> Dan Minette wrote:
> > 
> ...
> > > I was considering it too.  But my guess is that American 
> politicians 
> > > know that an actual wartime draft would be political 
> suicide.  (And 
> > > unlike some other countries (e.g. Germany) we don't have 
> it in our 
> > > culture to accept a peacetime draft.  Maybe if unemployment 
> > > skyrocketed, we would eventually change our minds.)
> > 
> > We had it from the end of WWII to the end of Nam.  During 'Nam it 
> > wasn't peacetime, but before Nam really got going and after Korea, 
> > there was no big war going on.  I think you are right that 
> it wouldn't 
> > pass now, but I think that's part of an unfortunate 
> > development...expecting other people's kids to fight wars that we 
> > decide are in the national interest.
> 
> Dan--
>       Correct.  But I meant "as in Germany".  The system is 
> that every able-bodied young male has to do something.  It 
> can either be around 15 months of military service, 
> (regimentation, no combat, serious drinking...) or a bit 
> longer of alternative service 
> (changing bedpans, say).  In economic terms, it's a labor 
> tax. That's a bit different from having a draft in place but not 
> calling anyone up.

What a tragic idea!  You're talking about social engineering on a scale that boggles 
me.

-j-
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