"Volunteers"

From TalkLeft:

Thousands of soldiers are being forced to stay in the service through "stop-loss" orders and many of them are very unhappy about it.

Read the rest of Jeralyn's post here. I strongly recommend the Washington Post article that she links to.

TalkLeft concludes with a statement hoping this isn't a sign that a military draft is on the way. Right now, I don't think a draft is necessary; however, if the aggressive neoconservative foreign policy continues to be our course of action, I don't see how conscription can be avoided.

As it stands, our commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan has stretched the military pretty thin. Unless we drastically cut back on our other significant overseas troop contingents (and I seriously doubt we will), our pursuit of folly in the Middle East will require additional manpower. Presently, this is being handled by activating National Guard units and through "stop-loss" orders, but at a certain point, the military might have no alternative.

Of course, as long as the economy doesn't produce jobs, the military might still be an option for some--in spite of the odds being REAL GOOD that new recruits are most likely to see combat (the military is loathe to lose people who've spent some time in the service, because the careerists represent a significant investment in training). On the other hand, what price is one's life?

I keep hearing people say that we've "just got to stay the course." But these same folks seem to be clueless as to the nature of the Iraq conflict. "Staying the course" means being a target to a hostile population of Iraqis, who, more and more, seem to be wishing the US would just get the hell out.

Sadly, some are--link via Atrios, although Today in Iraq also has this story--and it is really gives one pause, even as the young man who was wounded comes to grips with the permanance of his injury, and is trying to take steps to overcome it.

Was this young man's sacrifice worth it? What if we are STILL taking casualities say, five or ten years from now? What the hell will that prove? It's evident that the "terrorist threat" is still with us (you know, the 'color o' the day'), so why on earth must we "stay the course" in Iraq? To save the Resident's face?

Is that what we tell the wounded? "You lost your [limb/sight]/suffered burns/nerve damage, etc. etc., to make Bush more electable?

I don't like the way that looks--or smells.