Is your number up

[Cobra]

This is something I wrote for my US history class, hope I'm posting it in the correct forum. The assignment was to write a persuasive speech, newspaper opinion piece, or letter to your congressman for or against the draft. It supposed to be three pages long double spaced, but I'm not finished yet so this won’t be that long. I also chose to write mine in a speech format.

Now no one freak out on me, I don't really want to argue the points I make in this paper because I'm not sure I believe them myself but anyone interested please tell me if I was persuasive and feel free to critique it all you want because I'll have to turn it in for a grade.

Heres what I got so far and this is my first draft so probably not going to be the best.

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Many of you here tonight probably have a vague understanding of what the draft is and entails. You have heard references to it your entire life most notably in your history classes, but do you realize the draft is not just history. It could become your reality at any moment and when it starts you will have no say. For during a draft there is no choice, you are drafted into the military and your only option is to submit and serve or run. This is a harsh fate, but it can yet be prevented if only you, no, all of America could see but first a little history of the draft.

The Draft is simply a way our government can get men for military service, and is normally only used during a time of war when the demand for men is higher than that of those willing to sign up and fight. Our country has used it several times in its brief history all ending in similar consequences to the unfortunate draftees. The first were held during the civil war, both sides used them but these were both limited and disorganized. Our first true draft was held during WWI on a national level when literally millions of young men were called from their homes, put in the army, and sent to fight and die on the bloody battle fields of Europe. Similar drafts took place during WWII, Korea, and the latest Vietnam, every one immoral as the last.

Don’t get me wrong, they were legal, the government did have the right to hold them per repeated court rulings but the questions still remains. Is the draft an ethical, moral, or even practical solution for our country during time of war?

I say no, and will proclaim it loudly in the face of everyone here tonight. The evidence does not and will never hold up. This now sleeping beast they call the draft goes against everything our country stands for. You only need look as far as one of the great document our country was founded on to see this. Our very own Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness�. It is easily seen this beast they call the draft violates every single one of these principles, our founding principles.

Our country was founded as a beacon of freedom in a tyrannical world and it is those freedoms we trumpet and which in the end should trump everything else. Hypocrite is thy name America, freedom you claim but when it comes down to it you are willing to give the government the power to enslave you, enslave of us all through it’s beast we call the draft. Enslave us to and in and for its military machine, to but fight and die in foreign land solely for the rich mans gain. Hypocrisy I say, that is not freedom and this is not America. It must be changed but I am just one alone, but listen to me, band with me and we together can change this, kill the awful beast once and for all.

[firefox]

Governments don't have "rights", only individuals do. Aside from that, it's pretty good though. Are you in HS or college? I'm assuming HS based on the length.

[Cobra]

High school and thanks, you really think it was pretty good. Most people on these boards didn't seem to think so because I went with a lot of emotional appeals and rhetoric instead of logic and it's not a message most people would agree with.

I didn't even notice they moved my piece up here, I originally posted it off topic. I'm going to have to write another opinion piece for English next week so I'll post it too, some of the suggestions I got were really helpful and this one people might like more. It'll be on voter apathy, I'm trying to persuade people to vote and the goal is to use mainly logical appeals with some ethical thrown in where it'll do the most good. Here's my final draft and the one I turned in if you’re interested.

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Many of you here tonight probably have a vague understanding of what the draft is and entails. You have heard references to it your entire life most notably in your history classes, but do you realize the draft is not just history. It could become your reality at any moment and when it starts you will have no say. For during a draft there is no choice, you are drafted into the military and your only option is to submit and serve or run. This is a harsh fate, but it can yet be prevented if only you, no, if all of America could just see it for what it truly is. I understand why some here tonight may think they should support the draft but have you considered its history, have you consider how one could effect your life, have you considered all that you could possible loose by supporting the draft.

The Draft is simply a way our government can go about geting men for military service, and it is normally only used during a time of war when the demand for men is higher than that of those willing to sign up and fight. Our country has used it several times in its brief history all ending in similar consequences to the unfortunate draftees. The first were held during the civil war, both sides used them but these were both limited and disorganized. Our first true draft was held during WWI on a national level when literally millions of young men were called from their homes, put in the army, and sent to fight and die on the bloody battle fields of Europe. Similar drafts took place during WWII, Korea, and the latest Vietnam, every one immoral as the last.

Don’t get me wrong, they were legal, the government did have the right to hold them per repeated court rulings but the questions still remains. Is the draft an ethical, moral, or even practical solution for our country during time of war?

