Viewing page 7 of 102

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

ABOLISH THE DRAFT!
ENACT THE "FREEDOM BUDGET"!

Of all the developments within our country in the past two decades, none is more dangerous than the growth in the power of the military over American life. The Military Establishment is of such overbearing size that it has become a frankenstein, dominating the foreign policy of our country, devouring half the national budget every year, and arrogantly imposing its shadow over the future of the nation's youth. Such a grotesque development is obviously incompatible with the survival of free, civilized institutions. The current widespread practice of using university facilities to recruit and test draftees underscores this point. 

The fact that is too often overlooked is that there was no compulsory military draft in the 1920's and 1930's. The "Selective Service System," as we know it, is a very recent phenomenon which came into existence during the Second World War. It was strictly a wartime, emergency measure and was supposed to be discontinued after the war. Voluntary enlistment in the Armed Forces is part of the tradition of the country the compulsory military draft is not. It is a violation of the country's traditions when enforced during peace time. 

It is highly probable that the tragic insensitivity which the majority of the American people are showing with regard to the Vietnam holocaust, which the Johnson Administration is committing in their name, is due in large measure to the effects of years of military indoctrination. After all, millions of Americans have been directly exposed to this indoctrination and the military habit over the past 25 years during time they spent "in the service." The cumulative effect of this on the national mind would be hard to overstate. One can frequently observe how attempts are made by the authorities to manipulate the public mind simply by announcing an increase or lowering of the draft quota in any given month. As long as the compulsory military draft is a fact of life in America, with all of the uncertainty, pressure and anxieties it creates for the

293

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-02-09 12:28:42