An apparently serious op-ed in today’s Hartford Courant says, let’s solve the troop shortage in the military by recruiting out of prisons, because, y’know, the inmates are just sitting around doing nothing anyway.
I’m guessing the Pentagon, even with their current greatly reduced standards for recruiting, might get a bit twitchy about using felons as soldiers.
I know a guy doing 36-to-Life in a CA prison for a third strike. He once suggested the same thing. He said he and his crowd have nothing to lose, and not too many people would miss them. Why not send them over to kick some butt, and let our young people stay home? They’re already in shape…
Of course, military discipline could be a problem.
In stead, why not let the miltary run short of numbers and then perhaps they will have to curtail the crazy dreams of power??
Another good way of effecting political change would be to pass a draft law and draft only neocons, regardless of age. If Cheney wants to refight the Vietnam War, let him carry a rifle in Iraq this time instead of forcing some poor schmuck with limited options to do so. (Admittedly, letting Cheney loose with any kind of firearm is probably more dangerous to our own troops than to the local fauna or guerrillas, so perhaps he can be given a job with Halliburten peeling potatoes.) Let’s start a new version of the old conservative mantra Ãœse a gun, go to jail!”: “Support the war, go to Iraq!”
Well said Joe, I love the slogan, “Support the war, Go to Iraq” I can now visualise it hanging in every corporate board room with chief executives having to do a two year stint in Iraq.
Would that only those who supported a war would be required to fight it… but that’s not the nature of a political system, or at least not ours. That failing, if EVERYONE risked going to fight the war (not primarily the poor), y’all would get a lot more support at those rallies. A number of thinkers from left (Dem. Rep. Charles Rangel) to right (conservative economist Charles Wheelan) suggest people would hold their government more accountable if we reinstated the draft. No longer could Americans stand back and say, “It’s not OUR President.” They’d be more motivated to get involved and change things.
For those who doubt, remember the anti-war movement of the 60s and 70s? When you’ve got more to lose, you’ve got more incentive to act.
Why tempt them by having a draft so they can have more wars?
The real problem is US foreign policy which has had dozens of wars, invasions, etc. over the past several decades regardless of which party was in power.
The people ARE opposed to the war(s) now. The ruling class is not.
But most are not opposed enough to actually put down their remotes and do anything.