be seen as less of a threat and more of a service by the populace.
Now I get to my promise. This is the service of last resort. I call it the United States Domestic Service (USDS). It will be the least dangerous and least rigorous of all the services and would require a four year commitment. This is where all of those who do not choose or do not fit in any other service will be used. For some people it will be a good choice. For others it will be the reluctant last resort. However they get here, there will be a task for them.
Parents and single parents will be among these, whether they became so by accident, by choice, or just because they thought they could beat the draft. They cannot beat the draft. No one can! Physically and emotionally handicapped people will be here if they could not be uses in the other services. Let's not kid ourselves. Some handicapped folks will make it in the other services. We should give them every encouragement to do that.
I will still insist that this USDS be organized as a quasi-military enterprise. For many reasons, some of these people will not be able to travel. They will be bound by commitments to children, older parents in need, or personal needs for specialized services like medical attention. That's fine, they can still serve their country locally. There are many areas of need.
Our parks, national and state, need enormous attention. There is all kinds of work needed, from picking up trash left by scum-bums to clearing nature trails. The same kind of effort can be applied to our highways. They are a disgrace. We also have public monuments that need attention. The Statue of Liberty got a lot of attention as did the Washington Monument. That's great, but I have not seen a statue anywhere that was not in need of cleaning, from bird dodo to dust and grime. Our cities also need some sprucing up.
We will have a definite need for daycare for the kids of the parents we draft. No problem. We test the people for qualifications and use them in daycare if they qualify. The same kind of approach can be used. A daycare center can be operated by a nine person squad with a squad leader. Contrary to popular belief, daycare workers do not have to be women. Men can do it and should if they qualify.
In some case we will need to make unique arrangements to help some of the handicapped people serve. One way to do that is to create a buddy or team system. People with no handicaps can be teamed with people who need some help. Another way is to have people with different kinds of handicaps work together. One might be good at understanding and another at executing simple tasks. As a team, they get something done. Something is much superior to nothing and can have a very positive effect on one who has had to struggle for everything.
I have outlined all of the services I think will be useful
or necessary for this universal draft. In the next essay, I will
complete this group of essays with a summary.
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