I say no, and will proclaim it loudly in the face of everyone here tonight. The evidence does not and will never hold up. This now sleeping beast they call the draft goes against everything our country stands for. You only need look as far as some of the great document our country was founded on to see this. Our very own Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness�. It is easily seen this beast they call the draft violates every single one of these principles, our founding principles.

You can not have liberty forced to serve in an Army which grants you no personal liberties that could jeopardize the mission. You can not pursue your own happiness in an Army job you would never have picked out of your own free will and you can not have life put in a position where your only job is to fight and die. True you would give your life fighting for a cause, but death it still death. It will care not for your cause and will only end your lives.

In Section 1 of the 13th Amendment our very own constitution it states, “ Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction�. That says it all right there; a draft is without a doubt involuntary servitude and slavery to the government in its armies. If the service was voluntary it would not be called a draft. Your personal liberties will disappear in a blink of an eye shall this sleeping beast awake.

Our country was founded as a beacon of freedom in a tyrannical world and it is those freedoms we trumpet and which in the end should trump everything else. Hypocrite is thy name America, freedom you claim but when it comes down to it you are willing to give the government the power to enslave you, enslave of us all through it’s beast we call the draft. Enslave us to and in and for its military machine, to but fight and die in foreign lands, solely for a rich mans gain.

Hypocrisy I say, that is not freedom and this is not America. It must be changed but I am just one alone but if you will listen to me, band with me, together we could change this. Kill the beast once and for all.

[lily]

Just curious....what grade did you get?

[Cobra]

Haven't gotten it back yet and won't for awhile. Teachers hate grading and take forever with papers because they actually have to read them. Most homework they just put a check on the top if you did it and one teacher I have even lets us grade our own tests and shout out our grades to her and she never even takes them up. Needless to say I've helped my grade a bit but it's so hard to resist when it's so easy and right there but I'll make sure and remeber to tell ya'll when I got it back which will be sometime between now and May.

[Rider]

Not a bad paper at all. I would check my grammar more closely, as poor grammar will detract from your argument.

[Cobra]

I know, I fixed up the copy turned in a bit better then this one. Just copied it from the off topic thread but I'll get to see how many mistakes I missed when I get it back.

[Cobra]

I’m in English now and starting to write my paper on voter apathy. Also just found out that this paper will not only be a portfolio grade but the teacher is going to use it as the mid-term exam as well. That means it’ll be worth 10% of my finale grade and I’ll have to score at least a 92 to keep my A in this class. Which really bites because I’m not the best writer and normally do much better on tests but if anyone has time after I get the rough draft done please criticize and critique away.

[firefox]

One thing I was taught to do (and should really take more to heart myself) is to do one 'emotional appeal', then tie two to three factual elements to it. Wash, rinse, and repeat. I'm currently taking a public opinion class right now and can probably hook you up w/ some course materials if you tell me what specific kinds of info you're looking for. BTW, are you @ a government run school? At my HS, a lot of teachers didn't give a crap about involved grading either. The really good ones didn't, but @ my private univ, this is the rule rather than the exception. The county-funded CC I took a class from was even more apathetic about quality than the HS was.

[Cobra]

I'm in public school not private, so government. I have enough research info on the voter paper I'll be writing but anything on how to be more persuasive in my writing and writing good opinion pieces would be helpful. I’m Junior this year and most of our portfolio pieces are going to be persuasive and editorials.

[firefox]

Cool I'm a junior in college myself.

[Cobra]

Here's my Voter Apathy paper.

Why Aren't We Voting

Here’s a test, go around and ask any student of voting age in this school right now if they vote and see what you get. The common response I received was not encouraging to say the least.

Me: Do you vote?

Student: Huh, no.

Me: why?

Student: I don’t know, why would I want to. Who cares about that stuff anywar.Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*

Young people in our area are far from unique though, in fact only one out of every four eighteen to twenty year olds actually vote in the US (Thomas 1). Voter apathy is even more rampant in this generation, my generation than all others who also are not turning out to vote in the numbers that should be seen for something so important.

This situation, if I can be honest, frightens me. Do they not know that voting is the key to our democracy, our government? A government that truly does affect just about every part of our daily lives from which rules we must follow to the type of schools we go to.

Most young people have issues they care about and would get out to vote for but can’t find anyone in government addressing their concerns which leads many to become uninterested. One thing we must realize though is that the only way to get the politicians to care about us is to vote and vote in such large numbers we become a valuable voting block that all candidates will want to have. Only then will the politicians take notice of our issues, only then will we have a voice. Being apathetic towards voting wont get our issues heard or resolved voting will, why whine and ignore a problem when we can change it.

