It is a common practice for Mennonites to view certain issues dealing with war or violence from a strictly pacifist mindset. This practice appears to be quite logical; after all, one of our core beliefs is a strong stance on peace and non-violence. The Mennonite Confession of Faith states, "We believe that peace is the will of God. God created the world in peace, and God's peace is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ, who is our peace and the peace of the whole world. Led by the Holy Spirit, we follow Christ in the way of peace, doing justice, bringing reconciliation, and practicing nonresistance even in the face of violence and warfare." However, by taking this radical stance, many Mennonites distance themselves from any issue relating to day to day decision-making in war, figuring that their involvement in any such issue would contradict their denominational beliefs. Rather, Mennonites engage in discussion about war as outsiders to the government and speak out against current wars in absolute term.

However, when it comes to specific issues that do not involve the apparent black and white, yes-no responses, we Mennonites tend to be silent. Issues such as unjust military recruitment are placed on the back-burner because we feel as if we should avoid this procedure of a larger bureaucracy which we disdain. However, contemporary Mennonites must ask, is this practice of evasion truly bringing the world to a greater good? Rather than avoiding the issue, we must partially disregard our idealistic mentality and compromise to bring about a realistic change in government policy. Specifically, we need to look more closely at the issue of military recruitment and the draft.

Many critics have noted that social class discrimination occurs during military recruitment. One Mennonite response would be to allow the system to continue working unjustly -- after all, we shouldn't engage ourselves in the duties of a warfare organization. We can't dirty our hands in matters of the state. However, a more effective response would be to take a closer look at the problem and devise a solution that in some way reflects ideals of peace and justice. A bold possibility involves rethinking the draft. Currently, there stands a concealed, undocumented military draft: a selection of our nation's poor people. Rather than this type of biased selection, the draft should be reinstated in the United States.

Currently, the United States Military is an All-Volunteer Army. This places heavy importance on recruitment -- without it, we would lack the necessary number of troops. Recruiting has been, and continues to be, heavily concentrated in areas of poverty. Many factors influence this fact; the primary reason being that people of a lower social class are attracted to the economic and educational opportunities that accrue from joining the military. Young adults from communities of poverty view the military as their only option or path to success. A survey performed in 1999 by the National Defense Department discovered that the three most influential motivations to serving in the military were receiving money for college (33 percent of men and 39 percent of women), job training and experience (24 percent of men and 17 percent of women) and pay (13 percent of men and 11 percent of women). The military offers recruits a substantial amount of money for both job training and college education. Many young adults are attracted to these opportunities, for which they would fail to find the resources in their own underprivileged communities. The National Defense Authorization Act states, "Most young men and women see postsecondary education as the key to prosperity and job security in America." The three billion dollar plus industry doesn't want to waste its money where it isn't needed. Kurt Gilroy, director of recruiting policy for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, spoke on this targeting process. Gilroy stated that the military recruiters "maximize return on the recruiting dollar [because] the advertising and marketing research people tell us to go where the low-hanging fruit is. In other words, we fish where the fish are." It makes sense that the military should choose to market "where the fish are." The philosophy behind any type of advertising or recruiting is to focus on locations where the most possible candidates for the product would be. Recruiting on a college campus would be futile. What is the incentive of any well-off college student to join the military, leave their campus, and fight in a war? It seems as if the military is simply targeting towards their most likely applicants.

In order to fix the unfair selectivity that takes place during military recruitment, the United States must create programming that reaches out to impoverished youth. One Vietnam Veteran, John Cory, proposed the question, "For every $1 we spend on education in this country, we spend $6 on the defense industry. Are we really six times more dedicated to killing than educating?" It would seem to be prudent for our government to focus moneys on helping the poor. Certainly we as Mennonites would support such a move. After all, peace and justice isn't just a matter of avoiding war. It is also a matter of creating economic opportunities for all people. Regrettably this approach to economic development is getting short shrift. In fact, if anything, our governments, both federal and state, have engaged in a systematic decrease in social programs for the poor. These governments have cut welfare programs, forced single parents to work full time, and reduced student aid in higher education. The domestic needs of the lower class have been forgotten and overlooked more and more in recent years.

