Members of Congress have many infuriating habits. They derail legislation for no apparent reason, they introduce pointless resolutions, and they are more likely to follow party leaders off a bridge than break party lines on a vote. The men and women of Congress are nothing if not reliable, which is why it was almost comforting to me when Congressman Charles Rangel re-introduced his oft-rejected bill to reinstate the draft–just like clockwork.
Rangel has been introducing this bill on a regular basis since the war in Iraq began. Unsurprisingly, it has gotten nowhere. This exercise is a waste of his time and my money– or it would be, if I made enough money to pay federal taxes– and falls into the category of “Things Congress Does That Piss Me Off.” Yet somehow, I have a soft spot in my heart for Charlie Rangel and his one man crusade to force us all into conscription.
As outlined by Rangel in his Op-Ed for the Huffington Post, his plan would require all permanent US citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 to spend two years serving the country in the manner of their choosing, military or otherwise. This plan is completely unrealistic and would never even come close to passing into law. As a person who has chosen to spend my 18-25 years pursuing a degree, I would be less than thrilled at the prospect of spending two of those years doing something completely unrelated to my career. However, as a person who abhors war and appreciates activism, I can see Rangel’s point.
That is not to say that I am actually in favor of the draft. If Rangel’s bill ever passes, I will be the first person across the border to Canada. I don’t have the courage or level of commitment that the men and women who serve our country exhibit on a daily basis; I can’t even commit to the color I want to paint my nails. The only reason I can appreciate Rangel’s doomed attempt to force me into government service is that I am — and always have been — disappointed in my generation’s failure to mobilize.
Our country has been involved in not one but two (now possibly three) wars for the past decade, and yet war hardly ever enters into daily conversation. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan rarely make the front page. I have always hoped that Rangel’s perennial bill would attract more than cursory attention, and that people would take it as he intended– as a cue to think seriously about the problems associated with making bottomless commitments to endless wars. And maybe – though this might be too much to ask – all that serious thought about serious issues would prompt my contemporaries to actually take a stand on something. See you next year, Rangel.
Annie dear: Every Friday on PBS News Hour the dead- of- the -week are pictured. Most are between 18-21 yrs old, some so young that the only picture they have is their high school graduation photo. With a draft we could spread it around a little, not just the poor kids or the super-patriotic kids who have been snookered into thinking it is sweet and right to die for their country by recruiters.(See Homer,Virgil, all that gang.) A year or so of public service in some useful form might convince your generation about the scarcity of free lunches. Keep up the good work, luv, Grandma Mary