[richlevy]

Originally posted by Undertoad
The only way a draft would come about is if:


B) there was a national crisis (or *perceived* crisis) that encouraged this unified attitude to become some sort of national service, which would solve or appear to solve the crisis.

You forget that we are in a 'war on terror'. The new draft would come in under the 9/11 banner that the administration has been using as a blank check for the past 2 years.

neo-Conservatives would want it because they would see it as a tool for an even stronger American hegemony.

Liberals might want it because they would have some faint hope of an egalitarian military where rich kids would have to take the same risks as poor and middle class kids.

I would be interesting how the military would deal with gays and women since attitudes have changed since Vietnam and there are more women in uniform and on the front lines. Also, they will need to address gay military service since the idea of giving an entire group a ticket out might not sit well with gay detractors. Hence they would try for a national service model to address these groups, not to mention conscientious objecters.



Of course, if national service does come about, there would probably be some homeland civilian component, and the rich kids would end up delivering Meals on Wheels in their Porsches while the rest are pounding sand.