I was listening to NPR this morning (WPR in
Milwaukee, WI). Kathleen Dunn had a guest on who aids conscientious objectors get to
Canada. The people he aids are those who volunteered for the military or had military careers but absolutely refuse to fight in
Iraq. The people fleeing to
Canada have been called to service or want to drop out of the service. One caller asked, “Well, they volunteered for the military! I was their choice to join, was it not?” Certainly it was their choice. But now they want out. As Americans shouldn’t they be free to quit?? I think so.
Do I want an army that is unreliable and all “willy-nilly”? No. Certainly reliability is the most important aspect of any military force. But, I also strongly support conscientious objectors. I would never go to war if drafted. I would go to
Canada in all likelihood. The draft is ridiculous and encroaches upon American’s freedoms. Especially when a person is against the war, they shouldn’t have to fight it. Being loyal to one’s country doesn’t mean you have to physically fight a war. History has even proven that a volunteer army is always far superior to a conscripted one. Military service should be voluntary.
“Voluntary” should never mean selling your soul. However, military volunteers sell their lives to “service”, service they agreed to do but can never get out of. Maybe we should call it “voluntary slavery.” Okay, more seriously now.
I support conscientious objectors. They are exercising their freedoms by claiming their freedoms, thus ensuring freedom for the rest of us. The best way to preserve freedom is not aggression or violence, but claiming the right to freedom and using that freedom. Conformity leads to tyranny.
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