Editorial Opinion
Registration serves as deterrent
Editor's note: Because students' opinions on draft
registration varyacross the spectrum and are strongly
held, we can not fairly present one argument as our opinion.
Instead, we are presenting two editorials reflecting the
differences of student opinions, and leave it to the readers
to argue the points themselves and choose their positions
aware of the alternatives.
The questions surrounding registration for the draft
are complex and difficult to answer. Before ad
dressing them, however, it is reasonable to assume
that all except the most extreme economic con
servatives find war and all the human sufferings it
brings, deplorable.
Upon that assumption draft registration may be
justified. As a gesture directed toward the world
community, registration was intended to demon
strate the United States' ability to unify and mobilize
in case of a military threat. Such a display was in
tended by itself to serve as a deterrent to foreign
aggression; as a safeguard against war, not a
precursor to it.
It is possible to accept this argument in support of
registration but still maintain that registration is a
precursor to the draft, and draft is a precursor to
war. Even if this were true, it is still necessary to
point out that a citzen/soldier army will more
responsibly defend the nation than would a mer
cenary volunteer force. •
For example, the disenchantment of the American
people with the Vietnam war has often been cited as
a major reason for the Selective Service's disband
ment. Had we not grown tired as a nation of seeing
our loved ones come .home in body bags, that war
would not have become politically unpopular enough
to suffer the defense budget cuts which eventually
ended it.
A volunteer force does not carry such respon
siveness with it.
By extrapolation it can be argued that a volunteer
Military places the burden of national defense on the
poor. The poor and ethnic . minorities are
disproportionately represented in the armed forces;
therefore, they are wounded and die in numbers
larger than the white, middle-class majority.
Vital need
After being on campus for`only a short time I
am dismayed at the opposition to draft
registration that I have encountered and I was
appalled to find a table at registration advising
young men on how to escape prosecution for
failing to register for the draft.
• Draft registration, in conjunction with in
creased outlays for new weapons systenis is vital
in America's struggle to maintain her position of
leadership in the world.
Many espouse the theory that a strong military
posture will increase the possibility of war. Will
a well-quipped, fully-staffed fire department
increase the chance of a fire?
' The rights we enjoy as Americans are the envy
of much of the world. We must realize that with
these rights come responsibilities; including the
responsibility to protect those rights for our
selves, our posterity and those in the world who
require our assistance in securing and main
taining their rights.
Registering for the draft will go a long way
toward fulfilling that responsibility.
Anthony Christino, HI, Ist-foreign service
Sept. 5
Press gangs
Over 100 years ago, the British Navy obtained
recruits through the use of the press gang:
groups of armed sailors who forcibly abducted
British citizens and compelled them to fight for
the crown.
Much more recently, in the United States,
involuntary military servitude has operated in a
more' refined manner but its essentials are the
same: citizens are compelled to kill and be killed
for reasons defined, not by themselves, but by
the American government.
As an ex-Army officer, having served in
Central America and Vietnam, I feel both
qualified and obliged to comment on registration
for the draft. I have seen many young American
men, who allowed the government to make for
them the decision of who to fight and when,
maimed and killed in an effort to keep a corrupt
dictatorship in power.
There is no guarantee that tomorrow's draf
tees will not be compelled to do the same. One
Op-ed Letters/Drcxft Registration
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'tUEOBVICUS IN MAN'S ARRI,VIt OFFICER MATERIAL.
Draft registration: right or wrong?
president contender,bas,reeently referred to, our
illegal and immoral war in Vietnani as a "noble
cause," and explicitly entertained the possibility
of similar actions in 'aiding repressive govern
ments in Central America.
The incumbent aspirant to the office has made
it clear that he would support the interests of
American oil companies in the Mid-East through
military means. Draft registration is an effort by
the government to prepare for such actions; the
act of registering for the draft, while seemingly
innocuous, is an act of acquiescence in the
government's plans.
There are three ways for a government to
raise an army.
First, by convincing its citizens that a threat to
their well-being truly exists and that, the
government is deserving of defense.
Second, by providing salary and benefits
which attract enlistees.
Third, through press gangs of various forms
through the draft. Our government is clearly
unable to do the first, unwilling to do the second
andabout to resort to the third.
As one who has seen the results of compliance
with the draft at first hand, I urge potential
draftees, and all Americans, to decide for
themselves which wars, if any, are just and
worth fighting. Deny the government the right to
make decisions for you. Resist the draft.
