In the second of a series of videos that takes us on a tour around Ron Paul’s Congressional office, the Congressman discusses a framed Robert Taft quote that hangs on his wall concerning the draft, his personal experiences with the draft, and his thoughts today on its possible return.
Date: 02/10/2009
Transcript:
Ron Paul: I’m getting concerned that the draft may be reinstated with this new administration. Both Rahm Emanuel and Obama have spoken about this and they certainly support National Youth Service, but with our expanding role in the Middle East especially around Afghanistan, Iraq still ongoing, and as well as the war potentially spreading into Pakistan means that there may be a need for a draft. And they may use one of the arguments, “Well it’s good for unemployment too, it might lower the unemployment figure,” which will be a horrible reason to reinstate the draft.
Well, a quote that I have in my office is a favorite quote from a Republican Senator back when this issue was being debated in 1940 in the lead up to World War II. This quote comes from Senator Robert Taft who strongly opposed the draft for the correct reasons, because he defended his position on a personal liberty argument. This is the quote that I have here in my office; he says:
“A compulsory draft is far more typical of totalitarian nations than of democratic nations. The theory behind it leads directly to totalitarianism. it is absolutely opposed to the principles of individual liberty which have always been considered a part of American democracy.” — Senator Robert A. Taft, August 14, 1940
And he said this on the senate floor most likely, on August of 1940 during this debate because it was just by October of 1940 that draft registration was required, and of course it wasn’t many months later that the draft was used to draft literally millions of Americans to fight in World War II.
But even a long time before this, Daniel Webster got on the Senate floor and argued the case against the draft under much more dire circumstances, because at that time literally, Washington DC was being bombed and burned by the British, yet Daniel Webster got on the floor and defended the position that you sacrifice liberty by the use of the draft.
So, once again we should be concerned about this. For years now I have routinely introduced legislation to get rid of the selective service, because why have a selective service if you’re not planning to have a draft. And to me that is the most serious attack on personal liberty. It is involuntary servitude. If you can draft young men and women and send them overseas in wars that are undeclared and think this is part of a method to preserve liberty, then we are sadly mistaken. And the truth is, in this day and age, if there is to be a draft, it will be both for men and women, because we sure wouldn’t want to treat one sex unfairly compared to the other, but that is a heck of a way to have equality to treat both sexes the [same] way by enslaving them and forcing them to go overseas and fight wars.
I actually have some personal experience about the military draft because I was in the middle of my medical training during the Cuban crisis. I was a resident for a hospital in 1962 when the crisis broke out. I got a note that said I would be drafted into the army as a buck private unless I wanted to volunteer, then I could be a doctor and I could be a captain. So guess what? I became a volunteer, and I kid about that, but it was rather serious. I was not too happy about going in, but it must not have bothered me too much, because I ended up staying in the Air National Guard afterwards. I think my attitude right now about foreign policy and foreign intervention and undeclared wars has changed a good bit, and I might not have been as complacent as I was back then. But unfortunately the military draft makes young people more vulnerable, because we are not as sophisticated as we might be in maybe our willingness to stand up and ask questions about just why are we so involved militarily around the world.
Well, this is an appropriate time for this subject to be discussed, and we may well move into the direction of having a national youth service for domestic reasons and a lot of people say, “Hey, that’s a good idea. Everybody serves, everybody owes something to their country”, and therefore they’ll start it that way and then it will move into the military draft.
One of the arguments for the draft that has annoyed me to no end over the years has been, “Well everybody owes it to their country.” Just tell me why would an 18 year old young man owe war to the country and say if you’re 45 or 50? Just think of all those individuals who never serve, who are 45 and 50 and lived a good life and are very wealthy, what do they owe? If you were going to use that argument, the 18 year old owes a lot to himself and we owe something to the 18 year old and that is to preserve our freedom in this country, to make sure that we don’t use government force and government power to reinstate the military draft.
Campaign for Liberty Conference in Seattle. Watch and/or read the speech here. Visit the RonPaul.com photo gallery for more photos." class="shutterset_Related images for Ron Paul On The Draft" >
Campaign for Liberty Conference in Seattle. Watch and/or read the speech here. Visit the RonPaul.com photo gallery for more photos." class="shutterset_Related images for Ron Paul On The Draft" >
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[...] Ron Paul On The Draft In the second of a series of videos that takes… [...]
