Don't Draft Anybody, But if You Do, Draft Women Too!: Instapundit
A rare moment of agreement for Glenn Reynolds and Barack Obama.
Provocative column by Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, who also teaches law at University of Tennessee.
I'm against a draft in general, despite ongoing efforts by people like congressman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., to bring it back. As Robert Heinlein once said, a nation that can't defend itself without conscription doesn't deserve to survive. But that said, if we're going to have a draft, I don't see why it shouldn't apply to women, too. And I'm happy to see that President Obama agrees with me.
This leads to a rare moment of agreement for Reynolds with Barack Obama:
In today's modern society, I see no reason why men should be subjected to the draft, or to its precursor, registration, while women are not.
This puts me on the same page as President Obama, who has backed draft registration for women. Here's what Obama said in 2008: "I think that if women are registered for service — not necessarily in combat roles, and I don't agree with the draft — I think it will help to send a message to my two daughters that they've got obligations to this great country as well as boys do."
I agree. I'd do away with registration if it were up to me. And I wouldn't bring back the draft, either. But to the extent we have either, women should be just as subject as men. That's what equality means.
What do you think, readers?