John K. Mallorylll, graduate-anthropology
Sept. 8
Fighting for oil
Young men dutifully lined up at their post
offices in July to tell Uncle Sam where to find
them when he wants, them. There are lots of
reasons why this Carter re-election tactic is
wrong and unnecessary. Here are just a few.
First, the Selective Service System itself has
said that peacetime registration is costly and
unnecessary. One week before Carter announced
his registration proposal, an SSS study that was
issued and then suppressed recommended that
registration begin only after declaration of a war
or national emergency.
In the report, dated. Jan. 16, 1980, SSS Director
Rostker said that his agency prefers this standby
plan, which "should substantially exceed
defense requirements, employs the fewest
not instigator to war
Registration and a draft are the only available
means of distributing the defense responsibility
among all social classes.
Registration for the draft is also necessary in light
of the state of our armed forces. Study after study
finds our conventional military powers lacking. The
lower ranks are incompetent operators of the .
machines of war; many privates are functionally
illiterate. The higher and more expert ranks are too
poorly paid to stay in the services long enough for
the military to benefit from their expertise.
The military's problems with retention of ex
pertise and recruitment from the middle class are
indicative of a national disenchantment with the
armed services. Though some may blame the un
popularity of the military on post-Vietnam
disillusionment, it is also true that as a people,
Americans havp historically enjoyed freedom from
a national service obligation military or other
wise.
In a highy socialized state like the United States,
such selfishness can only be dangerous to the well
being of the nation. As a tool for facilitating national
service (not just military service) registration at the
age of 18 could be very useful. Such an operation
would, of course, require modification of the existing
registration machinery. But opponents of
registration fail to note this possible virtue, of in
troducing a service ethic and registration
machinery into our society.
The wisdom of maintaining a standing army has
been questioned by many who oppose registration. It
is true that conventional war requires an army.
Absence of an army, however, no longer precludes
the possibility of war. The development of weapons
technology now makes it possible to carry on limited
nuclear and all-out nuclear war without recourse to
conventional warfare and without recourse to ar
mies of citizens.
Most western. democracies maintain standing
armies in peacetime. Their reason for doing so is the
same as that behind .our own registration for the
draft: to prevent not to cause the horror of war.
number of fulltime personnel .and costs the.
. - ,11
'leagt." '
,Second, the draft that will follow not im
proe the current military petionnel `situation,
according to a top Penagon official. Robert
Pixie, assistant secretary of defene for man
power, told Congress in April, "We don't think
peacetime conscription is the right way to solve
our manpower problems."
Third, registration threatens rather than
enhances world security. Obviously, the Red
Army is not going to land on the beaches of
Florida. Any U.S.-USSR confrontation will be
nuclear, and draftees will be destroyed along
with the rest of the world.
In the words of The Washington Post's William
Greider, registration is a symbolic gesture:
America is determined. Registration is the first
strategy of the New Cold War; the draft will be
the second. •
Together the two strategies will make it easy
for the U.S. to intervene militarily abroad, most
likely in a Mid-Eastern conflict to protect our
"right" to use a vastly excessive share of the
world's oil. Our youth are in danger of dying for
Texaco.
Miriam Smith Honsaker, class of 1980
Aug. 15
Suggestions
Lately there has been much debate about the
current draft situation. Two opinions seem to be
prevalent; those who would rather "fight than
switch" and those who would rather "switch
than fight."
The United States should work together with
the rest of the world, though not by supporting
inhumane governments, nor by enlisting
soldiers; for ". . .those who take up the sword
shall perish by the sword."
I suggest those who want a greater nation will
give a little of themselves. Maybe be serving in
the Peace Corps? The United States should
humbly try to help less advanced countries catch
up.
Who would win a war with the Soviet Union?
What would it cost? I pray we won't ever have to
find out.
Alex Mann, sth-geology
Aug. 1
Opposition
I stand opposed to President Carter's draft
registration plan not because it is morally
wrong, but because I do not want to help Mr.
Carter in his feeble attempt to save face.
As a relatively ineffective political group, 19-
and 20-year olds are being used to cover for
Jimmy Carter's inept, naive handling of
diplomatic affairs.
Had the Soviet Union perceived Carter as a
strong, decisive leader, the invasion of
Afghanistan never would have been considered.
