The Need For a Peace Time Draft
by Timothy Rollins

June 11, 1999

In listening to the stories that have come back from Kosovo regarding our military, the one that stands out the most is the decay in our military readiness. This was best illustrated by the need for the Air Force to have a stand down so as to give both their personnel and equipment a break from being overworked and their resources overtaxed beyond their ability to operate safely.

Most of the blame for our current state of military woe goes to the Clinton administration and their denigration and outright gutting of our combat readiness and the spreading too thin of our defenses at home. Part of the problem lies in the lack of spare parts to keep our planes and weaponry working properly. The other part lies in the inability to attract and maintain qualified people to defend the freedoms that hundreds of thousands of others have given their lives for that we might enjoy. That can be solved by the institution of a peacetime draft like America had until the early 1970’s.

Think about it for a minute. Most of the gridlock in Congress and cutbacks to the military came once we had an all-volunteer military. One of the advantages of having a draft was that it gave American men the opportunity to work for a common goal and to also give back to one’s country. It also provided a common background that made for better camaraderie in the workplace, whether in the private sector or elsewhere in public service.

An excellent example occurred while I worked for a time with American Express while I was in college. Two of the men I worked with were former Marines like myself, and it was with those two with whom I formed the closest working relationship and in whom I had the greatest trust and respect.

Serving in the military or in the case of conscientious objectors, doing alternative government service allows for a constant infusion of new talent and in some cases, can benefit some men and even the nation as a whole as it can take some of these people, and through discovering hidden talents, build a career in the military. With the addition of bonuses and incentives in select career fields, we can retain our best and brightest in the service and not lose them to the civilian job market, thus jeopardizing our national security and defense.

It is for this reason that Clinton and others of his stripe are to blame for the cannibalization of our military, but then again, what can you expect from a commander-in-chief who despises the very troops he commands? Rest assured the loathing is mutual. Like the last Democrat America had the misfortune of having in the Oval Office, we now have enlisted personnel on food stamps, planes that are overworked and weapons that do not work properly.

However, unlike Carter, Clinton sold out the safety and well being of our nation to the Chinese Communists and one can only wonder when they will launch a first strike on U.S. soil. The main difference between Carter and Clinton is that while Carter was naïve, Clinton was greedy and treasonous in his behavior towards those he swore a Constitutional oath to uphold and protect.

If there is any lesson to be learned from the election and re-election of Bill Clinton is that sometimes people do stupid things for stupid reasons. It could also mean that some choices are made as the lesser of two or three evils more than it being the best man or woman for the job.

Let’s hope the next election can change that. ***

© 1999 Timothy Rollins and RIGHT Magazine