It’s not just young people either, only 51% of eligible US citizens actually turn out to vote (Hiatt 1). In fact the US is known for having the lowest voter turnout rates among mature democracies (Heuer 1). The reasons are many but for all those you who don’t vote please just take the time read on for though you have good points, not voting is not the answer.

Many people don’t vote because they see politics as dirty. They hear of one scandal after another and label everything about dirty including taking the time to vote. An honest person would never run so why should I play a part in elected them and soil myself.

What people should, no, must, realize is they have the power and if our government is dirty the only way to change it is through the ballot box. Vote out the rascals that are hurting your country or nothing will ever change. That is the only option we have, there are no others but voters must first take some time out of our busy lives to learn who the rascals are or all the voting in the world will go for naught or you will still see the same dirt year after year.

Which leads us to another problem, people don’t care enough to follow the news and are thus out of touch with politics. They wouldn’t know who to vote for if they did vote. The news is seen as boring or upsetting and why would anyone want to watch or read about it when there are so many other enjoyable things to be doing.

We will eventually be made to care though but won’t be happy about it when that time comes. A time when our great country finally collapses in on itself from a government never held accountable by its people. All US citizens must start to care now for tomorrow it may just be too late.

Many others don’t vote because they don’t think there one vote really means anything or counts. They are wrong though, sure one vote rarely decides election but all those one votes together add up. If you don’t vote the people you disagree with will and their agendas will be the ones that are served for they will win the elections. Your one vote will cancel out their one vote and if for that reason alone is a powerful tool everyone should use.

These types of attitudes are bad for our country. Our forefathers fought and died so we could have the freedom to vote. The least we could do in return is be grateful for that gift, and take a tiny amount of our time to vote.

[firefox]

One part of this may be that the dominant Ds and Rs shut out competition as much as they can to remain in power. Other factors can be attributed as well. Are you familiar with the theory of "social capital"?

[Cobra]

No, never heard of it.

[firefox]

It's a useful concept. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_capital.

[bmulligan]

Don’t get me wrong, they were legal, the government did have the right to hold them per repeated court rulings but the questions still remains. Is the draft an ethical, moral, or even practical solution for our country during time of war?

It's fine and dandy to preach morality to government, but government is incapable of practicing it. Therir behavior, and their existence, is based in law. Unfortunately, you should have based your paper on this fact which you alluded to in the quoted paragraph.

You should have delved deeper into the "legal" basis for the draft and whether or not it adheres to the spirit of the constitution. One argument is that our lives are paramount and the governments sole purpose is to protect our individual life, and freedom. However, the constitution dictates that neither life liberty or property can be denied an individual except through due process. Some on the court believe this to mean that yes, your life can be taken from you as long as a legal procedure is followed. Arguing the interpretations of those "court rulings" would have made for a more interesting, and more intellectual paper.

[firefox]

That was just so darn libertarian of you, bmulligan! ;) I agree. Government is indeed like fire. That said, this guy is a HS student, presumably in a government run institution. We want him to work subtly and also get a good grade here. Osmosis and subltlety is how the socialists did it 100+ years ago after all. I thik it's high time for them to taste some of their own medicine, don't you think? :D

[lily]

this guy is a HS student,

Firefox.........Cobra is a she.;)

[tony mitra]

I am no expert, but I’d say it was a good write up, though it appeared to be passing an opinion, rather than a describing it and covering its history. The opinion, I gather, is that the draft is wrong.

From an international viewpoint, the draft has a relevance too. There are many countries that do not have a mandatory draft. Then there are countries that do have. Usually, nations with a small population and a disproportionately high security risk have mandatory drafts. Israel and Singapore come to mind.

Nations with large populations normally have enough volunteers to make up an army of permanent career soldiers and a fully voluntary army without the need for draft.

In that context, USA might be an odd case where a reasonably well populated large nation had to have the draft for relatively small skirmishes or localized wars such as the Vietnam war. This is not a theory, but just my personal opinion.

Lastly, it has been my observation, that the current US Government has long since crossed the point where its military manpower needs could be met by voluntary recruits. This has not much to do with the current Iraq war, but rather, to do with manning the vast numbers of overseas military bases that the US Governments owns, rents or otherwise maintains, fully staffed and armed, round the clock.

Having crossed the point, what does the Govt do? I am no insider, so have no knowledge of their policy decisions, but again, I observe signs that the US Govt is very aware that a mandatory draft is a very unpopular thing to do politically, and can hurt the President or the party. As a result, it has been gradually moving towards maintaining something like the Roman or the French legion, where citizens from USA or elsewhere will serve the cause of the US Governments by bearing arms and fighting, for hefty sums of money, and in some cases a speeded up immigration process in their favor.

