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Should The U S Government Reinstate The Essay

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THESIS-The Selective Service should not be activated to increase the combat against terror. ARGUMENT #1- Activating the draft would cause people to protest. CITATION- McCann, Jolene. "Draft evasion." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 1 May 2013. SUMMARY- As a consequence of enforcing the draft, many Americans in history have resorted to draft evasion, which is the avoidance of being drafted to fight using legal or illegal means. Throughout wars where the draft was used, draft evasion was not uncommon. In the Vietnam War, almost 16 million men evaded the Selective Service. Draft evasion included a variety things, such as: being arrested, exemptions, or not signing up for the draft. When the draft was used in earlier years, draftees with higher educational experience were given deferments or given safer jobs. However, in the desperation of the Vietnam War, educational deferments were more restrictive, not allowing post-graduates to receive them even to make the selective process more objective. This led to the lottery system, where men were chosen based on their number given to them based on their birth days. Receiving deferments became more difficult thus causing men to go to new extremes. Many claimed to be homosexual to avoid the draft, had disabled family members live with them to get hardship deferments, and some even went as far as injuring themselves to receive medical exemptions. The difficulty of evading the draft through legal means caused men to use illegal means as a final resort. Some were as mild as burning their draft cards or signing petitions of refusal. Other tactics were more extreme. There were people known of breaking into the draft centers and burning the government’s records. Around 210,000 men were arrested for crimes relating to the Selective Service. Neglecting to sign up for the draft and live underground was a strategy used often by the poor. Approximately 12,000 men deserted the U.S. military by going to other countries or going underground when it came time to show up for training. When the requirements for eligible inductees lessened, more reckless draftees were chosen and deserted more often. Also, professionals of all kind would give out false letters that reported that certain individuals were unfit to serve in the war. In the judicial system, court cases involving draft evasion became increasingly possible to win. Overall, men eligible for the draft would go to great lengths to avoid the draft and thus suffered severe consequences because of it, like exile, imprisonment, social isolation, etc. APPLICATION- The draft seemed to be more problematic to maintain than it was worth. If the Selective Service was to be reopened-up, then I predict that the level of draft evasion would increase. More medical professionals would be sympathetic to the people wanting to avoid the draft. The population of the elderly is increasing because of new medical technology, thereby increasing the number of disabled people that live with someone eligible for the draft. If women were added to the draft in this more equality-focused time, then many women would get out of the draft because they might be raising kids. With the advanced technology in the 21st century, creating false exemptions would be easier. Although, it would be more difficult to neglect registering for the draft because of new technology too. The fast-paced news availability would tell other people in the country ways that some people avoided the draft, thereby giving others potential ideas to cheat the system. The Internet could allow activist groups to form and create violent protests. There are easier ways to protest in modern times that would only cause chaos. U.S. Celebrities and other influential people could help rally the public to evade the draft in protest. People could keep petitioning until the draft is eliminated. There is also the possibility of serious, violent protests that could leave the country divided and disorganized. THESIS-The Selective Service should not be activated to increase the combat against terror. ARGUMENT #1- Activating the draft would cause people to protest. CITATION- Kindig, Jessie. "Vietnam War: Draft Resistance." Vietnam: Draft Resistance. N.P., 2008. Web. 01 May 2013. SUMMARY- Draft evasion and draft resistance has been present in all of the wars in the United States. One war specifically stands out as being a widely protested war, the Vietnam War. The large draft resistance almost destroyed the Selective Service system all together. Those who resisted the draft during the Vietnam War were known to file for conscientious objector statuses, to not show up to induction when cal...

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