If your Country instituted a Draft/Conscription would you go or dodge it?

Ok this question is really for Americans/Britons/ Australians/Canadians/New Zealanders or other allied country's in that group who governments seem to be making controversial decisions lately.


So next week our Governments decides to go into Syria or Iran or some other middle Easton country that our governments wants to bash and due too manpower issues they start a draft and you are called up. Would you go?
Would you go because you believe in following the government no matter what? Would you dodge it because its immoral and you want no part?


For me Conscription should only ever be used if ones country is under direct threat.
If you are not getting enough volunteers under normal circumstances for what you are doing then obviously the war and your foreign policy is stupid and unpopular and needs to change rather than draft people to fight a war and enforce a foreign policy that has little support. Therefore if my Government called me up next week to fight in Syria I would tell them to go hang. I would not run but I would not go to war either.

reply to post by crazyewok


I would ask the person on the phone who the imminent threat to the USA is right now?

If they said we had someone invading, I would go......If not, go stick it up your rear!!!

Ill keep the home fires burning in whatever today's version of Dads Army would be. . I'd be more of a hindrance on the battlefield.

Until foreign boots are on the ground here in the US I would never have anything to do with the military again. My older kids are 16x2 and 15 and they have said that they are considering going in the service when they turn 18. I told them I would hog tie them and keep them in the bunker until they are 36 if I have to because no child of mine is going to be a bullet sponge for insane politicians and corporate interests. Same goes for a draft, they would draft my kids over my dead body.

EDIT: I support our troops and our military, they are put through hell everyday over there. However I do not support the politicians that send them there or the agenda behind it all. If the politicians want to go to war somewhere then I think their children and themselves should be on the front lines or a forward recon unit. Let them make some sacrifice for a change.

did my time when was young and stupid .. NEVER again .. they can get off their fat , lazy arses and go fight their own damn wars ..

reply to post by Nucleardiver
If foreign boots are on the ground in the US you wouldn't have to go back into the military- you'd be able to fight them from your own front porch! In order for any foreign country to have a chance in a ground invasion of the US they would have to drop literally millions of troops simultaneously all over the country, and even then their odds would be slim.

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by Nucleardiver

 

If foreign boots are on the ground in the US you wouldn't have to go back into the military- you'd be able to fight them from your own front porch! In order for any foreign country to have a chance in a ground invasion of the US they would have to drop literally millions of troops simultaneously all over the country, and even then their odds would be slim.

Not really the topic of if the USA could be Invaded or not.

There are very few things I'd risk catching bullets in the face for. State and country are not on that list.

So dodge. Dodge it like the dickens.

Well, I'm more than a few years beyond this question being relevant. It's good to know so many members are young enough for the Selective Service and Draft Boards to be a factor in thinking.

In my personal thinking, running isn't just illegal it's the utter coward's path and I'll help hunt down the draft dodgers myself if opportunity arose for it.

People want to whine, complain and bitch about the nation that gives them the place, food and shelter to bitch from (or the opportunity needed to have all that in abundance) then run for the hills if/when the call ever comes to fulfill the obligations of a citizen? Oh hell no.

If the policy sucks, change it. If the people starting war suck, stop the whining and drop the Doritos to go help change THAT. Waiting until FINALLY bad policy touches each person directly....then running like a rat in the night? Well... I can't respect that one bit. If one can't get their butts to change the system in peace, they can eat the cost in war.......with a rifle or with a mop on a cell block. Either way works for me.

i would tell my goverment to go shove it only if we were invaded would i take up arms .

how many rich kids die in wars ?

i know too many former soldiers who have mental scars after what they have seen and done .

shoot the politicians as wars are failed politics

Originally posted by crazyewok

Not really the topic of if the USA could be Invaded or not.

Well then, if a mod should so choose to come and remove it, so let it be. I was addressing the reply of someone else participating in the thread who brought up non-compliance with your proposed scenario unless conflict were to occur upon his home soil. In the US the last few times the Draft was used were for foreign conflict on foreign soil and many chose not to comply when we should not have been involved to start with. It would be much the same if they attempted to bring back the Draft today: If it did not involve foreign boots on American soil many would not comply, and if it DID involve foreign boots on American soil there would likely be no need for the Draft as people would take up arms to defend their loved ones automatically.

reply to post by littled16


And fighting from my own front porch and back yard is exactly what I would do. I wouldn't want to be part of a large organized unit, smaller clandestine tactics are more my style. But if I were of draft age that would be the only way I would ever consider it to be okay to be drafted. Personally in the scenario I put forth I would be fighting for my family and community and that's the way I would want it, the cowards in DC can get someone else to be their pawns.

Originally posted by crazyewok
Would you go?

No.

I am a firm believer in working to defend your fellow citizen, and unless bombs are falling from the skies, I would have no trust in my government to be acting for moral or ethical reasons.