Instead he is viewed by the Kremlin as weak and
so bent on ratification of SALT II that any
"punishment" as a result of the invasion would
be inconsequential.
As a result, he was caught by surprise and
what followed was a mad scramble to make the
Carter Administration appear strong, tough and
decisive.
As one who faces draft registration next
January, I am not opposed to ,defending my
country in time of crisis, but I am very opposed
Country's priorities do not lie with draft registration
Editor's note: Because students' opinions on draft
registration vary across the spectrum and are strongly
held, we can not fairly present one argument as our opinion.
Instead, we are presenting two editorials reflecting the
differences of student opinions, and leave it to the readers
to argue the points . themselves and choose their positions
aware of the alternatives.
Amidst cries of protest, this summer the Selective
Service System --fulfilled the wishes of President
Carter and, in theory, registered nearly all of this
country's 19, and 20-year-old young men for the
military draft.
Most arguments over draft registration tend to
center upon the issues of compliance and legality
debates which remain unresolved.
Instead, a far more pressing issue must be
examined: the underlying reasons for registration.
Proponents often justify registration by claiming
that the U.S. military is no longer adequate to meet
any challenge - to peace, such as Soviet aggression in
the Middle East.
However, registration will not solve what critics
call the military's greatest manpower problem: the
fact that a significant number of technically trained
officers and enlisted personnel are not re-enlisting,
leaving the services with an inadequate number of
experienced leaders.
Moreover, draft registration will have no ap
preciable affect on overall military preparedness.
According to Newsweek, White House officials said
they expect registration to shave only two or three
weeks off an induction process that lasts about five
months.
In today's nuclear age, dominated by speed and
technology, it is difficult to see how this relatively
slow induction process'will serve as a meaningful
deterrent to Soviet aggression.
However, registration's implementation does
signify a frightening national attitude: a renewed
willingness towage war for what are perceived as
U.S. "interests." It is this attitude that lies at the
heart of registration's revival.
These U.S. "interests" are not symbolic, but were
to allowing $l3 million and 4 million young men
to be used for improving Jimmy Carter's image
at the taxpayer's expense.'
Rather, I feel that our efforts should go toward
improving our current armed forces to the point
where we are capable of a more intelligent
response to Soviet aggression.
Bill Macßlane, lst-foreign service
Sept. 5
Living together
Why is Penn State so far behind other
modern universities in giving students the
option of co-ed living?
Could co-ed living improve dorm life?
Proponents argue that it could increase
security and cut down on vandalism.
Opponents cite lack of privacy and sexual
promiscuity as some negative aspects.
What are the obstacles facing the future of
co-edhousing at the University? Is a change of
attitude all that is needed?
If given the choice, would most students
choose co-ed housing? For what reasons?
Even though co-ed housing may not be right
for everyone, should Penn State students be
given this option?
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, The Daily Collegian
op-ed page will focus on the pros and cons of
co-ed housing and the reasons for its absence
at University Park. Students, faculty and
other members of the community are en
couraged to submit letters to the editorial
editor, 126 Carnegie. All letters must be
typed, double spaced and no longer than 30
lines. Deadline Friday, Sept. 12, 5 p.m.
Easy access
The Daily Collegian encourages comments on
news coverage, editorial opinions and on
campus or off-campus affairs. Letters should be
type-written, double-spaced and no longer than
30 lines.
Students' letters should include the author's
spelled out by Carter in his Jan. 23 State of the Union
Address.
In what became known as the Carter Doctrine, the
president responded to what he called the Soviet
Union's attempt "to consolidate , a itrategic
position. . . .that poses a grave threat to the free
movement of Middle East oil.
"The implications of the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan could pose the most serious threat to
the peace since the Second World War," Carter said..
"An attempt by any outside force to gain control of
the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an'
assault on the vital interests of the United States of
America. . . .and such an assault will be repelled,by
any means necessary, including military force." . •
The foolhardy notion of protecting limited oil
supplies with military force displays the United
States' arrogance and selfishness in the face of the
worldwide energy shortage. It is a stance more
suited to a colonial than a democratic power.
It is a sign to other nations in an increasingly in
terdependent world that the U.S., comprising ap
proximately 6 percent of the world's population,
prefers to continue consuming 33 percent of the
nonrenewable energy and minerals used in the world
each year.
Registration is no substitute for substantive
programs which encourage conservation and 'the
development of alternative energy sources, along
with a fairer distribution of resources worldwide.
Nor is it an appropriate response to Soviet
aggression, especially when the U.S. could develop
more just economic and political relationships with
smaller countries. These kinds of relationships can
help developing countries grow strong internally,
and become less susceptable to Soviet influence.
Instead, registration elevates military bantering
to the level of appropriate diplomatic and domestic
solutions to international and national problems.
Ultimately, registration does not demonstrate this
nation's strength and unity of purpose. Instead, it
demonstrates this nation's ambivalence and
inability to decide where its best interests really lie.
name, term standing, major and date when the
letter is being submitted. They must be signed by
no more than two persons.
Bring letters to the Collegian office, 126 Car
negie (across from Willard Building) so proper
identification of the writer can be made. Narde.
may be withheld on request with approval of the
editorial editor.
The editorial editor reserves the right to edit
letters for grammar, space limitations or to
reject them if they are libelous or in poor taste.
dtatirCollegian
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 1980—Page 2
Betsy Long
Editor
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Business Manager
Cases wait for Fall review
Options hinge on Court's decision
By YATES MAST
Legal advisor
During the two weeks starting July 21 most of the
fotir million 18- and 19-year-old males, who were
citizens or permanent residents of the United States,
registered under the Military Selective Service Act
(see 50 USC App. Sect 451 et seq).
Despite the factthat the statute provided very severe
penalties (a maximum of up to a $lO,OOO fine and/or a
five-year prison sentence) for failure to register; some
did not.
Of the many reasons motivating the non
registration, by far the principal one was the con
tention that the act violated several of the con
stitutional rights of potential registrants, including the
right to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment of
the:Constitution.
The main equal protection argument was based on
gender, discrimination, since the act only required
males to register and not females.
A court case had been filed in June 1971 (during the
Vietnam War) in the U.S. District Court for the
Eaitern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
arguing . that the Selective Service Act was un
constitutional on the basis of gender discrimination.
The case has gone through several steps between
1971 and 1974, but with the end of the Vietnam War no
further proceedings were taken until June 1979. Since
this•case was legally still alive it became the test case
Ito decide this momentous constitutional question.
The case, now called Goldberg vs. Rostker, (it had
another . name earlier) was certified as a class action of
potential registrants on July 1 and on July 18 a three
rjudge court handed down a 43-page opinion written by
Judge. Roseann that the exclusion of females from the
registration .provisions constituted gender-based
discrimination and that the goverment had failed to
Reasons to reinstitute registration process
include poor volunteers, Soviet movements
Editor's Note: The following statement
is a release from the office of 23rd
district United States Congressman
William Clinger, whose constituency
includes Centre County and the
University community. The release has
been edited for length and clarity.
By WILLIAM CLINGER
Congressman, 23rd district
By .1960 s standards, the new law that
i :required all 19- and 20-year old males to
register for the draft this year, and 18-
'year-olds to register in the future, was
, calmly accepted. In fact, so mild was the
: reaction to the registration that it ap
peared to those uninvolved as a small
cale caricature of 1960 s anti-draft
sentiment.
There are several reasons for this.
Firgp„satid ., ? fortim os ti; there is a clear
disl*tg6> . between registering for a
posgle draft and actually requiring
y99pg Men to report for military ser
vice: The latest lineup at the local post
office, unlike the Vietnam War era, is
not the first step leading irrevocably
down the path to military service.
If it were, one would expect all the
trappings, replete with medical
examinations and draft classification
numbers. But the trappings are con
spicuously absent, as is the 60s lore
about, conscientious objectors and
creative attempts to flunk the physical
exam prior to induction (has anyone
heard of cellophane ulcers lately? ).
. with the sudden
invasion of Soviet troops
into Afghanistan, the
intensity of concern
(reached a feverish pitch in
Congress.'
Underscoring the outward contrast
between the Vietnam era draft and the
iii4reseni• registration is the distinction
..drawn in the House of Representatives
between registration and an actual
demonstrate that the exclusion was substantially
related to an important government interest.
Accordingly, it found the provisions did violate the
equal protection part of the Fifth Amendment.
The court then enjoined the government from en
forcing the Selective Services Act. It certainly seemed
to be a victory for the non-registrants.
The government immediately filed an appeal to the
U. S. Supreme Court, which was in recess and would
not ordinarily meet again until October, when the 1980-
81 term of Supreme Court begins.
The government applied for a stay of the injunction
to Justice William Brennan of the Supreme Court, who
is the circuit justice for the circuit which includes
Pennsylvania. It requested that he allow the
registration to proceed pending action by the entire
court when it returned in October.
The government argued to Justice Brennan that the
district court had applied too strict a standard of
scrutiny into the discrimination in light of the national
defense interest at stake, and that even under the
standard which the court applied the decision not to
include females could be justified.
No government further contended that it would
suffer irreparable injury if it is not permitted to go
forward with implementation of the president's July 21
through Aug. 2 call for draft registration, while the
class of registrants would suffer only minor and
remediable harm should the stay be granted until a
final decision by the full court. This was not an actual
draft but only registration.
Justice Brennan, one of the greatest scholars to ever
sit on the Supreme Court, made his ruling on this ex
traordinary difficult matter, that same day, July 19.
For a single justice to grant in chambers stay ap
plications, four complex tests must be satisfied, one of
which is that there is a fair prospect that a majority of
During the House consideration of the
registration bill, I joined with a
colleague in polling other members of
Congress about the possible link between
registration and an actual draft. Out of
the 219 members of Congress favoring
registration, 136 responded to the
following question: "If the House of
Representatives were to vote today on
renewing a peacetime draft, would you
vote in favor of it?" The results: 75 nays,
39 ayes and 22 undecided.
Another major reason adding to the
lack of public fervor is the big question
mark of military readiness hanging over
our heads. Statistics on the all-volunteer
force do little to inspire confidence.
Behind the thinning ranks of the 'Mobilizing troops is vastly
regular force, the Individual Ready
• ,
Reserve i , aalidi - :Eiir:the , - - lithif line of ---- more complicated now
defenge, which - at 14,0,000 strong '-• thatim the days'when .
well beloi,Qhe' 34q,000 Ito • 640 4 000' tybele , ,y '
that ihe Periaglin eittrilaCe:s4 would Paul Revere - 46'6e r j ed - ihe' '
need in a conventional war in Europe. .
The widespread concern about the M inute Men in little more
quality and shrinking numbers of the all- time than the name
volunteer force and the Individual
Ready Reserve has led to frequent suggests.'
debates in recent years on practical
solutions to what had become a chronic
problem
But with the sudden invasion of Soviet
troops into Afghanistan, the intensity of
concern reached a feverish pitch in
Congress. Most proposals to ensure a
strong U.S. response to a possible Soviet
threat included a resumption of draft
registration. One plan required women
(as well as men) in selected age groups
to register, even in the absence of the
Equal Rights Amendment. Another
plan, unusual for its broad dimensions in
peacetime, would have required
registration of all males, ages 18-26.
As a realistic security precaution, I
supported the proposal that is now law.
To be concerned about the implications
of an expanding Soviet presence in
Afghanistan, one does not have to be an
old guard supporter of the domino
theory, a popular explanation for our
presence in Vietnam.
And whether or not the ill-fated rescue
mission in Iran was due to military in
competence, the frustration it caused
certainly did not win supporters for the
all-volunteer concept.
After a careful evaluation of evidence
stating that it would take the Selective
Service System 65 days to deliver
draftees, after mobilization, I was
convinced that we needed a more ef
ficient handle on our manpower reserve.
A registration program . will cut off a
minimum of two months if we would
ever have to mobilize in a national
emergency. Mobilizing troops is vastly
more complicated now than in the days
when Paul Revere gathered the Minute
Men in little more time than the name
suggests.
In today's world, however, our
military still must be able to meet an
emergency on a moment's notice. While
I have a son who falls under the new
registration law, I support registration
of 18-year-olds (for years a traditional
rite of passage in the U.S. and many
other countries) as a back-up to the
regular military.
Eighteen,-year-olds rarely have the
family obligations and career in
volvements of someone several years
older, but are mature enough to be a
service to their country before returning
to a more settled existence in civilian
life.
I was somewhat dismayed, however,
by the last-minute constitutional
challenges to draft registration. As I
mentioned in an interview at State
College, the issue of whether or not it is
constitutional for a draft registration to
occur with or without women should
Sign-up
During the last two weeks of July,
nearly four million young men across
the country were forced to come to grips
with their consciences, their moral
obligations and their social respon
sibilities.
On a direct order from the President of
the United States, those men born in 1960
and 1961 were beckoned to take part in
the nation's fourth massive draft
registration campaign.
According to the White House
statistics, 93 percent of those eligible
complied with registration. For many,
registering came as easy as filling out a
check. But for the 7 percent who shunned
the post offices, many possibly
recognized the lethal potential of the
relatively harmless Selective Service
forms.
The issue has worried and frustrated
me since President Carter revived the
idea of registration last January.
In a sense, I am torn between realism
and idealism.
A 4 O
N.
Realistically, there is no arguing the
fact, that this country needs a strong
defense to maintain its respect and
authority around the world. But at the
moment, draft registration is nothing
more than a windy symbol aimed at
building that strength.
Quite simply, registration does not
address the real manpower needs of the
the entire Supreme Court will conclude that the
decision by the district court was erroneous. Another of
the tests was whether or not the government would
suffer irreparable harm by a denial of the stay of
registration.
Justice Brennan found that in light of the many
Supreme Court decisions on sex discrimination cases
where there has been considerable debate on the
standards to be used, the prospects of reversal could be
characterized as "fair."
He ruled that since the full court might decide that
the present Military Selective Service Act was con
stitutional even if females were not required to
register, he would stay the restraining order since the
government might suffer.
The government then proceeded with the
registration as originally planned. On Thursday, July
31, Bernard D. Rostker, the director of Selective
Service, announced that his agency was serious about
enforcing the law against young men who failed to
register.
The National Resistence Committee, a group op
posed to registration, in its handbook stated that once
alleged violators have been identified the Selective
Service Agency would probably recommend to the
Justice Department that some of them be prosecuted.
The end question of course is what is going to happen.
There are several possibilities:
1. The Supreme Court will make its decision one way
or the other.
2. Different constitutional attacks may be made
later.
3. Congress may amend the statute to include
women.
4. The Equal Rights Amendment may pass - only a
few more states are needed for ratification.
have been dealt with thoroughly by the
judicial branch before Congress took
action on the issue.
As it turned out, Congress was in the
undesirable position of setting legal
precedent a matter, rightfully the
domain of the courts.
In the meantime, improvements must
be made in our military so that it can
attract and retain quality personnel. The
military is becoming more and more
technologically oriented. This means a
shift from the short-term draftee to the
long-term career soldier who can
operate sophisticated equipment in what
amounts to a new era of defense, with
different requirements than the ground
troop-style of warfare of World War 11.
A few statistics on the current state of
the military indicate that the effort, has,
not been Made deal witfi' C'riti6l
:
military shortages,:, _ Lt.,
• The Air F'FF e figures that it 'mist,
'i'etiffil6Orever.inbo pilots glid 54 of
every 100 navigators after 12 years of
service. Today only 27 pilots and 40
navigators per 100 trained are still in
uniform at the end of this period.
• Army guidelines call for retaining
about 38 of every 100 soldiers with four
years service for at least six more
years; only. 30 of the 100 now stay in
uniform that long.
• The Navy is short 21,000 experienced
petty officers.
To facilitate a shift in the military's
personnel philosophy and overcome the
penny-wise but pound-foolish approach
to manpower shortages, I am supporting
legislation that would increase pay for
several categories of personnel. The
situation in which some enlistees have a
base salary well below the minimum
wage must change, as must the situation
in which technicians -- trained at the
taxpayer's expense can nearly double
their military salaries in civilian life.
It simply does not make sense
economically or militarily to train
personnel for a technical job, only to lose
them to an employer in civilian life after
a short tour of duty. If the all-volunteer
concept is to be given a chance, it makes
sense to me to upgrade the conditions for
the career soldier and lessen the need for
a draft at the same time.
step in wrong direction
Tipping the scales with registration
armed forces. These forces do not need
millions of names logged in a computer,
they need trained personel capable of
handling and maintaining the complex
military mechanism.
In March, while covering a foreign
policy press conference in Washington, I
questioned Robert Komer, a Defense
Department official, on the liklihood of
registration leading to a draft.
•
. I Ab• )
I . • „
Komer said: "We have a lot of people
problems that worry us a great deal
more (than drafting youth.) We're losing
all of our middle manpower
management people we've invested
over a half a million dollars in education
with."