If our pleas for greater moneys for the poor continue to be ignored, perhaps it is time for us Mennonites to propose an even bolder measure. If poor youth are caught in a trap of military recruitment, and are unfairly being used by our federal government to fight its war, perhaps we should reinstate the draft. This idea outwardly appears to lack any sense of Mennonite ideals, yet the products of this proposed solution, in turn, would actually demonstrate many peace and justice principles.

Firstly, there is currently a complete divide between the individuals voting and strategizing our involvement in wars and the individuals actually risking their lives to fight. Mark Shields, a syndicated columnist and television commentator referred to this somewhat hypocritical situation by saying, "Those at peril are completely divorced from those in power. It's 'Patriotism Lite' -- you put a sticker on your SUV." If a reinstatement of the draft were to occur, rather than sending off some poor African American kid from the inner-city, a member of Congress could potentially be sending off their own child. Representative Charles Rangel from New York introduced legislation which would reinstate the draft. Rangel stated, "The number of federal lawmakers with children in the military has steadily declined since the Vietnam era, and some say that's too bad." Congressional members would be much more wary of voting in favor of potential United States involvement in wars if their own family members were the ones involved in combat. It is difficult to accept death counts, if those being counted are actually personally known. If the draft were to be reinstated, the draftees of the military would equally represent our nation's varying economic levels. Representative Rangel stated in support of reinstatement of the draft, "If indeed the president believes war is necessary in terms of our national welfare, then he has to believe that sacrifices need to be made, and those sacrifices need to be shared." This would merely create greater equality and justice within the establishment of the military.

Secondly, by reinstating the draft, American citizens would be more acutely conscious of the dangers and details of war. Rather than living in a bubble of seclusion from the rest of the world, Americans would become aware of the gruesome and demoralizing war efforts. Reinstating the draft would, in a sense, "bring the war back home." Representative Charles Rangel said, "If we bring back the draft, people will focus on who is put in harm's way." Americans would be forced to view and acknowledge the grim realities of war. Without the individual bubble shielding them from these realities, many people's attitude towards the current wars would shift. Negativity and criticism would surely be effects that would follow. It would bring into light the current war issues that many Mennonites are adamant about. A reinstatement of the draft would bring about discussion and debate over the inhumane and entirely unjustified war in Iraq. Grounds for getting involved in wars would have to be backed up much better than our President's current validations. Therefore, the idea of a "just war" could potentially be re-established.

Thirdly, through current policy, Mennonites have been able to practice non-resistance and pacifist attitudes without much resistance from either the government or fellow citizens. Similar to many American citizens, Mennonites are able to distance themselves from current wars. We Mennonites are taught not only to resist risking our lives for war, but also to be willing to wage our lives on peace - to practice pacifism even in the midst of heavy combat or violence. The Mennonite Confession of Faith states, "As disciples of Christ, we do not prepare for war, or participate in war or military service." During the Vietnam Era, Mennonites had to hold strong to their non-violent belief by deciding to become a Conscientious Objector, or become a part of the military. "During the Vietnam War more than 170,000 men were officially recognized as conscientious objectors. Thousands of other young men resisted by burning their draft cards, serving jail sentences or leaving the country." Mennonites must not only silently disagree with violence in the world, but also demonstrate radical behaviors of peace and justice that will share God's love and goodness with the rest of humanity. Members of CPT exhibit this on a daily basis: putting themselves in harm's way to further messages of peace. By reinstating the draft and becoming Conscientious Objectors, we would make it obvious to the rest of society that we believe violence is not a right or just solution to any problem.

We, as Mennonites must take bold actions that further our world to a greater good rather than remaining silent beneath our idealistic mentalities. Reinstating the draft would provide a radical alternative to the current injustice that is being done in the military. Rather than placing the lives of the poor in harm's way to fight the policies of the rich, all statuses of Americans would fight. Citizens of the United States would be more acutely aware of the realities of the warfront. The number of wars the U.S. would engage in would dramatically decrease due to the fact that the more prominent figures in our society (the ones actually making the decisions) would be wary of their own loved ones being put on the battlefield. As Mennonites, we could provide the rest of the world with a striking example of how to live out your faith and display true pacifism.