I will never believe what my government tells me about their justification for anything, let alone war. The people in control of our governments (not those we elect) are corrupt to the core, nothing can be trusted.

It would take a hell of a lot to get me to fight for this country after the despicable actions of our own nations and the appalling treatment of those who have served before. I would have absolutely no reason to do anything my government wishes of me.

I would tell them to sit and swivel.

It'd all depend, wouldn't it?

As a proud Briton (albeit one who wouldn't make the first draft) I'd be more than happy to fight for my country if circumstances escalated to the point where slightly chubby 30 years olds like myself were needed to protect my loved ones and way of life from an imminent, undeniable and critical threat. You wouldn't have to pay me either, as it'd be my duty.

I'd try and dodge it if they just wanted me to suit up to be sent somewhere as cannon fodder to further imperialistic or egotistical conquest, however. That's no criticism of troops, of course - simply that I'm not a military man so any service I provided should be defensive only. I would die to defend Britain and it's closest allies though, of course.

After I'd # my pants, of course. They'd have to give me five minutes for that.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000


People want to whine, complain and bitch about the nation that gives them the place, food and shelter to bitch from (or the opportunity needed to have all that in abundance) then run for the hills if/when the call ever comes to fulfill the obligations of a citizen? Oh hell no.

Obligation to protect ones country yes. But to fight in war that haveing nothing to do with it? That has no real purpose to ones country?

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000

If the policy sucks, change it. If the people starting war suck, stop the whining and drop the Doritos to go help change THAT. Waiting until FINALLY bad policy touches each person directly....then running like a rat in the night? Well... I can't respect that one bit. If one can't get their butts to change the system in peace, they can eat the cost in war.......with a rifle or with a mop on a cell block. Either way works for me.

edit on 26-6-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: ATS's Interal editor can't seem to handle Ding Dongs as a snack food name

But what about people like some on here that DO try to change the system. That dont vote for the main partys, that try to protest? Should they really be draged into conflict because there brainwashed dumbed down peers cant be botherd to vote or just vote for the same muppets they always do?

Plus what if a politican lies? Claims they will withdraw from conflicts not get involved and then does? You cant just remove them can you? You have to wait 4 or 5 years for another election and then still face the possibe problem as above of idoits not voteing or still voteing for the same fool because that what they alway have or because Justien Bieber or Tom Cruise told them too in a political campaign.

Surely refuseing to go to war is a form of protest as if there are not enough troops you country cant go to war?

I'd gladly sign up again to ensure that someone else doesn't have too. Rich kid, poor kid, political, right, wrong, whatever....the wars are still going to happen, and someone is going to go...I would give up my cush office job, 6 figure salary, and air conditioning living environment to go protect my brothers and sisters in arms again. I am a 2 time Iraq Vet, Former Sergeant in the Corps...whether you like it or not, wars have never been fought for justice, they always have something financial motivating them.

If you are drafted, all you have to do is report to the selective service office.

Report there like you are legally required to do, if you don't want to be in the military don't enter into any more agreements, all the notice says is you are required to report.

Maybe sit there till the draft office closes, get guilted by some ignorant idiots, intimidated by fake authority figures........

Go home at the end of the day and don't worry about it, you did all they required you to do.

I'm sure that if the draft is re-instated the wording on their notice will change to not allow one to opt out just because one has a grasp of the English language, but then those who write the laws always leave themselves a loop-hole to escape having to follow it.

Believe me, you don't want to be a soldier, it's fun while you are training, you can actually get good at it and enjoy it until you ACTUALLY DO IT FOR REAL, and unless you are a psychopath, you will always regret what you did.

War is a crime against humanity.

I would only let myself be drafted IF, I thought that my family first was in danger, and needed my participation in the war effort.

reply to post by crazyewok

U.S. troops in Syria for mobilization would be a problematic escalation in the region. If you go with the hypothesis, you must consider the domino effect in Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq to start with. Israel would get hammered by insurgency and the fighting would spread like a wild fire at first, but then come to a stand-off with Iran supported by Russia and China. Russia and China would not fight, but would stand to supply Iran and funnel money/weapons to Islamist regimes. The U.S. and Israel would face all out war to maintain a mobile troop presence with ground zero in most likely in Iraq. Stalemate, hopefully. If the fighting turns into full-fledged WAR, which I doubt will happen, but if it does, a tactical nuclear strike is imminent. There will be no draft, no counter strike by the U.S. Israel and Iran will go to war, a prize fight, with the U.S. and its allies in one coaches corner, Russia and China in the other. Who wins, I have no clue. But I do believe some very interesting Top Secret Military toys will be used by the U.S. to seal the deal. At least I hope we have an ace in the hole, and I am not talking about nukes. Maybe I am naive, maybe Israel loses, but I doubt it. No draft necessary, and those who want to fight the Nation of Islamic Extremists will line up.

The States on America are not united, and are not the glorious country I learned about in school.

I would dodge.