News, Op-Ed, War

Retired Colonel To Republicans Who Want US Ground Troops: ‘Let’s Draft Your Kids’

If there’s one thing America loves more than a scantily-clad teenage pop singer, it’s blowing crap up. But if there’s anything that America loves more than blowing crap up, it’s having other people doing the fighting. Yet while Americans have mostly remained war-weary and wish to remain out of the Middle East’s internal conflicts, the spread of ISIS and its unspeakable acts of violence in Iraq has certainly brought back the war drums.

Even if Bush’s invasion of Iraq created ISIS, this is mostly a problem from the Sunni/Shite countries of the Middle East to sort out. We can no longer be the parent that keeps bailing out its drug addict kid; the Sunni nations of the Middle East must commit their OWN ground troops to fight ISIS.

But thanks to FOX News and its priapism for permawar (they need a new “shock and awe” war for ratings) a recent Quinnipiac poll showed that 62 percent of voters support sending ground troops back to Iraq. This, of course, angered Colin Powell’s former chief of staff and retired army general, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson.

Here was Wilkerson responding to the poll:

“If 62 percent of voters want to use ground forces against ISIS in Syria or Iraq or wherever, then I suggest we have a draft and we draft those 62 percent to lead the way,” said Wilkerson on All In With Chris Hayes. (Crooks and Liars)

I’ve always believed that conservatives never-ending love for war would disappear faster than Miley Cyrus’ clothing if we reinstated the draft. They are all too willing to have someone else’s kid pay the ultimate price for their lust for permawar and bettering Lockheed Martin’s bottom line. I hate to say it, but the colonel is right: if we want to see that 62 percent disappear, we need to bring back the draft.

H/T: Crooks&Liars|Featured Image via screengrab

unnamed Michael is a comedian/VO artist/Columnist extraordinaire. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook

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  • JPAR

    Checkmate, conservatives. :^)

  • wheldon rumproast

    “War is good business invest your son” …a lapel pin from the Vietnam era, I looked at it every day, for years. Still relevant today (maybe even more relevant today)

    • Rhonda Warmack Houston

      wheldon rumproast, Since your view is that war is a good business, which it is because I’ve already given above this post what I know from my research concerning the military-industrial complex, can we assume that since you habitually look at that Vietnam lapel pin, that the conflict was not so great to your son? That the lap pin is a rememberance of him and is all that you have left to remember him? Mr. Rumproast, I acted a as navy military body-escort during that timeframe and this is why I have made a study of what is going on in Washington. War is a business and Tom Cotton has just become the ‘biggest War pimp’ to benefit himself and it is too bad we are not already ‘at war’ so the Logan Act of 1799 could be used to call Cotton and all those other 47 Congressmen who committed treason. The Republican party must be so desperate to be in control. They are fulfilling their plan of 2010 for the first term of Obama (“Inside the U.S. House of Representatives: Do Not Ask What Good We Do” by Robert Draper International Standard Book Number 9781-4516-42087) This treasonous move must be that of real desperation of this party.

      • Donald Corky Leffler

        I believe he is being sarcastic ma’am, and is most likely himself the veteran who earned ”the pin”

      • Louis Brunyansky

        Rhonda, the button was a reference to the fact that, while there was in theory a “universal draft”, the sons of the wealthy and well connected, did a disproportionately small share of the fighting. i.e. almost the entire last administration who were of draft age when the draft was still on, didn’t go to Viet Nam, and I suspect, a disproportionately small share of their sons and daughters went to Iraq and Afghanistan. Therefore they have no ideal of how hard it is to fight a non-conventional war when you’re thousands of miles from home, don’t speak the language, and friend, foe and noncombatant all look the same.

  • fbear0143

    I’s time to draft children of congress too and NOT to allow deferments

  • Rod Walton

    The draft has never prevented war, only assured more cannon fodder for the war lovers.

    • Paul in Buffalo

      That is entirely factual. It has never however been meant to prevent war. If you’d like to read time honored strategies both for preventing war and for dealing with it once diplomacy breaks down and war is brought to you, read Sun Tzu’s classic “The Art of War”.

