The reasoning behind Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg's article in last week's Mac Weekly is dumbfounding. Before I address his article, however, let me be up front about my biases: I'm a pacifist, and I categorically believe that no government has any right to compel any person to fight under any circumstances. That being said, I hope to limit the scope of this response to that of a scientific critique.

Urevick-Ackelsberg's opinion argues that draft resisters send others to "die in their place" by refusing conscription. He argues that "just because you can get someone to do something for you, doesn't mean that you should." The statement isn't justified.

"Let's stop paying poor kids … to do our dirty work alone," he argues. But this war is not our "dirty work," nor is it the "dirty work" of those poor kids. I, like many Americans, denounce the actions of my government. The question then is: how can I send someone to perform a task for me when I despise completion of the task? The general answers are common rhetorical propaganda citing "democratic responsibility." There are several problems with these arguments though, in that they hold the people of a land entirely responsible for the actions of its government, no matter how atrocious and unpopular those actions may be.

This is the opposite of democracy. For example, the U.S. government is the largest sponsor of terrorism on earth. Was Suharto doing "dirty work" for me in East Timor? Were the September 11 attacks the "dirty work" of the 2.5 million Afghanis whose lives Bush saw fit to risk in the invasion of Afghanistan? I think not. This war, like every other U.S. military action, is to preserve the power of the most privileged U.S. citizens. Now the relevant questions are: would the draft make this more fair? Would it stop wars from happening? I can see no evidence that it would.

The draft, like all forms of slavery, is a burden imposed by the richest on the poorest. In fact, Urevick-Ackelsberg points out that historically, the draft has been anything but "fair" (in any honest sense of the word), with the richest Americans buying their way out and middle class Americans obtaining deferments. I find it baffling that, after recounting these horrible facts, Urevick-Ackelsberg goes on to suggest that we return to such a system, especially considering that today it's even easier for the richest Americans to avoid conscription—they simply don't have to register!

The "benefits" of registration include eligibility for federal student financial aid, federal jobs, federal job training, and citizenship for males under 26—indispensable to the poor, useless to the rich. The "penalties" include $250,000 in fines and/or a prison term of up to 5 years. However, they never prosecute, since draft resistance and opposition have historically increased after prosecutions. A Rockefeller does not have to choose between dropping out of school and joining the army. With the draft, sure we'll "stop paying poor kids," who have volunteered. Instead, the poor would have to fight without pay. Is that fair?

Would the draft make people oppose the war more ferociously? This question essentially asks if mass injustice would encourage people to take a stand against the unjust, Furthermore, I doubt the predicted outcome is even correct. The most powerful Americans—oil companies and the like—are the ones declaring war. As long as profit lies at the end, the push for massacre will continue. When needed, consent is manufactured, as during the invasion of Vietnam, which lasted for years despite rabid opposition to both the invasion and the draft. Israel's conscription policies have done nothing to curb the atrocities of that state (despite widespread opposition within Israel).

Hermann Goering, Hitler's Number Two, elaborates on why this happens, "Naturally, the common people don't want war: not in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.