RoR: Forum

Post 20

Friday, December 19, 2003 - 2:27am

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Thanks. (I wonder if anybody will disagree with you.)

The draft being a bad thing follows from the Objectivist basics, but I didn't think it was axiomatic. So I was a little confused by some of the answers so far.

Obviously, it's a non-issue for the USA at this moment in history; things are not going to get so bad that the draft would be morally - or pragmatically - justified.

However, I would expect Objectivism to apply in other less secure contexts. In World War II, each citizen of a country facing Axis agression had to answer the same question:

"Would you force your will upon people in order to save yourself?"

And the answer really had to be "yes" (otherwise I'd be writing this in German, assuming I was born in the first place).

As for the original question:
"why was it necessary for the U.S to have a draft during World War II?"

I would answer: "Because in the long run, it was better to fight the Nazis in Europe than in Washington."

I know neither government nor governed were Objectivists, however had they been, they might still have made the choice to draft and fight, based on the rational calculation that the alternative would be worse in the long run.

Post 21

Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 6:08pm

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     Avoiding the cabin-survivalist scenario, here're *my* views (influenced by Rand) on the idea of 'the draft'

     1) If all countries at any time period in the past, whether a millennium or a mere 70 yrs ago, internally outlawed use of it's inherent power-of-threatening-physical-force-on-its-governed, re 'the draft,' then our global history would have been radically different for the better, and our present would be much improved.

     2) If Lincoln hadn't instituted it for us, I do believe that our own history would show that all then (yes, even the slaves-of-the-time, AND the 'seceding' states, AND 'The Union') would have ended up better off, and, at minimum, no Korea, WW-I or II, VN (or Hanoi-Jane)...or their present consequences...for 'US.'

     3) Any 'govt-leader' (including Congresspersons, ahem [anyone noticed the Dems lately, while Bush is castigated for supposedly thinking about it, nm he keeps saying "no" to all proposals by them?]) that actually advocates a draft is clearly thinking of the citizens as a group of 'cyphers' and nothing more than cannon-fodder, and shows no RESPECT for them as 'individuals' with anything worth calling inherent rights.

     4) Any 'country'/nation/govt that shows that it really 'needs' a draft, or any person that advocates it, is not worth volunteering to help protect.

LLAP (while you can)
J-D

The draft during world war II