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[Swede Atlanta]

281. I can't support this as you have proposed......

I see nothing in the Constitution that grants the government the right to force its citizens to do anything. I suggest that conscription even in wartime is unconstitutional. Article I, Section 8 provides Congress with broad powers to raise armies, navies, raise monies for their operations and define their organization, etc. But I still haven't seen anything that gives the federal government the power to impress its citizens.

I do agree that, assuming conscription is constitutional (and there is likely much case law where the SCOTUS has upheld its constitutionality), we should invoke it anytime we commit America's men and women in combat. If the sons and daughters of members of Congress, the President/Vice President and the Executive branch were conscripted to go to war, cooler heads would prevail when the war is a war of choice such as Iraq.

I also agree that we should encourage service. We should develop a culture of recognizing the value of service, military and otherwise. I wish employers saw military and other meaningful service such as the Peace Corps and domestic programs as valuable experience when hiring. I think that service should be rewarded in terms of support for education, etc.