dodging or submitting to the draft

You wonder why, coming out of a war against fascism we didn't grow up fearing military dictators, yet we were perfectly at ease with tinpot dictators.  Why tinpot by the way?  Well most of those tinpot dictators weren't dangerous beyond their borders, and they did keep a lid on their local commies.  And they sort of acted like the Sawyer tinpots pretending to be a democracy and promising elections but doing whatever they damn well pleased.

It's funny that your mom would buy your pants because that was what everybody was wearing and not even ask you, who was one of that everybody, what you wanted.  Especially strange is why you didn't say anything.  Well I remember how hateful those back to school expeditions were, having to go into that little closet and put on those icky pants and have to parade around while your mom, and worse, maybe some saleslady looked on, and you kept saying, "They fit, they fit fine, let's take them and get out of here."  But she wasn't sure so maybe you should try these on, and what color did you want.  "Whatever color is on top is fine, let's get out of here."

There was a period in high school when I got vain, and cared what I wore, and maybe would spend some time eyeing a new shirt, well that was nothing compared to the time I spent combing my hair and testing hair tonics.

I don't know if getting rid of the draft was a good idea either.  I think you're right that it was a rite of passage, a way to get out of the family house and to meet all these people from all over the country, and kind of a democratizing thing, when they shaved your head and blew the bugle at five AM you were no better or worse than anybody else.  I submit that even dodging the draft was a rite of passage, it wasn't an easy thing.  There was some talk about making kids do two years of service instead of the army, maybe something like my CO, something poorly-paid, and away from home, and deemed vaguely in the national interest.  I think that would have been a good idea, but it went nowhere.  I think folks thought it seemed communistic.

Another thing about the draft is maybe it would have kept us out of some stupid wars.  Maybe if the kids of the ruling class were subject to it we might get into fewer of them.  And now we are getting into a thing where we are close to having a professional army, and I don't think that's a good thing.

I agree that the bible is a part of our heritage.  It's good for history and for art, but
I don't see where it has any relevance in the day to day life of unbelievers.  When you come to a fork in the road between doing the right thing and the wrong thing, do you determine which path to take by reading the bible or do you think it out in your head?

Let me say a few words about the constitution.  I agree entirely that it is the rules that we all agree to play by, and this is important because otherwise we are lock and loading everytime some issue comes up.  But I don't think it is some holy writ, sent down to us by some god who I don't believe in.  Maybe it's school.  Remember those crappy movies of guys in wigs who wrote with feathers, signing their names while the music soared.  Oh wait a minute, maybe that's The Declaration of Independence, that was more fun because after that we got out our muskets and whipped the redcoats.

The constitution, we just um, governed, which is a lot more boring, all those endless speeches, those histrionics.  Speaking of histrionics how about the current crop of candidates who question whether the supreme court is the law of the land, or want to do away with the 14th amendment by hiring some sharp lawyers.  They all claim they love the constitution, but they all want to violate it.  Crazy man crazy.  How about the wall between us and Canada?