As the United States prepares for conflict in Iraq a question should be crossing everyone’s mind now: “Are college students prepared for war?”
While the Selective Service System remains in a standby “caretaker” status, according to their Web site, the possibility of a draft is remote and many students have mixed feelings about the situation with Iraq.
According to a June survey conducted by Republican pollster Frank Luntz, 37 percent of U.S. college students would try to evade the draft if it was initiated, reported a June 21 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“Males were more willing to heed their country’s call. Twenty-six percent of men said they would ‘likely try to evade the draft’ but 48 percent of women said they would,” according to the article. The poll surveyed 634 college students. When more than a dozen BC male students were interviewed about the possibility of war, three of them did not even know they were supposed to register with the Selective Service. Some also said they would evade a draft if it were reinstated.
Many of us hate the idea of war. However, Sept. 11, 2001, was a good example of how easily terrorists can create serious damage. They are like snipers waiting in the bushes, picking us off one by one, and waiting for the moment when they can take out a crowd.
Evading a draft is not the answer. It is important that Americans take a stand against terrorism. Let’s remember that terrorism feeds off fear, and living under the threat of it on a daily basis is not a peaceful way to live.