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Part 107: A Universal Draft VI:
June 14, 2004:
In Part 106 I outlined all of the services I think will be useful or necessary for this universal draft. In addition to the traditional military service, I have defined five others. These are the United States Emergency Response Service (USERS), the International Support and Response Service (ISRS), the Military Support Service (MSS), the International Police and Training Service (IPTS), and the United States Domestic Service (USDS). In this essay I want to finish by summarizing the Universal Draft plan.
I am sure this plan will be a hard sell at first, but I think that will quickly pass. I believe people will become eager to serve their country and really make America the country of noble people we pretend to be. They will be eager to make America strong again. It has become obvious to me that young people are desperately seeking a way to put meaning back into their lives. How else can we explain all of the threshing and crazy behavior? People who have direction and meaning in their lives do not behave that way. I believe our young people will be happy to find that meaning and direction in service.
I have said each person would have choices of how they serve except in an extreme military need situation. The choices people make will determine their time of service. This could range from two years for dangerous and difficult duty to four years for less demanding assignments. I contend that two to four years out of a lifetime of 70 plus is not a lot to require. Serving your country is a duty. If so, it is a duty for everyone, not just a few unlucky military draftees. Universal service should be the law of the land.
We must make the point that service is an honor in addition to being a duty. We take care of our world and community just as we take care of our family, because we want to. It is nothing more than enlightened self interest. With this in mind, minimum pay, even for the military, is important. It's just a living wage. This is a service, not a career. This is not a glamor and glory situation. Its down and dirty, hard work and the joy of service. For sure, some people will procrastinate and wait to be drafted. However, I predict that most will want to get it over with. Some will even be eager for it.
Those who have children will not be exempted. Their choices will simply be limited to domestic service in a way which allows them to care for their children. This is not discrimination. It's life the way it is for everyone. The choices we make in any one area affect our lives and limit our choices in other areas. Choosing to have offsprings limits your choices in many areas of your life. Still we do it for the joy that comes out of family. These parents will want to get their service done so they can return to their normal life.
Ways must be found to use everyone. There are things emotionally and physically handicapped people can do. It's up to us to find those things. Everyone must be allowed to participate. There are things which prisoners can do. Being a criminal does not exempt you from service. It just limits your choices. Whatever you do must be done in confinement. So, everybody means everybody, perhaps even non-citizens. One thing we can consider is the possibility of making service a fast track to citizenship for immigrants.
I think this is an idea that will sell to our kids. I think Kennedy proved that when he mouthed his famous phase, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." If you love freedom, if you love your community, if you love America, if you yearn for peace, open your heart and turn your life toward service. Our spirits will be uplifted. We will be proud again. Our country will prosper under a new morality of service. Our young people are our hope. These young people really could save this country from the political thugs. I am personally ashamed of my record and of my government. I yearn for the young people to do better.
To get a universal draft, such as I envision, will require a courageous congress. Of course, that is a non sequitur. We can only suggest and hope. Perhaps there is a way to make them believe it's what most of us want. Letters could do that. If you watch them, you will realize that a few hundred letters will seem like an overwhelming tide to their minds. Congress can help by creating the atmosphere and the environment for service. For the first time in many years, they could act to set an example of service instead of being an example of all that's wrong.
We can be sure some people will find they like a life of service and decide to stay. Then, like any other career, they can get pay raises and incentives including pensions and other fringes. These people will become the core of each area of service. The trainers and cadre. The existence of a cadre guarantees a continuity of service. We need not start over again with each new group of people. There will be experience people to bring them on board.
Finally, let us recall what America's founders said in our
Declaration of Independence. "And for the support of this
Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes,
and our sacred Honor." They actually meant that. I would
like to see that happen to Americans again. We start with a universal
draft and the people gradually come to believe those principles
again. We begin to believe when we see the change in our behavior,
our lives, and our fortunes. It's about love, honor, and service.
You love your country, you honor your country through service,
and you honor yourself through service.
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