Should never be reinstated again

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Regarding the Sunday letter “End domination or reinstate draft”:

In my opinion, the draft should never be reinstated for any reason. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 12 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the authority to raise an army, not to conscript one. This is exactly what George Washington did, calling on men to voluntarily enlist. The ranks of a voluntary army will swell or shrink depending on the confidence young people have in the government. This is a good thing.

The writer’s assertion that we are too fat and lazy to participate in the national defense is offensive. Americans are still a brave people. Enlistments were not a problem after 9-11 until potential recruits found out they would not be fighting al-Qaida. We enlisted in droves after Pearl Harbor. Men both young and old lied about their ages. Ted Williams quit baseball.

A voluntary army avoids the 13th Amendment’s prohibition against involuntary servitude, while providing a check against unpopular and unnecessary wars. A draft is only needed when, as in the current case, military power is being used to benefit the few rather than the majority.

Tony Smullin

Everett