VOL. XXIV, NO. 2
OCTOBER 29, 1982
Registration meets needs
Because draft registration is down this year, many questions have been raised in relation to the registration question.
Some of these questions are does the U.S. need a military draft registration, is it constitutional to force someone into the armed forces and does the registration of young men take too many tax dollars?
The Selective Service recently stated that approximately 400,000 young men haven't complied with draft registration while 8.5 million men have dutifully signed up. These figures show that in two years the number of men not complying with the draft registration has equaled the estimated total number of nonconformists in the five years that men were drafted during the Vietnam War. The number of people refusing to register is alarming when one considers that the purpose of draft registration is only to provide Congress with a list of names from which to raise an army and prepare U.S. forces in the event of a national emergency.
Benjamin H. Sasway, a defiant registrant from San Diego, recently sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for refusing to register, said that the registration law was unconstitutional. This thinking is absurd.
Some of these questions are does the U.S. need a military draft registration, is it constitutional to force someone into the armed forces and does the registration of young men take too many tax dollars?
The Selective Service recently stated that approximately 400,000 young men haven't complied with draft registration while 8.5 million men have dutifully signed up. These figures show that in two years the number of men not complying with the draft registration has equaled the estimated total number of nonconformists in the five years that men were drafted during the Vietnam War. The number of people refusing to register is alarming when one considers that the purpose of draft registration is only to provide Congress with a list of names from which to raise an army and prepare U.S. forces in the event of a national emergency.
Benjamin H. Sasway, a defiant registrant from San Diego, recently sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for refusing to register, said that the registration law was unconstitutional. This thinking is absurd.
The United States Constitution clearly gives Congress the power to raise armies. As a U.S. citizen, Sasway has the right to express his own opinions in our society, but he does not have the option to obey only certain laws.
The Selective Service is cracking down on men who have not registered, hoping to frighten many 18‑year‑olds into registering. But prosecuting men who don't comply with draft registration will cost the U.S. hundreds of thousands of tax dollars, money the U.S. Government could spend on programs in need of funding.
The U.S. must have some kind of national program to prepare itself in the event a large military emergency should arise. With such military threats as the Middle East turmoil and growing anti-Americanism, our government needs to provide evidence that we, as a country, are prepared.
Statistics have proven that volunteer forces do not provide a large enough defense for our nation. Registration for a possible military draft makes getting our military forces assembled run smoothly and quickly. If there is not some type of preparedness now, it will be too late when the time comes.
The Selective Service is cracking down on men who have not registered, hoping to frighten many 18‑year‑olds into registering. But prosecuting men who don't comply with draft registration will cost the U.S. hundreds of thousands of tax dollars, money the U.S. Government could spend on programs in need of funding.
The U.S. must have some kind of national program to prepare itself in the event a large military emergency should arise. With such military threats as the Middle East turmoil and growing anti-Americanism, our government needs to provide evidence that we, as a country, are prepared.
Statistics have proven that volunteer forces do not provide a large enough defense for our nation. Registration for a possible military draft makes getting our military forces assembled run smoothly and quickly. If there is not some type of preparedness now, it will be too late when the time comes.
