Congress is considering a bill that would reinstate the draft, and it just might be a good idea.
Charles Rangel, a Black democrat from NY is introducing a bill that would reinstate the draft. This innovative piece of legislation would make everyone fight. The burden of fighting foreign wars would no longer fall disproportionately on the backs of the poor.
Rangle's really sharp. He's one of the most thoughtful Blacks in Congress. He knows the bill won't pass, but by introducing it, he is forcing a debate on:
* rich, white men sending poor boys to fight their battles
* rich kids who avoid fighting for their countries
It really is a rich versus poor issue, and the timing couldn't be better. Privelege and avoiding responsibility are at the center of the current issues facing President Bush, his service record, and his willingness to invade Iraq.
Michael Moore illustrates this point beautifully at the end of Fahrenheit 911 where he follows a couple of white Army recruiters as they surf malls trying to pick up young Black men for the Army.
Eliminating the draft saved a whole generation of rich young white men from the evasive maneuvers George Bush took to avoid serving his country. Rich republicans may not beat the drums of war so readily if their children were also being placed in harm's way.
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rich, white men sending poor Black boys to fight their battles for them
rich kids who avoid civic responsibility
The timing couldn't be better because it is relevant to the current issues facing Bush on Iraq.
Have you seen Michael Moore's movie/ He has a scary section in the end where a couple of white Army recruiters walk around a predominantly poor, Black section of Flint, Michigan trying talking young men into volunteering.