for centuries many countries tried to conquer Afghanistan; in the twentieth century it was soviet unions turn, right now, nato is there; but the problems are still the same…

January 3, 2010 6:46 PM

I would tell a young soldier going into Afghanistan try not to fire a weapon, When you come home you start to realize that You followed the orders that sometimes contradicted your personal beliefs; and That’s what you have to live with for the rest of your life.

When “great” wars come to a free people, in a free nation; bringing with it the possibilities of conscription (draft faq), forced military taxes, unbalanced information, and other legally binding oaths, which can without realization, contradict ones personal beliefs… there are options.

There is support.



Many opinions, ideas, questions and issues are involved, and ought to be examined;


What happens when ones' nation is no longer the dominant power, it is for this consideration that the former and current recruits, as well as the citizenry must openly and rigorously raise questions any time a nation will use killing and violence to project its’ ideas.


The entrance of war protesters, resistors, and draft refugees entering Canada has had an undeniable impact on the nation of Canada…
(so too have earlier Canadian Conscientious objectors added greatly to a Canadian Culture of Peace.)


Some think it’s time for a new draft.


Some think we already have won one.


Then there are questions of gender also.


and don’t ask nor tell; but sexual orientation is also an issue.


Meanwhile some interesting issues are intermittently interfering with conscription in some areas of the world.

posted by infinite intimation (3 comments total)

Asking a soldier to not fire his weapon is asking him to not be a soldier. We have no draft, the soldier entered the occupation knowing the requirements of the position.How could a pacifist become a soldier in the first place? Soldiers kill when the job warrants it. Pacifists don't kill when the job warrants it. Passive resistance is not for soldiers. The two roles are polar opposites. You are asking the solder to cease being a soldier.
posted by kapu at 7:29 PM on January 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Being a true soldier is having enough courage and will to not shoot when it contradicts their personal beliefs. Sometimes what we sign up for changes and becomes something that we can no longer support. Being a soldier is not about being an unthinking automaton.
posted by Knigel at 7:50 PM on January 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

With the exception of the stop-loss wiki link, all your links related to a draft are from 2006 or earlier. The only reasonably current draft-related link (the stop-loss wiki) says "In March 2009, Gates ordered a deep reduction in the number of personnel affected by the stop loss policy.[11] "Gates said the goal is to reduce that number by 50 percent by June 2010 and to bring it down to scores or less by March 2011." I have two healthy teenage boys; believe me I'm watching the draft stuff pretty closely. I don't think links to Bush-era pages that quote Rumsfeld on the likelihood of a draft are very informative at this point.
posted by headnsouth at 8:03 PM on January 3, 2010