      Realize and remember all war demands deceit. None are so dangerous as the innocently gullible. Naivety is irresponsible. It is not an option.

  • Damon Mason

    Colonel Wilkerson … I know that you are trying to scare the bloodthirstiness out of the Republicans; still, I do not think that military conscription is the way to do it. If anything, being able to compel military service over a large group of people will make foolish wars like this EVEN MORE LIKELY! Your best bet is to first avail the death row inmates and the convicted violent criminals — the males among which need to be sterilized. Next should come the white-collar criminals — the males among which need to be sterilized. Follow up with the career politicians and their child relatives — the males among which need to be sterilized. Oh … and the border-jumping interlopers and their child relatives … throw them in for good measure and sterilize the males among them!!!

    • Mark Esche

      I disagree with you on several fronts. I reference “the Dirty Dozen”. Those were already soldiers, and they became, or continued, their criminal activities. They were not good soldiers. I feel that most white collar criminals are intrinsically weak, so they wouldn’t be good soldiers. Castration? Too juvenile, too, torture related. I agree with the Colonel. Universal draft, no exemptions. If more parents are worried about their kids, maybe they wouldn’t elect the douchebags we have in Congress. For that matter, let’s give junior congresspersons commissions and activate them to get their personal boots on the ground. A lot more hawk and a little less chicken, eh?

    • Paul in Buffalo

      Sir, with all respect you are either entirely misinformed, if informed at all, or entirely delusional. Seriously, your cavalier blood thirsty fantasies are detestable. Do you understand that passivity invites aggression? Do you understand that competence is desirable in any activity? Do you understand how being prepared to meet an attack is a “rather good” way to prevent one? I believe you’ve heard of the “Cold War”? Do you understand if politicians had skin in the game such as their sons and daughters they just might possibly take the game more seriously?

      There is a great difference between having something to say, sir, and merely having to say something. We all do well to learn it.

  • Ponytail__

    Out of the 62% probably 52% are too fat and out of shape to be drafted!

    • Mark Esche

      That’s what boot camp is for. “Break ‘em
      down to build them back up into soldiers.”

  • rivardau

    Even the ones that are overweight can be drafted — workers are needed in offices, warehouses, repair shops, supply depots, planning departments — there is no reason to contract these out to blackwater or even to civilian workers!

    If a draft/required civic duty term was introduced, everyone - men and women, should be included, because there are more jobs to do than just “combat” or “front-line fodder”.

  • hallaurent

    I don’t know if the author is old enough to remember the draft, but I am. The wealthy and powerful always found ways to evade the draft.

    • Paul LJ Catlow

      I’ve never really got the American idea of the draft, which has always seemed to be a recipe for resentment, social division, exercise of privilege and trouble. Even during the Civil War, whole states erupted in riots over what was perceived as an unfair mechanism that asked too much of some sections of society and left the wealthy and connected relatively untouched. Isn’t it more efficient to have universal conscription on the European model, in times of national crisis? At least everyone is equally inconvenienced, and mechanisms exist to accommodate genuine conscientious objection and unfitness to serve.

      • Paul in Buffalo

        It was also the practice in the Civil War for a rich man to pay a poor one to go in his place if he were drafted. At least that’s over.

        In my view we’d be best off with universal conscription (exemptions for the truly unfit) of ALL citizens age 21 for a period of 18-24 months, Noncombat roles such as medical, legal, logistical duties for conscientious objectors. The benefits go on and on. I will not.

        • Paul LJ Catlow

          When studying the American Civil War, I read about the draft riots in Wisconsin in 1861 that paralysed the state and meant the Union had to divert troops from the front line to maintain civil order. This is the sort of thing they don’t tell you about in school. What sparked it was serious unrest and resentment from the state’s Belgian immigrant community - Wisconsin attracted a lot of Belgians - who thought (with reason) that first-generation immigrants were being unfairly and illegally selected for the draft. Poor white Americans agreed with them and quite a few counties, towns and cities became urban battlegrounds, where it became poor v rich, immigrants v settled Americans…. when you read into real American history, it gets interesting!

