The most disturbing thing about the recent Middle East conflict in my mind, other than the pain those in Gaza and Israel are experiencing, is how this relates to America. The situation in the Middle East is ripe for turmoil to be a constant. First, there are a lot of people who are close together. That makes rocket exchanges across borders fairly easy. Then, there is Israel, a country with hostile neighbors (who just happen to claim land owned by Israel). And, Israel has more than enough military power to deal with most threats from those neighbors.
Israel requires military service for most citizens. Whether this is a reaction to having a host of hostile neighbors or as a deterrent to having hostile neighbors is unimportant. What is important, at least in the context I’m describing, is that Israel has the perfect system for perpetual military conflicts and border skirmishes. It’s a war without end against numerous shadowing terrorist organizations who want to destroy a divinely-ordained way of life. Similar to the way American politicians, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama, portray America’s so-called “War on Terrorism.”
The similarities of the situations (as portrayed,not as a reality) is a cause of a great deal of distress. Especially when I hear Rahm Emanuel, chief cheerleader for mandatory civil defense service, speak. Civil defense (according to Wikipedia) is “…an effort to prepare civilians for military attack.” Here’s Rahm on the subject, in his own words (unfortunately the way he is laughing at the interviewer’s concerns makes him sound like a real dick):
While I am a fan of being self-reliant, wearing camo and shooting guns, and would defend my home and family against enemies (both foreign and domestic) even if it meant my own death, a few questions beg to be answered. First, why would anyone want to force military service upon all American citizens anyway? How much more effective would a part-time waitress be at stopping an invasion than an actual soldier, for instance? Are our military forces stretched too thin around the world? Or does the Obama administration, and it keys staff members, simply intend to create an Israeli-like war-without-end situation?
But moreso, the fact that this is not new also makes me wonder who in the Democratic Party (other than the pro-Israel contingency) wants this type of policy to be implemented by his or her candidate. I recall that back in 2004 Libertarian Presidential candidate, Aaron Russo, made stopping a draft disguised as seemingly innocuous “service programs” or “volunteer opportunities” a central point in his campaign. Consequently Democratic nominee, John Kerry, removed any mention of such a concept from his website. Too bad this year’s Libertarian nominee didn’t even come close to effectively addressing this issue.
But whether it is a required period of military service or a “mandatory volunteerism” requirement, it is still wrong. Fortunately (or unfortunately if the plan is now to quietly implement such policies) the Obama administration seems to be backing away gently from such ideas. Only time will tell, but if the goal is to bring an Israeli-style defense society about, we know what the results could look like — just look at what Israel has to go through every day.
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