Some of them are outside the radar and operating as private militia, or private security firms. Some, if I am to believe some of the blogs and podcasts, are American citizens of minority groups that are economically hard pressed, and are being given upto USD 20,000 as joining bonus.

So, in other words, money can be used to bypass the draft. The Romans did it. The French did it, the English and the Spanish too did it, in different ways.

Perhaps that’s the way the US would go, rather than calling out a national draft.

This again is just my view, and I could very well be wrong on all counts.

Interesting topic though. Cheers. :)

[Cobra]

Man I wrote this way back, last year. Yeah it was meant to be an opinion piece. We had to write a paper pro or con on the issue the draft.

I agree with you, will pay foreigners to fight our battles before implementing a draft for optional bases and war. A lot of our manpower probs could also be fixed if didn’t have our fingers in so many pots at one time.

[Cobra]

Hey I finally got that first paper back a year letter. Got a B on it which is about what I was hoping for. Glad I posted it here, can't find it saved on my comp anywhere and need to do a lot of revision. Gona turn it in as one of my senior portfolio pieces.

[Amy]

Congrats! A "B" is really good. :P

[Muser]

Kudos, Cobra! :clapper:

[firefox]

Damn I totally forgot about this thing! Good luck. I remember doing that portfolio crap in HS. Now I'm a senior in college and I have to write a 30-60 pg thesis paper! woo! :D

[Truth Detector]

Well, first thing that comes to mind is the notion that the "draft" is relevant in current times. Back in WWII, one didn't need a draft as millions were more than willing to volunteer to put down tyranny.

The myth continued during the Vietnam War. Many, particularly in the first five years of the war were not draftees but rather volunteers. The truth is, draftees make lousy fighting men/women.
http://uspolitics.about.com/od/electionissues/a/draft_4.htm

Now let's look at other Western countries who are our "allies." Did you know that in Switzerland, the entire population is considered the "militia" and get training in military tactics and have weapons? It is one of the most armed populations per capita in the world.

In Germany, when a young man reaches the age of 18, it is MANDATORY to serve for a period of nine months. There are no CHOICES.

Now as to your rhetoric about America's hypocrisy, do you truly believe that any Democracy can thrive and succeed if its citizens do not believe it is important enough to serve in time of war? Do you really believe that it is okay for OTHERS to do the fighting for you and that you can CHOOSE to do nothing?

Well, the answer is YES, you are FREE to make such selfish choices. I just find it fascinating that young people in this country today are so self centered, so spoiled, so illiterate in this nations history and the world's history that they feel that they can just go on playing their video games, not participate in the political process and do not have to come to their countries aid when they are called upon.

I believe that this is the price to be paid as a result of the incredible wisdom of those who helped to form our Constitution and form of Government which still thrives today and is a beacon to the rest of the world.

The question remains; are we capable of keeping the freedoms that the founders fought so hard to provide? I would suggest that if we continue to FAIL our youth and indoctrinate them rather than educate them, we may possibly lose that precious freedom.

Socialism is the death of freedom and democracy. This narcissistic mentality displayed by our youth today is just as threatening. This notion that one does not need to have any loyalty to one's country in order to enjoy its freedoms is just as threatening.

So although you make an emotional plea regarding the notion of any nation requiring it's youth to join the military to defend it's borders, it is just that; emotion. I would suggest a LOT more research go into your analysis before you jump to such selfish conclusions.

No one wants to "die" for their country. But they should want to "serve" it in it's time of need regardless of who is in political power. We do not have the luxury of choosing which of our leaders we wish to serve.

Now with all this stated, what is with all the rhetoric about a "draft?" It has not been used, nor is it even required in current times.

Our military has found that it is far better to have a professional volunteer military than a bunch of unhappy, undisciplined conscripts who are counting out the time they get out.

Countries still requiring service:

Denmark
As described in the Constitution of Denmark, § 81, Denmark has mandatory service for all able men. Normal service is four months, and is normally served by men in the age of eighteen to twenty-seven. Some special services will take longer. Danish men will typically receive a letter around the time of their 18th birthday, asking when their current education (if any) ends, and some time later, depending on when, they will receive a notice on when to attend to the draft office to be tested physically and psychologically. However, some may be deemed unfit for service and not be required to show up.

Finland
Finland has mandatory military service for men of a minimum duration of six months (180 days), depending on the assigned position: those trained as officers or NCOs serve for twelve months (362 days), specialist troops serve for nine (270 days) or twelve months, while rank and file serve for the minimum period. Unarmed service is also possible, and lasts eleven months (330 days). Since 1995, women have been able to volunteer for military service. During the first 45 days, women have an option to quit at will. Having served for 45 days, they fall under the same obligation to serve as men except for medical reasons. A pregnancy during service would interrupt the service but not automatically cause a medical discharge.

