STOP-LOSS, the Military, and the Presidency

I just finished watching this movie and have so many thoughts and feelings that I don't quite know where to start. I also happened to watch another war based movie the other day-DAY ZERO-that had me thinking about the war we are in and the people behind it, in it, and soon to be in it. Basically, these movies, although not REAL, made me think really hard about what is going on with the military in this country. I remember getting to that point in high school where I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. So many of my friends were considering some sort of Armed Force and I actually considered it myself. I thought it would be a good way to prove (to myself) that I was a strong person who could do anything. IF I could make it through boot camp then anyone could. Then I realized that the idea was preposterous-I'm not a physical person, never have been, and I wasn't sure that I could actually hold a gun in my hand. BUT, my friends Josh, Jason, and Jessica all DID go in. Josh went into the Marine Reserves, Jason went into the active Army, and Jessica went into the active Navy. I remember a day when we thought Josh was going to have to go over and it was so scary-every day waiting for him to call us and tell us that he was shipping out...and he DID call, but, luckily, we got the call back saying it wasn't going to happen. Jason went to the Middle East. He called me once a week for much of the time he was there and that connected disconnection was so frightening-the delay over the phone lines was all it took to make me realize how real this whole thing is. I can't believe I ever thought about doing it myself. Luckily, Jason came back and was discharged with only one return visit. Jessica was lucky enough to stay in Japan the whole time she was enlisted. And, none of them seem to have too many side effects from their experiences. Sometimes I wonder about Jason because he lives his life in a way that isn't exactly beneficial to him, but I have no proof that it is because of what he saw over there-he never talked about it and I was too afraid to ask.

Too Afraid to ask. Really. STOP-LOSS is about a group of guys trying to get out of the Army. Some felt like they had no other choice in their lives and had to stay in, some were so injured that they had to go home, and one just wanted to go home because he had found out that the "war" wasn't what "they" said it was...and he got Stop-lossed; basically the Army evoked his right to be discharged and told him he had to go back. I don't want to ruin the movie if you want to see it, so skip the rest of this paragraph if you want to see it. This guy runs-right to both borders, but, in the end, he can't see spending his life alone and ends up back on the bus with the rest of his battalion and some new recruits from his family and home town.

Basically, this says to me, "It's just a matter of time." If the military can stop-loss someone, what is keeping them from getting the government to start the draft? This frightens me beyond belief because, if they can raise the eligible age to 35 what is keeping them from raising it to 50? Or making former members of the Armed Forces coming back no matter what age they are? Or starting a draft that includes women? My brother, Robert, and myself would all be available to them at this point-no one can really escape from the Draft without losing their whole life...
The thing is-I don't believe in violence. I don't believe in anger. I don't believe that fighting this "war" makes any sense the way we are doing it. But, I do believe that there are people out there who don't need to be a part of this world, so where do I draw the line? Could I go out there and fight this war if I had no other choice? Would I willingly join up and risk the PTSD we hear of so many people coming back with-or risk DEATH? The boys in this movie re-enlisted because Over There was the only place that the craziness in their heads made sense-the fighting made it impossible for them to go back to a normal life. But, I think I would stay here and I would do as I was told if I were drafted because I do want to believe in this country-even at that risk of my life changing for the worse. But, If my brother were drafted I would tell him to get out and go far away from the Draft...how does that make sense? I would never want anyone I loved to go over there!

In the other movie, DAY ZERO, 3 different types of people were drafted in a "future" world...1 committed suicide, 1 was ready to go, and 1 was going to run, but changed his mind at the last minute. Being given the opportunity to see 3 different people and their reactions...I really hope that the draft never gets re-instated. Imagine all the things that would happen here in the USA in a negative way. I know there are all kinds of things that happen all ready that are results of people going to war or coming back from war-things we aren't told. How many random shootings are because of PTSD in its many forms? Or because the wrong people were sent over and given the opportunity to learn all this STUFF? Just imagine how many times this would multiply when people started getting drafted!

Right now I'm just going to know that the draft will stay away, that we are safe, that we are going to get out of this war somehow. So, which presidential candidate promises (and will follow through) with the end of the war in Iraq? And how soon can that happen without letting the bad guys win?