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I am a Sergeant in the US Army and am writing this message while sitting in lovely Iraq. All beach and no water!
First of all I think that as any person who identifies themselves with Dr. Paul’s ideas and supports them is a rational thinking individual. Dr. Paul’s greatest plan for this wonderful country is to expand freedom and choice across the board from education to free market, while at the same time increasing transparency of government. I am sure every can agree with this, so why if some of you who support Dr. Paul ridicule one another’s beliefs or opinions?
This is petty and sophomoric. In a FREE society there are many types of beliefs and opinions and some of those you will inevitably disagree with and maybe even despise, but resorting to name calling and slander via the internet post is stupid. It just is. While I agree that the draft in general it is bad, and conscription is worse.However it is intolerance of one another’s ideas to be the most deplorable. Every fascist, tyrannical, or communist government STARTED by ignoring other ideas and abolishing dialog and in doing so stifled freedom.
So those of you who served I commend you, it is your service and the standards that you set in your time that current service men and women try to adhere. We current service men hold you in high esteem and we follow in your footsteps. Those who chose not to serve, we admire you as well, you are the people who make this country great, without you there would be no great art, or music, or professors, or captains of industry, or anyone to protect and watch over our families while we are away. You provide another valuable service to your country by running the engines of commerce and healthcare and education. We servicemen owe you a debt of gratitude. I thank you for your time and understanding.
-AIRBORNE!!!
-SGT Seamus Bradley
-274th FST (ABN)
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Plain and simple–just don’t go. These supporters of a global empire can go straight to hell along with any future draft. Let your corporate representatives know NOW you will fight a draft with all means available.
Seriously folks, let them know NOW!!!
Come and try to draft my girls!!!
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As a supporter of Ron Paul, I find that the rock music at the beginning of the “Ron Paul On The Draft” video (and perhaps other videos) is inappropriate. The music is brash. It’s not up to the caliber of the message that Dr. Paul wants to get out to the world. I want to be able to send any friend, acquaintance or potential Ron Paul voter to any site associated with his name, and not have them be put off by the first thing they hear.
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Dave, what if your son was gay? Or I suppose you believe that its a choice people make? Or maybe there is a cure for the gay disease?
So you would rather your son serve in a military where gays weren’t allowed to openly declare themselves as such? So if you wouldn’t want to bunker with openly gay members of the military, then wouldn’t you also worry about the gays who are are in the closet who may be all around you posing as straights? If you are that uncomfortable with openly gay people then I would imagine you would feel quite paranoid about undercover gays who pretend to be straight, thus gaining your trust and security? If a gay is going to check you out in the shower, as an openly gay person, do you not think they will also do it as a pretend straight person. Whats the difference? If I was worried about that sort of thing, I would rather know if someone was gay rather than constantly wonder.
If you want to eliminate stresses and problems, tolerance and compassion is the best practice.
Its too bad that a discussion on the draft had to dredge these issues into it. Who cares. People have different religions, people have different sexual preferences, people have different genders, people have different hobbies, people have different skin color.
The draft and war transcends all of these petty issues; time to move on. The power structures rely on constant false social divisions that prevent people from gaining real power.
If you dont want to increase the elitist banker’s profits, realize that we are all equal, and dont get caught up in divisive fallacy, which serves to weaken what has to be a united front against the current power structure.
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It looks like our government is going to allow gays to come out in the military. Who would want to serve and bunker with a bunch of openly gay guys? I would prefer to not be forced to serve under these conditions, to bunk and live with gays. I don’t think this would be a good military environment for the young enlisted men and women. The military environment has enough stresses and problems. We don’t need anymore problems. I would never want my son to serve if military allows gays to serve openly. Plus, our military should be focused on defense rather than offense in all of these wars. I don’t want to serve to protect and increase the elitist bankers’ profits. I care about our countries freedom at home.
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Dr. Paul certainly knows a lot more than I do and I agree with him 90% of the time (more than any other politician); however this is my only response on this forum thus far because I may have to slightly disagree with him on this point.
We know the boom and bust cycle is a natural process. However though we are in a bust cycle, why create a bigger bust with that of creating inflation and saving failed industries with a “spending package”? Even if we are creating jobs we are creating jobs from that of inflation. Even if we are providing money to that of the needy, we are providing money that our children will ultimately have to carry the burden.
