By Joe Uris Recently NBC TV did a two-hour “White Paper" on “the Middle East oil problem.” .Called No More Vietnams But . the show assumed that we must have Mid-east oil and that we will fight for it if necessary. There was no mention of any other alternative, not even the role of economic forces and policies in those decisions. .It was as if the automotive industry, defense, or the rapacious oil companies themselves had no piece of the action. The NBC White Paper did emphasize that we may not have the manpower ready to fight fast in the Mideast. The show was about the oil crisis. But it contained, probably intentionally. a more terrifying message: the clear call to get ready for another war. And when NBC says “we” will go to war. they mean America’s youth. And that means that (he military draft will be reactivated. But recent efforts beginning in March to hide a reappearance of draft registration as a rider to the defense hardware budget appropriation resulted in the appropriation bill (a bill that always passes), almost failing until the draft registration provision was removed. Public response and congressional outrage from the likes of Oregon’s Republican Mark Hatfield (who said he would talk in opposition all night) apparently caught pro draft hawks by surprise. Draft opponents come from very diverse political positions. They range from anarcho-capitalist libertarians through traditional liberals to pacifists and communists. And. judging by the enormous volume of congressional mail on the issue, a large number of Americans of all ages and beliefs oppose the draft. Mail reportedly ran one hundred to one against the restoration of any form of draft registration. Proponents of the draft and draft registration cite fear of an all-black and loser army of mercenaries like the armies of Alexander the Great and Imperial Rome. Like Rome, we have been, since World War II. using our army as a place for the unemployed and troublesome children of the streets. A draft would equalize the service burden while increasing the ranks and presumably undercutting the potential for revolutionary violence that exists in our ghettos and poverty centers today. Many liberals favor (he notion of national service. Yet the draft is. in economic terms, a terrible expense. The Rand Corporation suggests that a draft system will cost $50 billion, while the present system of a volunteer army costs only $300 million. Draft registration probably is not a real necessity for rapid mobilization. In fact. Robert Shuck, acting director of the Selective Service, claims that the money he gets from the Carter budget (up $3 million from last year) will allow a one-day mass registration Sam Still Wants You with mobilization within ten days, and basic training started within thirty days. And the Congressional Budget Office says that by using social security and tax files, 85 percent of all eligible 20-year-old men could be delivered into basic training in twenty-five days. Both figures are well within the thirtyday minimum the defense department says it needs. It is, incidentally, unclear why a draft would be relevant in a post-atomic-war America. But if the draft isn’t needed for mobilization, then it is needed to increase the acceptance of and readiness for a limited war in places like the Mid-east or even Africa. The notion of a mandatory service time in youth, a donation of a year’s labor to society, is a seductive one for many people. Indeed, if there were a greater sharing of values and beliefs among Americans, if it really were a government of. by. and for the people, the idea might be irresistible to some. But in what is already seen by many as an overly coercive, corrupt and choiceless society, the last thing most youths and parents want or need is a new sacrifice, Indeed, with the tax structure doing what it does to most people, the tendency is to say, “Sorry, I already gave at work.” Really. WE BUY AND SELL RECORDS Rock, jazz, blues, classical, country, etc. M We Buy Record Collections! BIRD SUITE BIRD'S SUITE RECORDS 720 5.W. SALMON 222-3086 3736 5.E. HAWTHORNE 235-6224 12
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