Today, Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, stated that he will introduce legislation to reinstate the draft in the United States. He says that because of increased threats and possible action against Iran and North Korea, combined with the way our occupation of Iraq is taxing our human resources, a draft will be absolutely necessary to our success.

Representative Rengel stated that he is certain that the decision to invade Iraq would not have been as hasty, and would not have been allowed based on such "flimsy evidence" if there were already a draft, and members of congress knew that young people in their districts would have been placed in harm's way. I can kind of see his point, but it's a little late. That is irrelevant now, and a reinstated draft would only serve to put more young people in harm's way.

I am really trying to understand Rengel's argument for the draft, but am having a tough time with it. I never realized that people in the party that I thought represented me and my ideas would be suggesting a draft. Even though some options in this proposed draft are working for public services, most likely people will end up being sent to military assignments unwillingly.

To me this is just another reaon that we (that's US, the voters and citizens of the United States) really need to clean house and dump all of our representatives and senators so that we can start over. Our party lines are so skewed right now that the folks there in Washington, DC who are supposed to be fighting for their constituents' wants and needs are doing everything but. Let's kick them ALL out and get a new perspective on things. Oh, and while we're at it, let's make it harder for these people to be career politicians and keep our country from stagnating like it has for so long.