November 4, 2009

Let's NOT bring back the draft

In this video, Bill Moyers makes some good points about the war in Afghanistan, but then goes on to suggest that we bring back the draft.

Although he reasons that it will spread the pain among the wealthy and the lawmakers, we know from the Vietnam experience that the well-to-do and the connected will find ways around the draft.



We can look at Israel where everyone serves in the military after high school and see how well his logic has not worked there. Israel attacks whomever and wherever they want. They continue to occupy and oppress the Palestinians. 'Everyone serving in Israel' hasn't reigned in this monster that has made life for Palestinians miserable and close to impossible. Groups like the Shministim (twelfth-graders) are refusing to serve and end up in prison.

Perhaps a draft would create a huge resistance in our country and help end the wars sooner, but it would also create another burden on the people who don't have the money or the means to avoid it.

Let's pull our military out of Iraq and Afghanistan now instead of creating more draconian measures as we try to win a war we shouldn't be involved in.

Last month, when answering a question from the audience: what would he urge Barack Obama to do? Howard Zinn said:
I'd like to see him get up in front of a microphone speaking to a national audience and say, 'You know it seems clear -
One. We cannot win a war in Afghanistan.
Two. We shouldn't want to win a war in Afghanistan; it's not our country. It belongs to the people of Afghanistan. We are killing people unnecessarily...'.

See video
HERE


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