Should Military Service be mandatory for all?

Well, what I meant by ideological nation is that our "culture" so to speak, is Constitutionalism.

We're a multicultural society with only constitutional rights in common.

In cultural nations, you have a single core culture that the nation is based on. Some nations have retained this aspect through limited immigration (like Norway), while others have reduced it through a lot of immigration (like England). The UK has 4 core cultures, English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish. Because of that, viewing them all as a whole could feasibly categorize them as a multicultural nation, but I would argue that the monarchy and the Anglican church comprise a monocultural basis for law and social norms.

Canada is also multicultural, although they seem to mimic some aspects of our ideological basis.

Norway and Ireland are easier to view as simply cultural nations rather than multicultural or ideological nations.

Now, the EU seems to be an attempt at creating a much larger ideological nation to encompass all of Europe, but the various cultural differences between members seem to render this very awkward.

 

Forcing someone to work for the state; forcing someone to kill or be killed; forcing someone to do anything under threat of prison or even death...is immoral.

The Constitutionality of the draft has been challenged, to date there's no definitive ruling that it is illegal / Unconstitutional.

I'm arguing on the grounds of the ideological implications of the draft...whereby the State...the Government if you will..essentially "owns" the citizenry...they can force we the people, to work for them, to kill for them, to die for them...under threat of prison...loss of personal freedoms, in some cases...death.

An option to renounce one's citizenship should be available if that is the case...in order to be free of mandatory conscription...otherwise America would be no better than Communist Russia in it's heyday, or the Third Reich.... the two extremes of nationalism run amok...an American citizen would be born into a collective and not regarded as an individual the State owns us from birth forward if that is the case

I'll say this again, because that's how strongly I feel about this issue. The Government's job is to protect the freedoms of we the people...in exchange for this protection we're subject to taxation and in some cases a regulation on personal freedoms, however the exchange for this security should NOT include mandatory military service which may end the very lives the Government is supposed to protect. It is an unacceptable dichotomy of function.

I have faith in the citizenry...I have faith. If indeed we the people are faced with a genuine threat...a threat made clear.
I have faith many will step up to defend and support our Constitution and take the oath...VOLUNTARILY. I have faith in the ideology of the individual...not the collective. I have faith in choice...not coercion...if a threat is made clear and not muddied by the politically opaque. People will step up, ready willing and able to kill or be killed to protect our freedoms.

I have faith...in We the People...

*end of rant*

 

Thank you for reply. It will take time for me to comprehend all of those terms together.

"We're actually far less nationalistic than most other nations, but what replaces this ends up being factionalism. Inevitably, humans will form cliques. The only difference with us is that we have a greater number of them, and they happen to be smaller as a proportion of the population each. After a while, it seems like maybe nationalism wasn't so bad of an idea after all. However, that depends on being a nation that identifies by culture rather than by ideology."

but I think the term "factionalism" has sink in.
It seems people are desperate to be considered part of a specific group with a special label.
To somehow be able to advertise their "individualism" but retain the secure feeling of social support.
To just be an American "one for all and all for one" would be out of the question, much less to just be part of the human race.

Please correct me if I am off base

 

Yeah, that's pretty much what it comes down to. Granted, I wouldn't say wanting to belong to something is bad in and of itself.

As long as there are major differences between our ideological culture and more traditional cultures in the world, it's difficult to just view humans as one single collective.

The Islamic World has some pretty stark differences from us in certain countries, for example. That understandably makes us wary of each other.

 

Thank you for reply
Yes I can see why that would be way too much to expect... even from educated grownups.
You have helped much. Thank you. I guess I don't see much hope for "civilization".
But maybe that's a good thing.

 

You have to keep your expectations low.

Think about this. We've been around for somewhere around 3 million years, and this is as far as we've gotten. Not very impressive, eh?

With any luck, however, we'll eventually encounter a much more advanced life form from space that might serve our interests better (or at least put us to better use).

Agent Smith from the Matrix had it right.

 

America was founded on the principle of individual liberty.
Freedom isn't free does not imply one is obligated to the State...to the Government to kill or be killed.
Do not be fooled by jingoism...

The notion that a draft will reduce the chances of war is a fallacy...the reality that the Government would have access to milliions of, of age conscripted citizens...cannon fodder basically...is historically a precursor to escalated armed conflict. It the Government only has access to a finite source...a finite quantity...a limit...of volunteers ...they are less apt to escalate armed conflict and more apt to find diplomatic solutions other than the tool of last resort...war.

 

Yes. They will learn the value of sacrifice and be less selfish. Extreme selfishness is a toxic stain on our society.

 

I humbly admire your creative thinking and wisdom.
Would be a welcome change to have leaders with your ability.
But am guessing that you are too intelligent to be trapped.

 

no

you dimwit

of course not

 

"For he that fights and runs away, may live to fight another day, but he, who is in battle slain, can never rise and fight again." Goldsmith, Oliver