By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

The bottom line is self interest.  Because you or your children or grandchildren may be affected like never before.  For openers, both men and women may be drafted to fight in our wars, especially if they spin out of control and become a global conflagration.  There has not be a military draft since 1973[2]—50 years go—but one may be coming.  Many who read this article weren't even born then, or their kids or grandchildren were not born.  They have no understanding of what real wars are all about.

Sure, you may have watched scenes of the brutal and sadistic killings in Ukraine—of men, women and children.  Or recently, you may have seen scenes of similar suffering in Israel.  Or you might have watched heart-wrenching ads on TV, soliciting contributions for our wounded warriors from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  But until you or someone you know is thrust into the bowels of a war that becomes real to you, quickly, they are "abstractions" at best.

When two of your high school classmates are killed, and someone you trained with at Fort Benning, Georgia is shot out of the sky in a helicopter, war becomes real very fast.  And when you or a loved one is drafted, war is no longer an abstraction.  You or they are one step closer to becoming cannon fodder.  And whichever side of these issues you are on, it is vital that your freedom of speech is discuss these life-and-death matters is not impaired in any way.

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© 2023, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/  He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at The Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service).  Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in Finance and Business.  He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States#:~:text=United%20States%20federal%20law%20also,10%20U.S.%20Code%20%C2%A7%20246 ("Conscription in the United States")