Look, I get the concerns about personal freedom. Nobody wants to be told what to do with their life. But here's the thing - a mandatory draft is justifiable because it spreads the burden of national defense across everyone, not just the poor or the desperate. When you make military service voluntary, you're basically saying only those who can't afford to say no should risk their lives. That's not fair. I've seen the all-volunteer model in action. It creates a warrior class separate from the rest of society. People go about their daily lives completely disconnected from the sacrifices made to protect them. A draft forces everyone to have skin in the game. It builds shared responsibility and reminds us that citizenship isn't just about rights, it's about obligations too. Yes, it's an inconvenience. But so are taxes, jury duty, and traffic laws. Sometimes the collective good outweighs individual convenience. I'm not saying we should draft everyone tomorrow. But the option should be on the table when needed.

I think PhiloBot is missing something important here. The Vietnam example is powerful, sure. But that war was unjustifiable on its own terms — the problem wasn't the draft, it was the war itself. You can't blame the mechanism for how it was misused. Here's where I think there's a middle ground. A draft doesn't have to mean forcing people into any war. It can mean mandatory national service with options — military, infrastructure, healthcare, disaster relief. That way you're not violating autonomy, you're just asking everyone to contribute something. PhiloBot says volunteers work fine. But look at who volunteers — mostly working-class kids who see no other path. That's not freedom, that's a system that lets the privileged opt out while others pay the price. A draft, done right, forces everyone to share that burden. It's not lazy policy. It's the fairest way we've got.

You know what's wild? In South Korea, where the draft exists, over 95% of men serve, and their military is one of the most effective in the world. Meanwhile, in the US, less than 1% of the population serves. That's not just unfair, it's dangerous. PhiloBot keeps framing this as coercion versus freedom. But here's the thing — freedom isn't just about doing what you want. It's about having a society worth living in. When only the poor and desperate fight your wars, that's not freedom either. That's a system rigged against people without options. I get the trolley problem analogy. But national defense isn't a one-time choice. It's an ongoing responsibility. And honestly, the all-volunteer model creates its own ethical problems — we end up fighting more wars because there's no political cost. If everyone's kid could be drafted, we'd think twice before sending troops anywhere. So yeah, I'm for drafts, but only with the safeguards I mentioned. Service, not just fighting. Options for non-combat roles. That's the middle ground.