Monday, December 13, 2004

Support the troops -- stop the Administration from bullying Guardsmen into very dangerous tours

If you want to support the troops, then the back door draft has to end.

Read this column. I found it linked from This Modern World, and it is originally from Lloyd Omdahl of North Dakota's Grand Forks Herald.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

(Duff)

So story is this - a guy joins the Guard for selfish reasons (to get gov't cash, not to serve his nation) and then is pissed off because he didn't read his enlistment documents.

This issue is a bunch of garbage. Every *volunteer* signs documents consenting to extended service. What, I wonder?, is the Left's goal in insulting the intelligence and free will of our fighting men and women? "Oh, they're too stupid to make their own decisions.... Oh, we shouldn't expect them to, you know, *read*.....Oh, why don't we draft rich kids instead of asking for volunteers...." Ah, I think now we've found the crux of it....

Dan Johnson said...

It's selfish to go to college? That's a fantastic investment in our human capital and something we should be encouraging. Duff: level with me. Do you believe there is a back door draft? Define it anyway you want. This is like any other contract dispute between one party that has all the power and sophistication (the military) and the other that doesn't (the enlistee). How many of these 19-year old kids (and 19 year olds are basically old children more than very young adults, at least in my view) have an attorney or negotiate the contract with the military? I think this is a real problem and we ought to stand up for Guardsmen who are getting pushed around.

Anonymous said...

(Duff)

I am leveling -- there is no back door draft in any way you mean it -- there's just an agreement that provides for an extension. You should know that I don't buy these "unconscionability" arguments. I find it kinda weird that you're arguing essentially for direct democracy 3 posts up but you have so little confidence in citizens' decisionmaking abilities in their personal lives. Perhaps we want direct democracy so people can be herded like sheep and told what to do; after all, if they'll do it with their careers, surely they'll do it with their votes..... Maybe if we told them they can have some free stuff if they vote our way. Well, wait, that's how we run our elections *now*.....

Dan Johnson said...

Isn't that what W did with his base? Vote for me and I'll cut the top marginal tax rate from 39.6% to somewhere around 33% and force our kids to pay the government debt when they grow up? Goodies for all . . . . I wonder what will happen in that lawsuit from the National Guardsmen fighting their permanent deployment. Maybe we'll see if a jury or judge agrees that this contract ought not be enforced.