          • Paul in Buffalo

            Well, I quite agree. There are gruesome events in the history of the Labor Movement such as when the cavalry was used on striking miners or bombs were dropped on them from small planes that come to mind. I’ve seen pictures of mounds of human bones we piled up in the Philippines during the Spanish American War. The .45 cal. was invented because the locals were rather hard to stop with the usual side arm of the time. They’d get hit, not care, and keep coming. Accordingly we invented the semiautomatic side piece I affectionately called my “hand held cannon” while in the US Navy… I’m not naive but past the pink cloud of believing we’re super duper wonderful. We’ve much to admire as well as stubborn deep flaws. I do love the USA, warts and all.

    • Brian D. Magana

      Or they boogied to Canada

      • Paul LJ Catlow

        Hasn’t international law been changed since Vietnam to close this loophole - Canada is now legally obliged to deport any draft-dodgers back to the USA to face trial and punishment? (Then again, that’s if the Canadians elect to co-operate, in the event of this law needing to be enacted. I can suspect a lot won’t.)

  • Jon Ripley

    Only send the people who want war, start at the top. We can elect more senators, I see a voluntary 47 man squad all ready to go.

    • Paul in Buffalo

      Only on the condition this bag of barely useful bodies all serve together in the same front line unit. As individuals they would be a drag on and danger to any combat outfit. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a platoon to save a regiment or as here, sacrifice a squad to save a nation.

      • Rhonda Warmack Houston

        Paul in Buffalo, Those who now serve in the Congress are MOSTLY lawyers who have NEVER SERVED THEIR COUNTRY, and having never experienced this event, their concern is mostly about the monetary payback and the notoriety that they will receive.

        • Paul in Buffalo

          Yes, and what are you telling me I don’t already know? You’re likely not a veteran familiar with military humor. My little pipe dream of a plan would let us (1.) Remove the problem. (2.) Allow most of them to die with honor in the service of their country. (3.) Even allow those who make it through to run again, now as front line veterans who’ve seen war up close and personal. They’d come back sadder but wiser and finally as men. They may then talk some sense into a few childish war drum beating politicians. Now there’s a risk some might backslide into there former misbehavior but, Hey, I never said it was a perfect system.

        • Al Meullier

          Actually, those lawmakers are made up of 32% lawyers, the rest have no idea how to write laws and that is their job as a legislator, to write and pass laws. Time to stop complaining about lawmakers being lawyers and put more lawyers back in Congress to make laws. What does an Opthalmologist like Rand Paul know about law? Diddly squat!

          • Paul in Buffalo

            You make a very sound point, Mr. Meullier, and I’m happy to upvote you on it. It’s the job of legislators and lawyers to understand law. No one with half the sense God gave geese should be arguing with that one. Even though lawyers are one of the two most distrusted professions in society, in my view, sir, it’s better if they write and vote on laws than less qualified persons such as vainglorious PR stuntmen such as Donald of Trump Castle.

    • Rhonda Warmack Houston

      Jon Ripley, It’s really too bad in one sense, that we were not already ‘at war’ because if he had been with Iran, those 47 men would all have been procecuted under the LOGAN Act of 1799, which can only be invoked in the case for high treasonous acts, if a war was going on.

      • Paul in Buffalo

        Are you sure? That’s not the buzz. At this writing word is that it is on the table.

      • Guest

        There is a White House petition being circulated to prosecute these loons under the Logam Act!

  • Paul in Buffalo

    No, sir, let’s not. Let’s be practical. Draft all of their sons and daughters because daddy would be a drag on any fighting unit. See? Good.

