Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman, I
yield the balance of my time to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. PAUL).
The CHAIRMAN pro tempore. The
gentleman from Texas is recognized for
5 minutes.
1999 Ron Paul 92:1 Mr. PAUL.
Mr. Chairman, I thank
the gentleman for yielding me time.
1999 Ron Paul 92:2 Mr. Chairman, I appreciate very
much this opportunity to address this
amendment. I rise in strong opposition
to this amendment. I compliment the
chairman of the subcommittee, the
gentleman from New York (Mr.
WALSH), for deleting these funds, in
this bill.
1999 Ron Paul 92:3 This to me is a heroic step in the
right direction. We have an agency of
Government spending more than $24
million a year accomplishing nothing.
We live in an age when we do not need
a draft. We live in an age of technology
that makes the draft obsolete. Not
only is it unnecessarily militarily to
have a draft, it is budgetarily not wise
to spend this type of money.
1999 Ron Paul 92:4 More importantly, I rise in strong objection
on moral principles that the
draft is wrong. In most of our history
we did not have a draft. The gentleman
from California early on pointed out
that essentially since World War I we
have had a draft, and that is true.
Since in this century we have seen a diminished
respect for personal liberty
with the growth of the state we have
seen much more willingness to accept
the idea that young men belong to the
state.
1999 Ron Paul 92:5 That is what the registration is all
about. I have a young grandson that
had to register not too long ago, and he
came to me and said,
You know, “they
sent me a notice that I better go register.
Why do I have to register, if they
already know where I am and how old
I am?”
That is the case. The purpose of
registration is nothing more than putting
an emphasis on the fact that the
state owns all 18-year-olds.
1999 Ron Paul 92:6 The unfortunate part about a draft is
that too often draftees are used in wars
that are not legitimate. This is so
often the case. If this country faced an
attack, we should have volunteers. We
should all volunteer. But, unfortunately,
the generation of politicians
who declare the wars too often never
serve. Some of them have not even
served in the past. But they are willing
to start wars that are not legitimate,
and yet they depend on the draft. They
depend on the draft for the men to go
out and fight and die.
1999 Ron Paul 92:7 The one really strong reason we
should all reject the idea of the draft is
it is so unfair.
1999 Ron Paul 92:8 Let us say an argument is made that
it is necessary. I happen to believe it is
never necessary to violate somebody’s
liberty, but let us say there is a sincere
belief that it is necessary to impose a
draft.
1999 Ron Paul 92:9 There is no such thing as a fair draft.
This is why the sixties were in such
turmoil in this country, because the
elite frequently evaded the draft. If
they are smart enough to get a
deferment, they got off. Who suffers
from the draft? The poor and the less
educated, the inner city teenagers.
They end up getting the draft, and they
do not get the deferments. They cannot
avoid it.
1999 Ron Paul 92:10 It is very important that we consider
not only this vote on fiscal reasons and
where we are taking the money. Quite
frankly, I would much rather see this
money stay in the programs where, as
a fiscal conservative, I would not have
otherwise voted for those funds nay.
But any funding of that sort is so much
better on principle than voting to perpetuate
a system that has no purpose
other than to conscript.
1999 Ron Paul 92:11 Conscription is not part of the American
dream. It is not part of the American
philosophy. It is not part of liberty.
It is a totalitarian notion. Congress
has the authority to raise an
army, but it does not have the constitutional
authority to enslave a certain
group to bear the brunt of the
fighting. A society that cherishes liberty
will easily find its volunteer defenders
if it is attacked. A free society
that cannot find those willing to defend
itself without coercion cannot survive,
and probably does not deserve to.
1999 Ron Paul 92:12 A free society that depends on the vicious
totalitarian principle of conscription
is, by its very nature, no longer
free.
1999 Ron Paul 92:13 We gradually lost our love for individual
liberty throughout the 20th century
as the people and the Congresses
capitulated to the notion of the military
draft. The vote on the Selective
Service System funding will determine
whether or not we are willing to take a
very welcome, positive step in the direction
of more liberty by rejecting the
appropriations for the Selective Service
System.
1999 Ron Paul 92:14 There is no other vote that a Member
of Congress can cast that defines one’s
belief and understanding regarding the
principle of personal liberty than a
vote supporting or rejecting the draft.
This vote gives us a rare opportunity
to reverse the trend toward bigger and
more oppressive government.
1999 Ron Paul 92:15 Yes, preserving liberty is worth
fighting and even dying for, but conscription
is incompatible with that
goal. We cannot make men free by first
enslaving them and forcing them to
sacrifice their lives and liberty for the
policies conceived by misdirected politicians
and international warmongers.
Note:
1999 Ron Paul 92:2
I compliment the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. WALSH), Here, Ron Paul compliments The Honorable James T. Walsh.
