Private Bone Spurs wants to beef up the draft--just in case he needs a bigger army in Iran

Informed commentary on the news

Donald Trump is taking a lot of flak over the news his Selective Service System wants to scour federal databases to find young men who have failed to register for the draft.

The irony is obvious:

During the Vietnam War, Trump dodged the draft himself at least five times—mostly claiming college deferments and finally, in 1968, claiming that bone spurs in his heels made him unfit for military service.

To be fair, Trump was not alone among men of his generation in trying to avoid the draft.

The Vietnam War, as we learned through the release of the Pentagon Papers (thank you, New York Times and Washington Post), was based on a lie, was unwinnable, and needlessly cost more than 58,000 American lives—and countless more Vietnamese casualties.

And the draft was unfairly administered, allowing well-to-do (mostly white) young men to safely stay home, while others (mostly working-class, rural and minorities) became cannon fodder.

That changed with the institution of the lottery system, which also catalyzed the anti-war movement.

The problem with Trump is, of course, his shameless hypocrisy.

The huckster who yammers endlessly about how he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize renames the Defense Department the Department of War and plunges America into another dubious conflict, this time in the Mideast.

The man who succeeded in avoiding military service himself now wants to beef up the draft just in case his congressionally unauthorized war in Iran requires an invasion force. Or, if not this war, the next one he illegally launches.

There’s a reason he’s mocked as Private Bone Spurs.

But it shouldn’t be because he succeeded in avoiding a senseless death in a stupid war.

It should be because he’s happy to send so many others to their senseless deaths in a stupid war.

Especially after he promised voters he would avoid “foolish” foreign entanglements and make America First.

And let’s not forget that the blood on his hands is shared by every single member of Congress who fails to step up and pass a War Powers Resolution to stop it.

We need to remember that when we go to the polls in November.

Assuming we’re still allowed to vote.

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J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a Florida online news service dedicated to sharing news and commentary relevant to Florida readers. Bruce is an award-winning former newspaper editor, journalist and author living in Florida, his native state.

Onward thru the fog

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.

Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.

J.C. Bruce

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