A news story on public radio this morning said that military families more and more have less in common with families in the public sector. This is a dangerous trend. We need a draft, which is the most direct way to get "civilians" involved in military affairs. Presently it's easy for civilians to dismiss the wars in the Middle East because they aren't viscerally affected by them. But let it be their sons and daughters coming home in body bags or with missing limbs or with PTSD and suddenly the war has very personal consequences and raises the question, Is it worth it? A draft keeps civilians in control of the military. If we had a draft, protest against the wars would have hit the streets in huge numbers long ago.
A separate military class is a step closer to military autonomy. Yes, military overthrow of the government could happen here under the right circumstances. By the gods, there's already been a coup via assassination! Anything is possible. The government has to be reclaimed to meet popular needs, but it ain't gonna happen in the present two-party system.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment