As a proud veteran and a female, yes, I believe that the draft needs to be re-started. However, it must not be the draft of the Vietnam Era. There should be no way to avoid the call up of the draft. Your family name, family status or bank account level should not in any way be a factor in the decision to draft an individual. In addition, the draft needs to be changed to include the females.

In the alternative, perhaps the United States needs to consider mandatory service. Several other countries make four years of service mandatory, for male and female alike.

Is that so much to require from a every citizen who enjoys the freedoms that the military ensures? The military is a fantastic opportunity for the members of our younger generation to receive training, disicipline and many other needed life lessons that are lacking in them today.

Yes the draft should always be an integral part of any democracy especially that of the United States of America. Consider the all-volunteer militias and armies of some of the fledgling democracies that the current administration is 'fostering'. Or consider any military that becomes insular by the very nature of its elite and 'special' forces. If we in the U.S.A. learned anything from the 'greatest generation' of WWII and the next generations of Korean and Vietnam Era Veterans it is that these great decisions of waging war are a shared responsibility. And sharing demands an active involvement for women as well as men,for conscientious protesters as well as jailed resisters, and for alternative service as well.

This alternative service could be accomplished through a two or more tiered lottery. Those not chosen to fill the immediate needs of troop strength whether for strategic or active combat purposes could be offered a range of enlistments in alternative service which could begin at 3 months, 6months, or more. And just as military service is bankable in terms of veterans' benefits so could these terms of service be applied to education, mortgages and such. I see no need to have a long term of service for those who do not serve in harms way. The purpose of civilian service should not be co-equal as we would all be exposed and eligible to the same random selection.

The democratic application of laws in our Republic should also demand that while this draft need be activated fully only in times of greatest need it should be constitutionally enacted immediately as a requisite in times of war whether actually declared by congress or 'waged' as it is now by the Executive branch. In a democratic Republic a 'vounteer' Armed Military is neither democratic nor an appropriate manifestation of a 'shared' republican government. Thank You T.J. Ward

Yes, ProudVet, it is too much to ask. I didn't come to America from extreme poverty in Eastern Europe, or out of fleeing genocide in Somalia, or from Latin America seeking economic security. I was born here. I did not vote for our current President. I do not espouse his religious beliefs nor his ambitions to bring a Western lifestyle to all corners of the globe. I did not put him in office. I do not believe in war. I don't believe in killing people to resolve conflicts. Someone once said, "When someone slaps you across one cheek, turn and offer him the other." I believe in that, as silly as I imagine that might sound to you.

Should I be forced to pay a price for something I did not create and had nothing to do with? Should I and my children be punished simply because we were born within the artificial boundaries of this land?

You could not force me to learn to fire a gun. You could never teach me to communicate in military code to relay information. I would rather spend four years of my life in a cement prison than four years in a living hell of perpetuating the machine of war. Someone said once, "War is over, if you want it." I believe in that.

You think that military training gives dicipline and needed life lessons to young people. I on the other hand believe the military warps and corrupts the young and the old. We see from the horrible war crimes our soldiers and officials commit through desperation that war and the military drives people to insanity.

Even if military training might come with the enticing snakeoil of "character building," I will have to pass. Thank you but I have built my character without the cost of anyone else's life or freedom, and I have kept my soul as well. Our world will be better off not when people are compelled to learn about tools of death and how to use them, but when those tools are buried and rusting beneath the earth. And that begins with a refusal to destroy others.

Holy God, am I hearing this right? I have a duty to support and engage in the illegal and utterly immoral occupation of a nation that was never a formal combatant with us, even after having been taxed into oblivion to pay for the occupation despite the fact that I'm offered nothing solvent in return and all the economic windfalls in the nation go toward the 2% that hold 95% of the wealth? And if I choose to not be involved, I can be fined even more money and imprisoned for a term often four and a half years longer than most child rapists get? And of course, God forbid that I should show my disenchantment with the neo-conservative American dream, especially with the NSA tapping all my calls, because it could lead to my entire financial property being seized and liquidated by the Federal Government. I'll see myself in Hell before I ever stand by this.

My father served in the full time army for 30 years and went to Vietnam too. I went it for 4 years but did not stay in as I was tired of moving around and wanted to be with my daughter. It was my choice. While I supported the goverment and the military and think its important, I do not believe that we should be able to FORCE 18 year olds to take on a lifestyle that is not their choice(we do not let them drink until they are 21 and tell them that they are too young to get married, but we can force them into a uniform and train them kill? come on you are no better then those countries we are fighting in). This is America, freedom of choice. Are we running out of "live" bodies to send overseas and trying USE our very own children now? Cause if thats what Uncle Sam is doing then he is crossing over a very sensitive line, the Mothership. When those so-called decision makers at the White House push out something over 6 lbs from their bodies that they nuture and love very much for a lifetime ....then I will listen. And if a woman like you thinks everyone needs this training and discipline, just because YOU needed it to fix yourself, does not mean that the rest of us suffer from what you had. Alot of us are quite normal and disciplined and do not have social issues. If the United States starts forcing our children to join the military just so they can go fight(and you know thats the only reason), then we may as well call ourselves Communist America!

so yourather them take people who are already out of college and in the work force? Least an 18 year old hasn't made huge life desicions like Careers, family, real estate etc.

Wow, way to destroy your credibility by attacking an anonymous person over the net. Try to control your emotions because my impression was that you had some prior issue. After all, this started out as a discussion of what might work for America and what works for other nations. Obviously America is a special case. Democracy doesn't work for everyone, including Iraq. But Democracy works best when people keep clear heads and don't let their bad personal experiences overrule their logic.

My dad, too, was deployed to Vietnam and served 29 total years in the service. He wasn't trying to fix "himself," but he sure was proud of his service and the service 3 of his children also contributed. In fact, I too, have served four years in the Reserves and ROTC. I will be very proud to pin on the 2LT rank and go over to replace my friends who miss their family and country. It's my choice and I would have a completely different attitude had it not been.

I don't believe that a mandatory service period or the draft is feasible or desirable. But the service has introduced me to all types of people and I have learned to deal with and appreciate differing opinions. We have a lot in common and that helps, but please work on listening to people that have different viewpoints, Ms. Toci. It's a valuable skill these days. Thanks for your time.