By Una Salus Victus
For the record, I support feminism. I believe that women should be given complete and total equality. In light of this, no woman should be a candidate for president before she has gained true equality. The sexual privilege women enjoy by not having to serve in the military should they not wish to, in addition to not having to register for Selective Service needs to end. Being able to command the sacrifice of others is too great a power to be afforded those who are automatically exempted said sacrifice due to their gender. As I have said before (and even made a shirt saying), “Equality or Chivalry. It’s time to make a choice”.
Wars the US has been involved in since WWI
- 1. 1917-18 World War I
- a. KIA: 137,000
- b. Wounded: 205,690
- 2. 1941-45 World War II
- a. KIA: 495,000
- b. Wounded: 565,861
- 3. 1950-53 Korean War
- a. KIA: 33,686
- b. MIA: 8,176 (highly potential POWs)
- c. Wounded: 92,134
- 4. 1959-75 Vietnam War
- a. KIA: 58,220
- b. Wounded: 153,303
- 5. 1991- Persian Gulf War
- a. KIA: 148
- b. Wounded: 31
- 6. 2001 Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom)
- a. KIA: 1,081
- b. Wounded: 9,971
- 7. 2003-10 Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn)
- a. KIA: 4,447
- b. Wounded: 31,965
- c. PTSD: 88,719
The above list of battles serves as a reminder of all the lives lost during the course of notable wars in this country. There are currently more than 200 wars/conflicts/engagements listed, and that’s just starting from WWI. I listed the ones that most people would recognize. We, as a country, look at a potential president’s ascension with justified scrutiny. We want no one who has skirted military service being in charge of the country. The reason for this is simple; how can anyone who fled their duty to serve be even remotely suited for a job where they will have the ability to send troops into different areas of the world to fight?
As stated above, a president will be afforded the privilege of being able to wage a war or bomb/send troops to any nation in ‘need’. It is for this reason that the potential president should have a personal understanding, through service, (or, at the very least, the ability to have served) that WAR IS HELL and, through this appreciation, be possessed with the knowledge that this country’s military force is designed around the notion of keeping our nation safe, not as an international police force or personal agenda forwarding device. One cannot, nor should not, police another country unless the direst circumstances are afoot. It is meant to be understood (even widely accepted) that those who didn’t serve during a time of peace should have nothing held against them in this regard during their quest to the Oval Office. It is by their own example that we, as a people, choose who we will allow to lead us.
The hole in the policing tactic is this: There is a consistent, almost round-the-clock, ‘ethnic cleansing’ happening in Africa, but the US never gets involved. By their own example, anyone who uses the military as an international police force should already have presented ideas/attempts for interventions within the African continent in the name of humanity and peace keeping. Realistically, it could be the front for establishing military bases that could later be used as staging areas for other conflicts that happen on that side of the world. The ‘policing’ could simply be the rent paid to the country. Just imagine how many tyrants could be removed from power. This is the very reason we are still in South Korea. The last time we pulled out, North Korea crossed the DMZ and attempted an invasion. The US was forced to reoccupy the South and set up bases to serve as a deterrent against another invasion. In other words, we are the police force in that country.
Another point to consider is the fate of the wounded veteran. This person cannot return to any semblance of the life the way it was before and often times has a tremendous lack of success receiving adequate treatment for injuries, not to mention decent employment for their most extreme sacrifice (some say that death is the ultimate sacrifice, but I disagree. I believe that living within a maimed body is far more severe than death could ever be). Let’s also not forget those poor men who get taken captive by the enemy. [I say “men”, because the last time a woman was taken (Jessica Lynch), she was rescued by Special Forces within a very short period of time, a privilege not afforded to the majority of male hostages]. In the hierarchy of terrible circumstances, the injured rank at No.2 behind those who are badly wounded.
Moving on, since the removal of the draft, there is an agency known as Selective Service that serves to keep tabs on all males who could potentially serve should the need for a draft arise.. According to their website:
Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It’s important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical and moral fitness by the military before being deferred or exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces.
The penalty for not registering is severe:
* CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT REGISTERING
The maximum penalty for failing to register with Selective Service is a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison. Failure to register will cause ineligibility for a number of federal and state benefits including:
* FEDERAL JOBS
A man must be registered to be eligible for jobs in the Executive Branch of the Federal government and the U.S. Postal Service. This applies only to men born after December 31, 1959.
* STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
Men who are not registered with Selective Service cannot obtain Federal student loans or grants. This includes Pell Grants, College Work Study, Guaranteed Student/Plus Loans, and National Direct Student Loans.
* CITIZENSHIP
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) makes registration with Selective Service a condition for U.S. citizenship, if the man first arrived in the U.S. before his 26th birthday and was required to register.
* FEDERAL JOB TRAINING
The Workforce Investment Act (formerly JTPA) offers important job-training opportunities. This program is only open to those men who register with Selective Service.
* STATE JOBS, LOANS, AND TRAINING
Most states have added additional penalties for those who fail to register with Selective Service.
* STATE DRIVER’S LICENSE LEGISLATION
As of May 16, 2002, 19 states, 2 territories, and the District of Columbia have enacted driver’s license laws supporting Selective Service registration. They are Oklahoma, Delaware, Arkansas, Utah, Georgia, Hawaii, Alabama, Florida, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, South Dakota, Mississippi, Idaho, Virginia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.
As it stands, women are exempted from this process. See here for their write-up on the reason why they adhere to this policy.
For a long time, men who have been discovered evading their duty to the nation were branded as cowards, and rightly so. No one was exempt. Even Elvis Presley served when his number was called. There was even a period in time when the national pastime (baseball) was hindered for a few seasons, as nearly all of the players were called forth to fight. Anyone who dodged this responsibility and then attempted to run for office would quickly find his lot in life nothing short of inhospitable. Currently, those who lie about having served and when discovered are lucky if they only get fired because jail time is more likely.
In closing, if we’ve become a country where we can now interfere with the business of other countries and ANY feminist ideal is among the list of grievances to support our doing so, then that means this country has satisfied all of the feminist demands and there is nothing else to be done for that cause; for why would the radfems chase their ideal in another country if their own country leaves much that they desire? It makes no logical sense (I know, I know). Furthering this, why didn’t the Rosie Riveters demand to be included in military operations? After all, the men who had done the jobs that the Riveters were now doing (the jobs that they used as their proof of ability/equality) were selected to fight a war with no prior military experience. All they had done in their lives was THOSE jobs. Why did the Riveters stop at the jobs? Why not go for the gold?
