The Daily Sandwich

"We have to learn the lesson that intellectual honesty is fundamental for everything we cherish." -Sir Karl Popper

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Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007

How about an ice-cold draft?

A message from the Edwards campaign today included the following:

Stop the Draft Before It Starts

Last week, Bush's War Czar, Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, said that "it certainly makes sense to consider" reinstating the draft.


Even though the Pentagon is now denying it, the fact that a draft is even being talked about reveals the true danger of the administration's breathtaking failures in Iraq and around the world.

We need to change course.


My first thought when I saw this was "Are you kidding me?!?" This administration will never, ever permit a draft. There's no draft, the entire war has been charged to the national credit card (It's like it's free!), and 70% of the nation is against it. If parents were suddenly ordered to ship their kids to the Middle East-- or presented with $3000-per-family-member bills to pay for the war so far-- the war would end immediately.

Ironically, conscription would probably be a great thing for American democracy right now. If people were actually asked to sacrifice regardless of race, class, religion or political party, we'd still be ready for a World War II, but we'd be much less likely to experience senseless tragedies like Iraq. Because presumably even arrogant, imbecilic pocket tyrants prefer their children alive. Just imagine what it would be like if the Cheneys, Bushes, Ashcrofts and Limbaughs of the world had the same chance as everyone else of being dropped in the jungle (or sand) with a rifle as anyone else.