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@NordlichReiter, I posted this because if we're going to have a debate about a military draft, I wanted to elevate it to a higher level.

Going into watching this the first time, I had a pretty solid belief that a volunteer military service was the best way to go.

I came away from it thinking that maybe the old system (compulsory conscription that you could hire someone else to fulfill) is more just.

I think that you, like me, have some difficulty separating your feelings about war from feelings about the draft. I don't want there to be wars, period, and I definitely don't want military service foisted on me. But a country without a military doesn't stay a country for long, and we need some sort of system for deciding who in our society must fight.

On paper, I like the volunteer system. But the thing is, you don't volunteer to fight in a particular theater of war, for a duration of your own choosing, with freedom to only participate in conduct suiting your morals. You basically get a choice to sign your life over to the military for a fixed period of years, or go find something else to do. That's indentured servitude, period.

I'd say that if you follow consistent right- or left-wing ideology, the "volunteer" system is ultimately immoral. For the right, you should prefer a completely mercenary army -- a true volunteer army. For the left, you should prefer a system that spreads the duty around in a more egalitarian fashion, and ensures that rich Harvard students would be as likely to get called upon for service as members of a poverty-stricken community.

To me, I like the idea of requiring all military-aged members of politicians' families being conscripted, if they support beginning, or continuing a war. But then, that's more about my feelings about war, than about the draft...

Yes, I did not notice it during the posting process. Hey, it's my second post; I promise to get better.

Anyway, although I tend to gravitate towards the right, I recognize Mr. Frank as a pretty intelligent guy and while I may not always agree with him, I'm hoping he does the best/right thing. His record is pretty good and my god, there's gotta be someone in Congress we can trust.

Thank you for the message.

In reply to this comment by rottenseed:
Your Barney Frank video is awesome...however it was a dupe of
http://www.videosift.com/video/Lively-Debate-Harvard-Student-takes-on-Barney-Frank

Your Barney Frank video is awesome...however it was a dupe of
http://www.videosift.com/video/Lively-Debate-Harvard-Student-takes-on-Barney-Frank

*dupeof=http://www.videosift.com/video/Lively-Debate-Harvard-Student-takes-on-Barney-Frank

This video has been declared a duplicate; transferring votes to the original video and killing this dupe - dupeof declared by rottenseed.