guys we don't need a draft, we have a large enough standing ALL VOLUNTEER army....

War is absolutely necessary when the rights and lives of INNOCENT citizens are threatened by the attacks of a foreign invader.... if a government supports a group whether they gather over religious or political reasons, and that threatens our financial, intellectual and human capital you're damn right someone is going to be watching their back....

Boner, the imperial emperor of Japan sent planes and ships to attack pearl harbor on December 7, 1941. We declared war the following day. My point is that the emperor of Japan held both supreme rights and religious rights over the citizens of Japan. In being both a deity and a government official he crosses the threshold of responsibility and his ordered attack is the entire reason why we entered the Pacific theater... Therefore, when individual citizens with ties to governments and religions attack INNOCENT people, war is imminent and necessary..

I fully support our armed forces, donate to the USO, and every political campaign I see that supports our Men and Women both domestic and abroad.

I suggest you start doing the same, and stop playing devil's advocate while you hide behind your Jesuit college cloak. Stop thinking you're some kind of progressive.

You aren't.

wishbone, as you know WW2 had a draft, and wide support in the american populus. what BO is suggesting is that many of the OTHER wars would get more resistance in the population if there where a draft. as in the vietnam war, when there was a draft, the people that were lower on the draft numbers were more against the war than the people with high draft numbers.

I think if the war is really neccesary and just, then there should not be a problem convincing a population with a drafted army that it is a just and neccesary. if not, then you will have bigger problems convincing a population that know that if they support the war, then they have to fight it, not the professional army, but the population.

not trying to step on toes, but a voulentare army is in effect a mercenary army in some aspects. those aspects being that the people that support the war are not the people that have to fight it. it is much easier to support a war that you do not have to fight yourself.

I agree with wish in most of his sentiments regarding our armed forces. The main problem with fighting "wars" today is the media gives the populace complete access to the goings-on in the "wars".

On September 12, 2001, not a single American was opposed to going to the Middle East and kicking some radical Muslim ass. Give it a year or two later, and many Americans expected us to have completed our mission and have our troops back home. This wasn't the case, so public support began to fade.

Obama campaigned on ending the wars swiftly and pulling our troops out of the Middle East, but as most things with his presidency, he found out that what he wants, and what can actually be done, are completely different things. It isn't easy ending a war against terrorists. Many liberals agree with Veta when it comes to war and think it's an unneccesary evil. Sometimes this is true, many times it isn't. Vietnam sucked, obviously. The WMD's and Bush II sucked a little, but ousting Saddam was a good thing. Bin Laden is dead, this is a good thing. Hitler was defeated, that was a good thing. The North beat the South in the U.S. Civil War, that was a good thing. The colonies beat the English in the American Revolution, that was a good thing.

In the end, Americans have to understand that the military is a part of our country, and in many circumstances, a part of countries all around the world. This isn't changing anytime soon, nor should it.

K,

You think that the wars aren't unpopular enough already? I'm not sure there is any optimism in the general public, but hey, I wasn't aware that Norway was involved in Vietnam, but maybe you were?

And I believe if my memory serves me correct there has not been a military draft since the mid 20th century for Norwegians?

BO is looking to get a rise from his liberal naive friends, sir I remind you, there is NO FREE LUNCH

edit: i guess you don't draft when you have mandatory conscription in Norway, apologies K

your memory about norway is incorrect, we have a conscription system, where everyone have to join.

and, I am saying it would be more difficult to pursuade the nation to join if it was a draft, even if it is unpoppular now, that might just be because it is uncomfortable, for people, economywise. it is different to dislike a war, maybe be against it, but not even bother to vote, not bothering to really research if the war is neccesary or not, believing what the TV tells you. and REALLY forming an own opinion, really taking a political stance, really becoming activists, really taking a stand for what you believe in.


I am the first to say that there are just wars, I am glad that hitler got beaten, I do believe the american revolution and the victory of the north was good things. BUT not all wars are just, most of them are not. you dont have activism against the wars today, like you had against Vietnam, and a lack of a draft might be part of it.

my opinion is; If the war is worth fighting, then it is worth having a draft to fight it.

ofcourse to avoid a draft might be good, but it is not good to make up ones opinion based on knowing that one does not have to fight the war, someone else will.


the norwegian solidars in afghanistan were conscripted to the army, and then voulentared. Norway did participate in the Korea war, and the UN interventions in Kongo, Libanon, Libya and Kosovo.

I did serve, my brother will serve, my father did serve, my grandfathers served, most of my friend have served, I have about 10 friends that have been in afghansitan, I have met more than 50.

my edit beats your 12 minutes :)

12 minutes of epicosoty

i love our military and fully support our troops. however, the biggest thing that concerns me is that the possibility that military refuses to cut back their budget. now that the wars are winding down and we are (excruciatingly slowly) pulling out, i dont think there is any argument to maintaining our HUGE military budget. but the people in charge of budgeting the military insist that we need to maintain our current levels. i dont think they are comfortable with going back to a relatively peaceful state of the nation, because lets be honest, that would screw a lot of people who are currently supported by our military budget.

just seems like theyve had a company credit card to spend as much as theyd like, and now that the company is going through a tough fiscal year (or ten), they dont want to give up that credit.