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Mr.
Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation expressing the sense of Congress
that the United States government should not revive military conscription. Supporters
of conscription have taken advantage of the events of September 11 to renew
efforts to reinstate the military draft. However, reviving the draft may
actually weaken America's military. Furthermore, a military draft violates
the very principles of individual liberty this country was founded upon. It
is no exaggeration to state that military conscription is better suited for a
totalitarian government, such as the recently dethroned Taliban regime, than
a free society.
Since
military conscription ended over 30 years ago, voluntary armed services have
successfully fulfilled the military needs of the United States. The recent
success of the military campaign in Afghanistan once again demonstrates the
ability of the volunteer military to respond to threats to the lives,
liberty, and property of the people of the United States.
A
draft weakens the military by introducing tensions and rivalries between
those who volunteer for military service and those who have been conscripted.
This undermines the cohesiveness of military units, which is a vital element
of military effectiveness. Conscripts also are unlikely to choose the
military as a career; thus, a draft will do little to address problems with
retention. With today's high-tech military, retention is the most important
personnel issue and it seems counter-productive to adopt any policy that will
not address this important issue.
If
conscription helps promote an effective military, then why did General
Vladisova Putilin, Chief of the Russian General Staff, react to plans to end
the military draft in Russia, by saying "This is the great dream of all
servicemen, when our army will become completely professional...?"
Instead
of reinstating a military draft, Congress should make military service
attractive by finally living up to its responsibility to provide good
benefits and pay to members of the armed forces and our nation's veterans. It
is an outrage that American military personnel and veterans are given a lower
priority in the federal budget than spending to benefit politically powerful
special interests. Until this is changed, we will never have a military which
reflects our nation's highest ideals.
Mr.
Speaker, the most important reason to oppose reinstatement of a military
draft is that conscription violates the very principles upon which this
country was founded. The basic premise underlying conscription is that the
individual belongs to the state, individual rights are granted by the state,
and therefore politicians can abridge individual rights at will. In contrast,
the philosophy which inspired America's founders, expressed in the
Declaration of Independence, is that individuals possess natural, God-given
rights which cannot be abridged by the government. Forcing people into
military service against their will thus directly contradicts the philosophy
of the Founding Fathers. A military draft also appears to contradict the
constitutional prohibition of involuntary servitude.
During
the War of 1812, Daniel Webster eloquently made the case that a military
draft was unconstitutional:
"Where
is it written in the Constitution, in what article or section is it
contained, that you may take children from their parents, and parents from
their children, and compel them to fight the battles of any war, in which the
folly or the wickedness of Government may engage it? Under what concealment
has this power lain hidden, which now for the first time comes forth, with a
tremendous and baleful aspect, to trample down and destroy the dearest rights
of personal liberty? Sir, I almost disdain to go to quotations and references
to prove that such an abominable doctrine had no foundation in the
Constitution of the country. It is enough to know that the instrument was
intended as the basis of a free government, and that the power contended for
is incompatible with any notion of personal liberty. An attempt to maintain
this doctrine upon the provisions of the Constitution is an exercise of
perverse ingenuity to extract slavery from the substance of a free
government. It is an attempt to show, by proof and argument, that we
ourselves are subjects of despotism, and that we have a right to chains and
bondage, firmly secured to us and our children, by the provisions of our
government."
Another
eloquent opponent of the draft was former President Ronald Reagan who in a
1979 column on conscription said:
"...it
rests on the assumption that your kids belong to the state. If we buy that
assumption then it is for the state – not for parents, the community,
the religious institutions or teachers – to decide who shall have what
values and who shall do what work, when, where and how in our society. That
assumption isn't a new one. The Nazis thought it was a great idea."
President
Reagan and Daniel Webster are not the only prominent Americans to oppose
conscription. In fact, throughout American history the draft has been opposed
by Americans from across the political spectrum, from Henry David Thoreau to
Barry Goldwater to Bill Bradley to Jesse Ventura. Organizations opposed to
conscription range from the American Civil Liberties Union to the United
Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, and from the National
Taxpayers Union to the Conservative Caucus. Other major figures opposing
conscription include current Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and
Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman.
In
conclusion, I ask my colleagues to stand up for the long-term military
interests of the United States, individual liberty, and values of the
Declaration of Independence by co-sponsoring my sense of Congress resolution
opposing reinstatement of the military draft.
Ron Paul
www.house.gov/paul
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Congressman
Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for
liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington
for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return
to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. For more
information click on the Project Freedom website.
Published
with the authorization of Dr. Paul.
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Dr. Ron Paul
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