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Originally posted by User Name
While I am fairly likely to ditch in case of a draft, I don't think that's the only factor that defines a good citizen. I will pay taxes, not collect welfare, obey laws etc. like I do now.
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You are not being a "good" citizen, you are being an average citizen and I would guess you are obeying the laws so you don't go to jail.
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Dying in a war doesn't necessarily defend those benefits. Sometimes, a war is simply an offensive action that has little to no benefits for the general populace.
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That is true. But many times it does. In the extraordinary event that the draft is reinstated, it is much more likely that it will be a case of the Korean war, WW2 or WW1 and not another Viet Nam, which btw, I would argue it was necessary to fight.
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You seem to have a romanticised view of those who participate in wars based on the "defenders of benefits" statement. Sorry to thread-jack a thread that I started, but most people who volunteer to serve in the military simply do so because of lack of other opportunity, not because of a desire to fight for this country. The military is one of the only, if not the only, field where a person with only a high school diploma can advance up the ladder and get paid a decent salary. I really hate how these people get portrayed as oh-so-heroic fighters of our freeedom.
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I am fairly willing to bet that I know many many MANY more military people than you and my strongest words cannot express how ignorant I think your statement is.
First off, I'm not "romanticising" anything. In America, there are almost always alternatives to joining the service, while only the most naive think that there is no possibility of them ever going to war.
Still, the service is like any other occupation in that there are really good service people while there are some real jerks out there. (I have it on very good authority for example, that General Westmoreland was a real prick.)
But to claim that those who join the service because they want an oportunity to better themselves are not "Heros" is simplistic.
A "hero" in my book, is someone who is willing to put their life on the line for a higher principle, whether that be to rescue a child from a burning building, or to serve in the armed forces, not knowing when they might be called to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
I've known many heros.
Anyone who would run away when their country needs them is a coward and doesn't deserve the benefits of that society. That includes soldiers who join up and then refuse to fight when called to do so and it includes those who would dodge the draft.