An Undesirable Draft

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I am writing in respose to Matthew M. Guerreiro's letter ("The Draft and the Poor," Crimson, February 25, 1980), in which he proposes that we support the draft as a means to resolve social and economic inequities. I certainly deplore the current economic situation which leaves so many people with little or no employment opportunities other than the armed services. However, the draft is an essentially military measure; registration for the draft is an essentially military measure; registration for the draft brings us one step closer to an unnecessary and unproductive war. I oppose registration for the draft, not because I support the current system of economic conscription, but because I question the desirability of such a military buildup at this time. The first decision we face is whether or not to prepare for war, and not which method of military preparation is best.

We cannot view a change in the way we staff our army as an ideological issue in a political vacuum. Registration is not being revived at this time with the primary intention of making the armed forces more egalitarian or more civilian-influenced. At best, these would be only peripheral functions of a potentially dangerous aggressive posture.

I also recognize and regret that no conscription system in our country can be fully egalitarian. People with economic means can pursue other options to military services, from fabricating medical deferments to emigrating. During the Vietnam War, there were gross inequities along race and class lines, despite the existence of a draft. Yes, the "volunteer" army is problematic, but its problems reflect those of the larger social context of our country. Only when we achieve full employment and equal access to education, housing and health care will we be able to resolve our severe inequities. These goals are attained by a massive reordering of national priorities, not by reallocating the relatively small amount of money which might be available if we were to pare the wages of draftees.

Many criticisms have been leveled against the antiregistration/anti-draft movement as being a group of self-interested young people. About half of the activists at Harvard are beyond the proposed draft age, roughly their proportion in the Harvard University student population. The movement against registration and the draft is not limited to campuses, but is endorsed and supported by veterans' groups, labor unions and other political groups as well. Feeling personally vulnerable to a draft may cause a person to be more concerned about the issue. However, concern does not only mean, "Hell no, I won't go," but also "Hell no, no one should go." That is why we actively oppose, rather than plan to evade, the draft. Karen E. Victor '80