Over the past several years we have been hearing often in the news
media about shortage of army recruits. This has been leading many
people to believe that tit is necessary to reinstitute the draft. I
have a suggestion for solving this problem that, I beleive, would be
more constructive. I ask you to give attention to this idea.

I suggest that the best way to solve this problem is to draft into the
military violent criminals in American prisons.

My reasons for suggesting this are several, and I believe they are all
valid and ultimately compelling. First of all, it would give the
military all the manpower it needs. With nearly 2 million prisoners,
there will be more than enough able-bodied men to give America all the
manpower it needs.

Secondly, this will take people who are a social liability to America
and make them an asset. Instead of overpopulationg, at huge expense,
the prisons, these people would be performing a great social service -
social service that they, being violent already, would be uniquely
equipped to perform.

Third, it would harness the masculine energy of people who now use it
destructively, and instead involve it in a constructive way. The bulk
of American violent criminals are youing people from disadvantaged
backgrounds who feel disenfranchised in America and decide that the
only solution is to become thugs. If these people are employed instead
in service fof America - with all the honor, glory and principle that
comes with it - these people would no longer feel disenfranchised, but
rather become a full, loyal, principled constituency in America -
constituency that furthermore will have the skills, imparted through
military, to build and improve America on a lasting basis. The
aggressive energy will be harnessed in service to the country and given
the right skills and principles - and America will blossom as a result.

I elaborate. It has been long known all over the world that male
aggressive energy degenerates into destructive bullying when left to
its own devices. When it is given principles, however, it becomes an
important ingredient in building a lasting and habitable civilization.
When men who think that being a man is being a thug is given
constructive principles and socially constructive channel for his
energy, he turns into a citizen - and civilization benefits as a
result.

Finally, this is also a matter that Christian leadership can and should
find close to heart. The Christian concept of grace and redemption can
and would be made applicable on a social scale. The people who live in
sin and in darkness would be given an opportunity to shed their past
and, having been redeemed, become soldiers in service of freedom and
righteousness. This, more than anything, could give the Bush
administration the legacy it seeks for itself.

I believe that this idea would appeal to both parties. The criminals
would be redeemed and given a noble work to pursue; prison
overpopulation would be reduced; America would have more than adequate
manpower for the military; and the people who feel disenfranchised and
turn destructive would be enfranchised as full-fledged citizens. I hope
you take this idea into consideratrion. It is a realistic solution to
many problems at once - and one that just might help improve America.

Ilya Shambat.



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