Our young people can still be forced to fight

Pasadena, Calif.: Most Americans don’t realize the military draft system is still the law. Under the Selective Service Act, all men 18 to 26 are required to register, including immigrants and noncitizens, documented or not. While there is no active draft, like there last was during the Vietnam War, when some burned draft cards in protest, failure to register may subject men to a fine of up to $250,000 and five years in jail. You can be barred from a job in the federal government or federal job training programs, or denied financial aid, scholarships and employment in the public sector on the state and local level.

While the Selective Service reports registration rates for young men at 80%, the number is misleading since the majority don’t register themselves. Many states have automatic registration for men when they reach 18, so most don’t realize they’re on the draft rolls. While the likelihood of actually getting drafted is slim, the increased engagement of the U.S. in foreign wars increases the chances, however remote, of instituting the draft.

The fundamental question is whether we need a draft, and if so, should the penalties be so steep for failing to register? The current state of technological warfare suggests that making millions of Americans subject to conscription makes little sense, practically or politically. Having a government agency that automatically registers millions of young Americans for military service seems like unnecessary overreach. Many young men don’t realize that their lives are on the line when America goes to war, whether it’s popular or not. Hoyt Hilsman

Deer Park, L.I.: To Voicer Amelia Bissonette: Military force is........

© NY Daily News