Like Dr. Paul I smell something fishy with this “spending package” and that of Obama’s greater agenda. Like Dr. Paul said, this war in Afghanistan may ultimately spill over into Pakistan (which it already has, search for the latest articles on CNN), if this indeed is Obama’s greater agenda then there is a need to feed the hungry Military Industrial Complex. As many are being laid off, many are also resorting to signing up for the military, the quota in fact may be met by 2010. In this scenario there is no need for a draft, rather a 4 active and 4 inactive contract by most will easily supply enough recruits for Obama’s 8 year term.
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I fear the reinstatement of the draft because Obama will only continue to build the empire into foreign lands that will resist our occupation. 2 Points:
1. When the new administration makes our ‘kinder/gentler’ military to be supportive of openly gay service members to appease the rich donors to the campiagn, many patriotic young men and women who enlist in time of crisis (the kind who cling to guns and religion) from small town America will be apprehensive to join the new gay/liberal military; so they will have to be forced into service and forced to be ‘re-educated.’
2. I have served in the forward area of Korea and in a Ranger unit, and have opposed women in combat arms units. Not that I felt it was fair that female medics get all the hospital jobs while men in the MOS, therefore, fill all the field/combat units, but I prefer it to the alternative. 1% of women who demand to be let into combat units will be used as an excuse to ‘end discrimination,’ but will only open the door to force the other 99% into units that they don’t belong in and don’t want to be in. Once they establish that women ‘can’ be in these units, they are fair game to be drafted and forced in.
Dr. Paul, PLEASE continue to stand up for the rights and liberties of us all against a war machine that will swallow our young people, ‘war-warp’ their minds, and bring them home to police our nation. Your courage to speak against tyranny has given courage to so many, and it is needed now more than ever. God Bless You!
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I agree with Dr. paul, forced sevitude for “liberty” is not just. Forcing a citizen to murder in the name of liberty is hypicritrical and wrong, seems more like the buisness of a tyrant than a man of freedom. By using a draft we condemn people to being born enemies, of one another, without having the choice of picking the right side and/or no side at all. Can one really hold an enemy accountable when their “enemy” had such a title forced upon them.
The draft is opressive, upsurd, nationalist and facist in resemblece. This nation was built upon the ideals resembling those of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and so forth not of Hitler and the likes of.
If we are to bring about liberty to ourselves and the world we must lead not by the example of our power but rather by the power of our example.
Besides forced military service is how you get a koo.
I feel it is crucial the U.S. get rid of the selective service ,withrawl all U.S. forces from nations abroad, close all foreign military bases, disarm all our nuclear weapons, cut military spending by at least 95%, break all alliances with all nations and begin to talk to, respect, and trade with all.
I beleive the U.S. should treat this so called “war on terror” as a criminal issue, noting that no one using the tactic of terrorism is abroad, for no one but various manipulators here have to gain from measures taken from events like that of 9/11.
“The means of defence against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.” James Madison
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We’re not suppose to fight everybody wars.If people would read what are fore fathers have put in the Constitution, they would find that we are suppose to be a government that doesn’t get in
volved in other govs’t causes. Our military is suppose to be a deterrent to aggressor nations that actually attack us. We are not suppose to try to run other countries. The Constitution doesn’t say that we have to spread freedom to the rest of the world.This government of ours should lead by example,not by force.Force should only be used to protect us.
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I live on Vancouver Island BC and I have dual citizenship because my parents left the country in the late 70’s. My dad avoided the draft because he had two different birthdays listed, one on his birth cert. and one on his passport, and he was doing his PhD. My uncles and grandfathers, all involved in wars, some died. The US has almost constantly been at war with a ‘foreign threat’ since the end of WW2 with a constantly shifting face. Now the wars are done with private corporate armies, and using US soldiers to protect private corporate interests. Why has the foreign debt constantly grown, the elite keep getting wealthier, the money supply has constantly risen, people are going more into debt and are not free. We are fed corporately controlled media. Our children are taught corporately manufactured knowledge.
This all has to change. There has to be no foreign war. No draft. Attention must be drawn to our badly damaged planet. Our oceans are filled with plastic, our food webs have become toxic, 60% of our ecosystems are in decline; the world hasn’t seen extinction rates this high since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Consider the implications.
There has to be a shift in our thinking. There is no reason that we should widen a 7 year long war in Afghanistan. War blows money, expends human life, and uses precious resources in a suicidal way.
