If a citizen takes a deferment from wartime military service ought he rightly be later eligible to command the military or be elected President. While conscientious objectors and religious ministers are Godly people-maybe (for some ungodly religions may be eligible for war-time deferments too such as the 5th Church of Hatred of the I.R.S. whose priesthood regards it as a holy mission to avoid paying taxes the abomination of government-plainly the Government would want not to offend the faithful and send them to battle in unrighteous corporate wars)
A democracy should have a little logic and consistence in its policies in order that the rich and the corrupt might not just have their way through slick passage through loopholes.
Muhammad Ali avoided the draft claiming to be a minister of the Nation of Islam. Mitt Romney got a draft deferment claiming to be a Minister or Missionary of Mormonism-and he spent a year in France during then war proselytizing the faith.
Ali of course had to litigate his conviction for draft evasion five years before getting an 8 to 0 Supreme Court decision overturning his conviction.
The idea that Mormons and Muslims should get arbitrary draft exemption makes one wonder if the religious reason is for being a member of a religion or particularly for believing that God does not want people to kill.
Perhaps the ending of the draft era was requisite if Mormons and Moslems would not be required to serve via draft. Yet Christians too should be free from draft as well so perhaps war falls to just godless atheists these days, though volunteer armies with large pay are the increasing corporate trend.
So should deferments from drafts be awarded for just a year at a time for religious reasons? Is conscientious objector status good for life or just for a year or while none is especially pious?
Individuals too should be free from a draft or receive a deferment or conscientious objector status is they regard God as more important than man.
Can one reasonably elect a conscientious objector President to command military forces? If religious missionary or ministering is sufficient reason not to be drafted even if one is not a conscientious objector, won't even Democrat Party members choose to make a sect of their political faith and perform ministering work to get draft deferments until some hypothetical war is over?
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2 comments:
I researched this claim that he was a C.O. He was not. He registered for the draft in 1965, was deferred for the mandatory youth missionary service after high school in the Mormon church --and then for college. He was eligible for draft in 1970 --and drew a high number. All the college guys then hoped for a high number so they wouldn't have to go to Viet Nam. I don't think very many were enlisting in those days. Not like now when the economy makes the military one's only job option.
Thanks for commenting. I believe you are technically correct. Romney got a religious activity deferment and that probably isn't the same as being a conscientious objector.
It was rather well known in the era that the sons of the wealthy tended toward avoiding active military service in combat arms- can't say that I blame them. Some of those drafted aren't always sympathetic. The draft stopped a year or two before my time so I never played the lottery myself.
It is that missionary service deferment that is the issue. Evidently it has made the news again such as in this Huffington Post article five days ago...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/mitt-romney-vietnam-draft-french-mormon-mission_n_1838260.html
Romney got 3 years of college deferment plus two and a half years of missionary deferment so he could go to France and proselytize. Then in 1970 during the one year he did not have a deferment his lottery number was too high to get him drafted.
I suppose Romney could have dropped out of college and enlisted as an 11B and perhaps evolved to Ranger status if not for his Mormon heritage that requires religious service and for college attendance required for many that think it might help them advance in life.
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