  • Rhonda Warmack Houston

    Never has anyone ever seen any Congressman’s children drafted, never. Those who can not find any legal reason for avoiding a war draft, are those who are from the poorer economic grouping within the nation. Those people are expendable, who really cares about those people. People who volunteer want to do, but to be drafted, one does not have a choice. Apparently fbear0143 must have never gone through this experience. Oh! and by the way, immediately after freshman congressman, Ted Cotton of Arkansas, went to contact the nearest industrial-military complex corporation to set up an agreement to begin producing. My guess is that he didn’t have to go too far from Congress, because the Senator McCain was caught in the same photo, as Cotton made his speech that he was the one who wrote, and sent the letter with the 47 Congressmen’s signatures to the Iranian top guy. The Senator McCain is the most wealthy contactor of the 400 corporations (industrial-military complex) which is connected to our government and is one of the very few who makes enough to pay his lobbyists to lobby Washington.

  • Rhonda Warmack Houston

    Shelly L. Mason Matson, I can appreciate that being on your ‘wish list’, however, it will never happen. It’s all about how much each Congressman can make from the 400 corporations which makes up the industrial-military complex and it can undoubtedly be noted that McCain who is one of the largest money makers in this corporate structure, has recruited Tom Cotton of Arkansas to do his bidding of creating more war so he may make MORE money, even though McCain has already to benefit, owns four homes throughout the nation and (13) thirteen cars. An American would be happy to be able to afford just one of each of those.

  • Donald Corky Leffler

    Time for mandatory service for everyone in some field whether it be armed forces or police/medical fields. It certainly would reduce unemployment and the person would learn a life lesson in democracy and the freedom afforded

  • Damon Mason

    The females can only gestate one baby at a time; in contrast, the males can »sow their wild oats«, »play the field« … why do you think that there are men with multiple wives? To make certain that their genes have the greatest probability of living on through their children, you surmise? BINGO!!!

  • Brian D. Magana

    I couldn’t have said it better. I lock step with the General here. Let them send their kids to war and see how long they keep their war-mongering attitudes when those children come back in pieces in boxes.

  • Cibouwat Horsifomidom

    Start drafting women and watch the country turn into a pacifist state overnight.

  • icwydt

    Conservatives? I haven’t seen a conservative or liberal in years. Everybody politically active today is a neocon or progressive. They are destroying the country while the rest of us suffer. A draft seems popular with commenters here. A draft gave us 58,000 dead Americans in Viet Nam.

  • Ernesto Bloberg

    The draft must have no exclusions other than medical and then they must serve 6 years in the government. No senators or congessman or governer’s children are exempt NONE. Only 1% WERE FIGHTING THE LAST 2 WARS HOW IS THAT RIGHT!

  • Walter Eagle

    “retired army general, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson.”

    That’s confusing. Is he a General or a Colonel ?
    It’s possible to have a different rank from what you retired as, if you are serving in the Reserves or National Guard.

    I know it doesn’t change the message, but mistakes can bring credibility into question.

    • Paul in Buffalo

      A civvy wrote this, Walt. What did you expect?

  • Korg8242

    In addition to creating a draft, RAISE THEIR TAXES!

  • Lou9999

    What is funny (strange) about this….the military is overwhelmingly Republican. Especially the combat arms.

  • Shazzamulator

    4. Do not go to war unless the US is physically attacked by another *country*. It’s the Defense Department not the Offense Department. No more *optional* wars.

  • Chili Pommer

    A retired General Colonel? Either the author doesn’t know the rank structure of the military or it is a glaringingly obvious typo.

  • Mike

    I absolutely agree….. Republicans are war mongers and the media is making it seem like ISIS is knocking on the USA’s door. If they want to fight ISIS so badly they can gear up and go do it themselves! ISIS is not our problem, our military was created to support and defend the USA and it’s interests so unless ISIS attacks a target here in America I will never agree to commit ground troops.

    Let’s not also forget or forgive the fact that Kerry and McCain are the ones that rallied to supply Al Qaeda with weapons to overthrow the Syrian government. ISIS is the faction of Al Qaeda that the Republicans weaponized. They turned around and used OUR weapons to create their own country. Now the Republicans want our young men and women in the military to go clean up THEIR mess!