Germany
Germany has mandatory military service of nine months for men. Women may volunteer and are allowed to perform similar jobs as men. A conscientious objector may petition for permission to do civilian alternative service, "civilian service" (Zivildienst) instead for nine months, which is usually accepted. A third option is to become a foreign development aide (Entwicklungshelfer) for at least eighteen months. Overall, however, during the past few years, the number of men being drafted has declined significantly.

Korea, South
South Korea has mandatory military service of 24 to 27 months.[11] There are no alternatives for conscientious objectors[12] except imprisonment. The duration of service varies from branch to branch of the military however, by 2012, army military service will be reduced to 18 months varying by age and background of education.

Mexico
Currently, all males reaching eighteen years of age must register for military service (Servicio Militar Nacional, or SMN) for one year, though selection is made by a lottery system using the following color scheme: whoever draws a black ball must serve as a "disponibility reservist", that is, he must not follow any activities whatsoever and get his discharge card at the end of the year. The ones who get a white ball serve Saturdays in a Batallón del Servicio Militar Nacional (National Military Service Battalion) composed entirely of one-year SMN conscripts. Those with a community service interest may participate in Literacy Campaigns as teachers or as physical education instructors. Military service is also (voluntarily) open to women. In certain cities, such as Mexico City and Veracruz, there is a third option: a red ball (Mexico City) and a Blue ball (Veracruz), which entails serving a full year as a recruit in a Paratrooper Battalion in the case of Mexico City residents, or an InfanterÃ*a de Marina unit (Navy Marines) in Veracruz. In other cities which have a Navy HQ (such as Ciudad Madero), it is the Navy which takes charge of the conscripts, instead of the Army.

Norway
Norway has mandatory military service of nineteen months for men between the ages of 18.5 (17 with parental consent) and 44 (55 in case of war). Beginning in 2006, the armed forces will also invite females to take a pre-service medical examination, but they will not be drafted unless they sign a declaration of willingness. The actual draft time is six months for the home guard, and twelve months for the regular army, air force and navy.

Sweden
Since 1902 military service is mandatory in Sweden. All Swedish men between age 18 and 47 can be called to serve with the armed forces. The number of drafted have changed over time, but during the Cold war it was about 90%. Today, less than one fifth of the country's eligible 19-year-olds are actually drafted each year. Military service used to comprise between 8 to 15 months of training, but recent reforms have changed this to 11 or 15 month taking the school terms into consideration.

Men may choose to do unarmed service, for instance as a firefighter. Generally, unarmed service is shorter than armed.

Switzerland
Switzerland has the largest militia army in the world (220,000 including reserves). Military service for Swiss men is obligatory according to the Federal Constitution, and includes 18 or 21 weeks of basic training (depending on troop category) as well as annual 3-week-refresher courses until a number of service days which increases with rank (260 days for privates) is reached. Service for women is voluntary, but identical in all respects. Conscientious objectors can choose 390 days of community service instead of military service. Medical deferments and dismissals from basic training (often on somewhat dubious grounds) have increased significantly in the last years. Therefore, only about 55% to 60% of Swiss men actually complete basic training.

[Tharagor]

[size=medium][font=Tahoma][color=#008000]Now as to your rhetoric about America's hypocrisy, do you truly believe that any Democracy can thrive and succeed if its citizens do not believe it is important enough to serve in time of war? Do you really believe that it is okay for OTHERS to do the fighting for you and that you can CHOOSE to do nothing?


We should not be required or even compelled to fight unless our we are being directly threatened and armed conflict is the only solution. To assert that every conflict the United States has ever engaged was justifiable is pure jingoism.

[Truth Detector]

We should not be required or even compelled to fight unless our we are being directly threatened and armed conflict is the only solution. To assert that every conflict the United States has ever engaged was justifiable is pure jingoism.


Again it begs the question; who is being compelled these days to fight? Where have I stated that every conflict the US has engaged in was justifiable?

It's pure hyperbole to make up an argument that hasn't been made and argue against it.

[Tharagor]

We should not be required or even compelled to fight unless our we are being directly threatened and armed conflict is the only solution. To assert that every conflict the United States has ever engaged was justifiable is pure jingoism.


Again it begs the question; who is being compelled these days to fight? Where have I stated that every conflict the US has engaged in was justifiable?

It's pure hyperbole to make up an argument that hasn't been made and argue against it.


I apologize, I must have missed the point. I thought it was a position statement.