We Want You! (Except when it comes to the Constitution)

It is interesting how people tend to get stuck in a mode of thinking and unable to consider other possibilities glaring in their face. Of course, living in Seattle, where group think is paramount, we are used to it.

The latest example of limited thinking regards military recruitment falling well short of targets. It is not hard to come up with the obvious – the death toll in Iraq, as relatively small as it is compared to other wars, nevertheless makes the risks of military service real.

But, perhaps there are some other factors to consider when determining why young men are reluctant to join the military. Recruitment by the Army in Seattle, which had a goal of 266 new recruits during the first half of this year, has only reached 94. Some fresh thinking about the reasons for this is clearly in order.

You will never read this discussed in the mainstream media, but one obvious possibility is that young men have figured out that their society does not value them.

Young men are told when they join the military, and when they go off to war, that they are doing it to protect the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution. However, our Constitution no longer applies to men. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is in clear violation of the Constitution, as it leaves men at the whim of accusations by girlfriends, wives, or even acquaintances. Once that accusation has been levied, a guy is guilty until proving his innocence.

Some commentators call VAWA a feminist boondoggle. But, while wasteful, boondoggles are generally harmless. VAWA is anything but harmless. It has created a well-funded army of gender feminists who have as their sole objective attacked men and fathers at every opportunity. The guys who face this army are usually defenseless.

Meanwhile, family courts in our country have shown that the power of government supersedes the most basic rights we once took for granted. It takes nothing more than an accusation, buttressed by an “advocate” straight out of your local Women Studies department, to strip a father of access to his children. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Sure-To-Be-A-Deadbeat, you are now in a state of indentured servitude and if you don't pay that child support you are going straight to jail.

This horrible state of affairs facing young men is courtesy of both major political parties. And, it doesn’t stop with VAWA and the criminalization of fatherhood. As a final slap in the face, women are not only not encouraged to carry their fair share of the burden of risking life and limb in military combat, but are banned from doing so by a Republican controlled Congress. Young men see this after suffering through feminized public schools that have institutionalized disdain for masculinity, and watching all of the special classes, hiring and college recruiting programs for young women only.

Are these values that young men should look at and decide, “Gee, I want to fight and risk my life for my country!” I dare say, few informed people would make such a decision, and men and fathers are becoming more informed every day about how they have been demonized as a matter of government policy.

In fact, Silly Seattle has generally supported the war in Iraq. The world can be an ugly place and action sometimes is needed. Throughout our history, the men of America have been there to do that. (Yeah, I know – the gender feminists are reading this and saying, “It’s the patriarchy!”). Bush has dealt with 9-11 through great vision for transforming the Middle East.

But, it takes young men to do it and they have been betrayed by their country. With the reauthorization of VAWA coming up, Silly Seattle might have to join the naïve Seattle anti-war protestors in calling for our troops to come home.

Not because war is never necessary, but choosing for whom you fight your wars is.