Those serving--students, professionals, etc.--were not treated particularly well, came home to a cold country, and now have incredible psychological wounds.
I agree with this, but when I think about it some more, the same could be true for anyone in the army, and perhaps that's not any better (especially given that people may join the army out of desperation/lack of other options, which makes it almost like a "draft of the down-and-out.")
If a particular war were indeed necessary to protect our country, it would seem fair that everyone share the burden. It feels strange to say "Oh, I personally don't feel this is necessary, so I shouldn't be obligated to help," because it opens up an opportunity for anyone to worm their way out of true responsibility in a situation where war /is/ indeed warranted. {Maybe we should all share the burden of having shitty People In Charge as well? }
to some extent I'm playing devil's advocate, but
Date: 2005-01-21 04:24 pm (UTC)I agree with this, but when I think about it some more, the same could be true for anyone in the army, and perhaps that's not any better (especially given that people may join the army out of desperation/lack of other options, which makes it almost like a "draft of the down-and-out.")
If a particular war were indeed necessary to protect our country, it would seem fair that everyone share the burden. It feels strange to say "Oh, I personally don't feel this is necessary, so I shouldn't be obligated to help," because it opens up an opportunity for anyone to worm their way out of true responsibility in a situation where war /is/ indeed warranted. {Maybe we should all share the burden of having shitty People In Charge as well? }