Reinstitute the draft.
It's my belief that the average person that supports this war has shown little interest in the seemingly endless corruption that has plagued it, and the lies that have surrounded it. To most of them, the war is an idea, not a physical thing that includes risk. Very few Americans were actually physically effected by September 11th, even fewer know much about our history in the Middle East, and there are a very select few that are directly touched by the decisions that Bush makes regarding military action.
If you said to each person that has voted Republican just because it's good for the stock market, "You have given us a mandate to conscript your children into the wars of our choosing" I promise you that interest in the justifications for this war would rise up faster than tequila on an empty stomach. The consequences of voting for war would mean a willingness to risk real lives for war...not just the lives of those who are poor, willing (mostly through poverty), or are just on the other side.
Just my thoughts. Alison Croggon and Kirabug had a bit of a discussion about this idea in the comments section of "Who do we shoot?" Thoughts about this are welcome, as always.
About Me
- Freeman
- Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.
4 comments:
Matt wrote: If you said to each person that has voted Republican just because it's good for the stock market, "You have given us a mandate to conscript your children into the wars of our choosing" I promise you that interest in the justifications for this war would rise up faster than tequila on an empty stomach.
Yeah, but if you're going to just do it to the Republicans voting because of the stock market, you won't get much response. You should probably include the religious right, the fence-sitters, the oil moguls, the anti-abortion folks, the states-rights groups, the ones that support a world economy, the ones that believe in spreading democracy like an evangelist spreads religion, the ones trying to protect the country, the ones trying to isolate the country, the ones who support Israel, the ones who see this as a step toward middle-east peace, the ones who think we need to have peace in the middle east in order for Jesus to rise again, the party-line lever-pullers, and the rest of the Republicans too.
Oh, and while you're at it, why not invite some Democrats? Because 50% of the country actively loudly protesting would get some attention, don't you think? And yet, I don't see that half stepping up as effectively as they could if they all believed exactly as you do. Maybe they're watching American Idol instead.
The articles you write where you say, "I see this and this and it makes me mad because of this and this" I don't have a problem with. It's the massive generalizations you keep making about the people who support the war that are irritating, especially since you seem to change reasons why we are supporting the war each and every time you post. Maybe it's because you still haven't managed to pigeonhole my beliefs successfully.
It is true, I think, that if like in Vietnam we started drafting, public opinion would quickly rise up against the war and it would end quicker. That doesn't mean I support a draft.
Kirabug,
You know you're one of my favorite people alive. We just disagree on this thing. No biggie.
Adam,
I don't support a draft. I just can't fathom how to make Americans care about how their votes matter than showing them consequences they can feel. It's sort of tough love politics
I think that they still don;t know that Bush is making the rich richer and the poor poorer--they are caught up on abortion and god in schools--they don't see he's hurting the country--they beleive he's defending us off in another country--many years from now history will record but right now bush is duping the general public. This is why I believe that democracy is not necessarily always a good idea. Most people should not be listened to. Of course we don't live in a true democracy but any stretch and what we do live in is much better than what most countries have.
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