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ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
1) Draft registration for men has been a failure and a burden on millions of men. Rather than extend the burden to women, it’s time to end it now.
Gil Coronado, the former director of Selective Service said in the 1999 annual report,
“If we are not successful in reminding men in the inner cities about their registration obligation, especially minority and immigrant men, they will miss out on opportunities to achieve the American dream. They will lose eligibility for college loans and grants, government jobs, job training and for registration-age immigrants, citizenship. Unless we are successful in achieving high registration compliance, America may be on the verge of creating a permanent underclass.”
That was 17 years ago, and today there are even more restrictions and penalties for men who haven’t registered. If a man fails to register, for whatever reason, these penalties stay with him for the rest of his life, even though he will never have been charged, tried or convicted of any crime! This is not only blatantly unconstitutional, it’s absolutely un-American!
Rather than extend this extra-judicial punishment to women, it’s time to end it for men.
2) Selective Service registration is a failure. When given a choice, most men don’t register.
· SSS reports only 88% compliance with registration. That means millions of men are permanently burdened and punished by failing to register.
· That 88% refers to all those who are required to be registered. Only 73% of 18 year old men have registered, far fewer registered by the 29th day after turning 18 as required by law.
· 66% of those who registered did so by coercion, not will, as the law instructs, either to get financial aid for college or to get a driver’s license.
3) The cost of Selective Service registration exceeds the $25 million Selective Service budget: for example schools have the burden of verifying registration compliance for students, increasing their administrative costs, which get passed on to students at the college. Various state laws requiring registration compliance for state benefits (such as employment) add costs to a state’s budget, yet offer no return on the investment. Extending the registration to women would increase those costs.
4) Draft registration is unnecessary. After 9-11, the military had more than enough volunteers. Activating the draft was never seriously considered.
Alternatives to this burdensome system currently exist. In the unlikely event of a “sudden need” for more military personnel, it is reasonable to assume that, with today’s technology, a pool of names could be generated quickly and easily for a potential draft (and more cheaply than the current ongoing registration).
Rather than increase the numerous problems that exist with our current Selective Service System by extending the registration to women, the wise choice is to end the registration of men.
