In spite of their professed patriotism, many affluent Caucasians hid behind their resources when the military draft was instated. Now, The draft has lost its credibility among most Johnson C. Smith University students as education, wealth, race and gender decided who got drafted. The tone among those students is that of fear, anger and disappointment as they focus on the many double standards of the draft and its unfairness to minorities.
Many polls show that the majority of African Americans or minorities oppose the war. However, should the draft be reinstated, it is most likely that minorities would be the majority of those drafted. "Its hypocritical!" is what one JCSU sophomore shouted. "I find it so ironic how the wealthy Caucasians are the main supporters of this war. However, they will use their resources to find loopholes that will allow their loved ones to doge the draft. How patriotic, " said Shekima Ruffin. Ruffin also said, "Discrimination should not have played such a major role in the draft." .
Education also played a major role in who got drafted. In past wars, the men who were drafted had very low IQs and no education. Students believe there may not have been so many "important men" making excuses today about why they didn't serve in the war, if the graduating class of Yale, Harvard, Stanford and the UW were drafted.
As women strive for equality, many believe it is unfair for gender to be a factor when deciding who gets drafted. "Things have changed and women prove daily that they are capable of handling the responsibilities that men handle," said Robert Lane, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Another JCSU student said, "It is discrimination for women to not be included in the draft." Sumiira Abdullahi, whose major is Criminal Justice, believes being excluded from the draft is indirectly saying the role of women is limited. .
In "The land of the free" and "The home of brave" it is unfair that one's freedom may be taken away if he chooses not to fight in a war.