And why are the armed forces losing
their most qualified men? Because the
billions of dollars spent annually on
defense are woefully misdirected. In
stead of offering salaries comfortably in
line with today's unruly cost of living,
W
TO
BEFORE YOU REGISTER
FOR THE DRAFT
Religion and Court:
different decisions
," '404E1) t.'WELLEIt Lord our God." In thatconfidence we
United 11~1`ims~ry I at Penn kite step boldly into the battle' for 'peaCe:'
T s her? arflOne who take seriously „ among ourselves and with . y our.
I die lea Chings of tlie'Ohiligilan enemies, no longer realitiril - bitiii
especially the Beatitudes in which trampled.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the In a day with stupendous overkill
peacemakers, for they shall be called available to mankind, it is difficult to
sons of God" the inheritors of a convince people that war is nonsense.
Kingdom as well as the attributes of Annihilation is not "the peacetime
the heavenly Father. kingdom." While pursued by millions
We were not left to wonder what it of dollars of advertising intended to
meant to be a child of God: "If entice young people intolhe military
(
anyone strikes you on the right cheek, (or a more flagrant violation of civil
turn to him the other also; and if and human rights the registration
anyone would sue you and take your and a possible draft), young con
coat, let him have your cloak as well; sciences are repulsed with the notion
and if anyone forces you to go one of killing fellow human beings.
mile, go with him two miles. Give to Or to destroy a people in order that
him who begs from you. Love your their possessions may be considered
enemy and pray for those who per- ours. 'Or to believe lies that talk of
secute you, so that you may be sons of preservation of democracy while
your Father who is in heaven. .. " millions are tortured, imprisoned or
their property confiscated because
they will not be subjected to
American domination (under
political puppets).
There may not be many, but those
who do have these feelings are
supported locally be a coalition of
persons in higher education, ethical
groups and churches. We recognize
the Supreme Court's observation that
morals and ethics are for some the
controlling influence in their lifestyle
as religion may be for others.
We know that these are not natural
responses; but we hear the Apostle
Paul's statement, "To this you have
been called, because Christ also
suffered for you, leaving an example,
that you should follow in his steps."
He patiently endured evil aggression,
all the while maintaining his love for
those who persecuted him.
The Psalmist writes, "Some trust
in horses, some trust in chariots, but
we will remember the name of the
the military chooses to spend money on
ridiculously expensive and sophisticated
weapontry in an attempt to keep pace
with the Soviet Union.
In the meantime, highly trained
personel, capable of operating the new
weapons, are leaving the military for
better paying civilian jobs. Pay is also
barely adequate upon entering the
service. It's no wonder the armed forces
can't attract enough college graduates.
Somehow, it doesn't seem registration
will do anything to ease this tremendous
problem facing all branches of the
military right now.
My idealism comes into play when I
think of past wars. Certainly we have
advanced far enough to realize that
there must be more effective ways of
dealing with international crises than by
sending young men off to battle.
The debacle of Vietnam is not that far
removed from the nation's memory. To
quote musician/activist Arlo Guthrie,
"Mothers still are weeping for their boys
who went to war. And fathers still are
asking what the whole damn thing was
for."
It's no secret that the United States
has never had a registration without a
draft, and consequently, never a draft
without a major war. It's that ominous
reminder that kept thousands of young
men away from their post offices in late
The Daily . Collegian Tuesday, Sept. 9, 1980-3
THINK
July.
Should those young men, those con
scientious objectors be labeled un-
American and have to face a $lO,OOO fine
or a five-year jail sentence for not
complying?
By all means, no.
What is needed to rectify the problem
is an optional national service, an
alternative to possible military con
scription. For those who feel they should
serve their country through militaristic
means, fine. But for those who sincerely
oppose such involvement, alternatives
should be available. •
Such options could be the Peace Corps,
Vista or environmental programs. Since
there will be no college deferrments,
students could join specific national
service programs designed to utilize
their educational training.
It seems altogether possible that
national service on a large, imaginable
scale could do more to establish national
security and promote a new spirit of
youthful commitment than the possibilty
of a mandatory military obligation.
Yet a balance between the two must be
found. ' Unfortunately, July's draft
registration tipped the scales in the
wrong direction.
Justin Catanoso is a seventh-term
journalism major and the assistant arts
editor of The Daily Collegian.
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