This change must begin at the personal level. Take responsibility for the way you live your life. Realize what we all are; one biological species on a small planet. How long would a hive of bees last if they fought themselves inside their own nest? Take action, but take the right action. All human beings are intelligent, compassionate, and rational; they just have been told different stories.
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Haha, a huge draft of women for the war. It sounds like ww2 with the russians all over again. THe germans used to fear women russian soldiers. They were some mean mugs.
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I would certainly give my life away to protect this nation and people who I love and care.
However, there is a fine difference between protecting constitution and waging an war to put money on certain people’s pocket, benefit selected few people and give an absolute authority of tyrants, which we’ve been fought against.
Do you sincerely believe this war has a pure intention of just “Protecting” us?!
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Charles said:
“The problem with your brand of freedowm is that it never demands the performance of Duty from anyone.”
It’s sad that you see military service as the only way to serve your country. What about people who work in low income communities to provide better health and education services? What about a parent who gives up their dreams to raise a child? What about a volunteer who travels 1000 miles after Katrina just to build a home for someone they never met? There are other more direct and meaningful ways to serve your country.
The problem with your brand of freedom is that it’s not freedom. When you force military service on people, it’s dictatorial, not liberty.
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I am a retired Naval Officer. I enlisted as Seaman Recruit and retired as a LT. I served from 1959 to 1979 and I had to deal with many enlisted men who “volunteered” in the Navy to avoid being drafted into the infantry for service in Viet Nam. These were the most useless, shiftless, lazy, spoiled brats that ever wore a uniform. Even so, because of the inherent selfishness of human nature, I believe the draft is necessary to protect and preserve the nation, and to prepare young people for good citizenship. My belief about such service is that it should be universally required upon reaching the age of 19 or when graduating from High School, whichever is first, but that any individual who chooses to do so may opt out of his/her required service by forfeiting their right to vote in any election, or hold any publically funded office or job thereafter. Dwight David Eisenhower said that duty is the sublimest word in the English Language. The problem with your brand of freedowm is that it never demands the performance of Duty from anyone.
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that would be no problem at all
considering i never vote why vote
to get the same bullshit lying group of bohemian grove worshiping owl statue idiots
i would never get a public funded job in the first place
I dont stand in front of a stupid owl
with a gay hooker giving me a blow job
while watching a mock sacrifice of a human being
on a mock stupid celebration of a stupid worship
to the GOD OF MOLECH
no thanks I will keep my guns
and when the patriots rise up to take back this country
I will be right there with them
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Your post highlights the biggest problem our military has right now. The vast majority of intelligent people leave the service after 4-8 years, for various reasons, not least of which is having to report to people like you. That leaves only the bottom of the barrel in the military to be promoted, and we end up with senior enlisted and mustangs like you, seemingly incapable of intelligent thought. The process then continues as new recruits enter service, realize they are reporting to people who are less intelligent than they are, and at their first chance they, too, leave the service.
I suppose it has not occured to you that compulsory service will only put more people who don’t want to be there into the military, thereby vastly increasing the number of “useless, shiftless, lazy, spoiled brats” in uniform. The greatest strength that our military has is that it is an all volunteer force. Further, your stated desire to deny people the right to vote makes you an enemy not only of freedom, as Dave pointed out, but also an enemy of representative democracy.
Your whiny-assed post has me mad as all hell, Chuck. Freedom doesn’t demand anything, you ignorant jackass. I chose to serve this county, and assuming you weren’t drafted, so did you. That doesn’t earn you the right to demand the same of anyone else. Considering all of the good men we lost during the time you served, it’s a damn shame one of them couldn’t have traded places with you, you worthless piece of trash. I sincerely hope you’re not a member of any veterans groups that would have you in your old uniforms, as you are an absolute disgrace and you do not deserve to wear them.
In the future, keep your conscriptionist, freedom-stomping beliefs to yourself. Oh, and “sublimest” isn’t a word, moron. You really should have spent some of that enlisted time educating yourself.
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This is the best statement I have ever seen written concerning the draft. While I admire Ron Paul’s ambition to preserve the Constitution, he is lacking in supporting a militarily strong America, which like it or not, it VITAL in any President’s platform. America can be both strong and non-interventionalist, as we were for most of the latter half of the 1800’s and the early 1900’s. President Washington urged Americans, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” —Jan. 8, 1790.
A weak America equals another September 11th.
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