A Letter from Selective Service

I went home last week for Thanksgiving break to find a surprise waiting for me – a letter from Selective Service. Apparently I’d failed to register for Selective Service and was in danger of prosecution if I did not respond within 10 days. The registration for the draft, essentially – if it was ever needed, had slipped my mind. The entire idea of the draft goes against the concept of liberty; essentially, the government is saying one is expendable and that they own it’s citizens. Though past court cases do not support this, it is my belief that a military draft constitutes involuntary servitude, which goes against the 13th amendment.

One thing that bothered me about the letter I got from SSS was that one could exempt oneself if one was a woman. While it’s always been this way throughout the history of Selective Service, it’s not really a just law. Even feminists who rallied for equal opportunity opposed the exception. While I have no personal issue with female’s being except from the draft, it seems a little inconsistent and unjust.

Additionally, as mentioned above, the letter all but threatened imprisonment. This was my first letter from them, yet they were fairly direct in their phrasing and terminology. They said their goal was “to register you, not to prosecute you.” However, the tone of the letter seemed almost too straightforward and almost threatening.

On top of that, I had to make a decision. The thought of civil disobedience did indeed cross my mind. Do I show my opposition for an unjust law by not registering? This was something I had to truly consider. Furthermore, if the draft was ever re-imposed, would I serve and submit to this involuntary servitude, or would I practice civil disobedience, just on a larger scale?

In the end, I registered for Selective Service; however, the basis for such service is unconstitutional, and should the time come, one may need to consider civil disobedience rather that follow such an unjust law.