Thanks for forwarding "Don't Draft Women (Or Men)!"
In my view, "salvation" and service are intrinsically intertwined.
Theology might wisely reconstitute itself, putting service first and downplaying "salvation" as a "downstream" reward.
To me it seems so intuitive as to need no proof that virtue (including the virtue of service) is its own reward, and that vice (the root word of vicious) is its own punishment.
To reverse our cultural trend toward self-seeking separation and subsequent isolation, eventually immersing ourselves in such social degradation that it is considered "normal" for rugged individuals to pit themselves against the The Common Good and The General Welfare, I propose two years of "obligatory national service" in which, broadly speaking (and according to new, expanded definitions), all young people will choose to serve in "The War Corp" or "The Peace Corp."
Let's see what happens when every American chooses from heart's bottom how to put their life on the line.
"Proposal For Two Years Obligatory National Service"
On Thu, Sep 15, 2016 at 10:24 PM, <pmtoneill@aol.com> wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: Center on Conscience & War <ccw@centeronconscience.org>
To: pmtoneill <pmtoneill@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Sep 15, 2016 8:02 pm
Subject: Don't Draft Women (or men)!
Dear Friend of Conscience, September 15, 2016The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is currently in Conference Committee where Senate and House members are negotiating to work out the differences between the two versions of the bill that passed earlier this year.The Senate version of the bill includes an amendment to require women to register with Selective Service.The House version does not. The House voted this spring not to extend the requirement of draft registration to women. Instead, their version of the NDAA calls for a study by the Pentagon of the effects on military preparedness if women are required to register, and also the effects of ending the Selective Service registration requirement for men.The Center on Conscience & War supports this study and opposes draft registration and conscription for both men and women.We believe this is a good opportunity to encourage Congress to take a hard look at the registration of men, and move to end registration entirely.If you share this point of view, that draft registration for all should be abolished, now is the time to contact the members of the Conference Committee, as they could close negotiations any day now!Members of the Conference Committee and their contact information can be found on our website, for the House, [here] and Senate, [here]. A vote "in favor" means the member voted in favor of registering women. Only the House voted; the Senate passed the registration requirement without a debate or vote.Suggested talking points that you can use in your calls or emails to Congress members are below. Also, [here] is a more detailed discussion of the problems with draft registration and why it should be abolished.We'd love to know how it goes when you contact the Members! You can give us a call at202-483-2220 or just reply to this email.Thank you very much!Bill, Clara, Liz and Maria
Talking Points on SSS registration1) Draft registration for men has been a failure and a burden on millions of men. Rather than extend the burden to women, it’s time to end it now.Gil Coronado, the former director of Selective Service said in the 1999 annual report,"If we are not successful in reminding men in the inner cities about their registration obligation, especially minority and immigrant men, they will miss out on opportunities to achieve the American dream. They will lose eligibility for college loans and grants, government jobs, job training and for registration-age immigrants, citizenship. Unless we are successful in achieving high registration compliance, America may be on the verge of creating a permanent underclass."[i]That was 17 years ago, and today there are even more restrictions and penalties for men who haven’t registered. If a man fails to register, for whatever reason, these penalties stay with him for the rest of his life, even though he will never have been charged, tried or convicted of any crime! This is not only blatantly unconstitutional, it's absolutely un-American!Rather than extend this extra-judicial punishment to women, it’s time to end it for men.2) Selective Service registration is a failure. When given a choice, most men don’t register.· SSS reports only 88% compliance with registration.[ii] That means millions of men are permanently burdened and punished by failing to register.· That 88% refers to all those who are required to be registered. Only 73% of 18 year old men have registered[iii], far fewer registered by the 29th day after turning 18 as required by law.· 66% of those who registered did so by coercion, not will, as the law instructs, either to get financial aid for college or to get a driver’s license .[iv]3) The cost of Selective Service registration exceeds the $25 million Selective Service budget: for example schools have the burden of verifying registration compliance[v] for students, increasing their administrative costs, which get passed on to students at the college. Various state laws requiring registration compliance for state benefits (such as employment) add costs to a state’s budget, yet offer no return on the investment. Extending the registration to women would increase those costs.4) Draft registration is unnecessary. After 9-11, the military had more than enough volunteers.[vi] Activating the draft was never seriously considered.Alternatives to this burdensome system currently exist. In the unlikely event of a “sudden need” for more military personnel, it is reasonable to assume that, with today's technology, a pool of names could be generated quickly and easily for a potential draft (and more cheaply than the current ongoing registration).Rather than increase the numerous problems that exist with our current Selective Service System by extending the registration to women, the wise choice is to end the registration of men.
[i] FY 1999 Annual Report to the Congress of the United States, from the Director of Selective Service, p.8.[iii] Ibid, p.5[iv] Ibid, p.9[vi] http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/9-11-inspired- many-young-americans-to-enlist -in-military/
Center on Conscience & War
1830 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
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