Dear US Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.,
I write to you a confused and somewhat jaded citizen. Over a year ago, I was ecstatic to hear that you were proposing reinstating the draft. I wasn't thrilled because I thought that my extensive military experience (I play that Xbox game Halo at least twice a week) would be put to the test, but I salivated at the thought of seeing the reactions of war supporters once they were asked to strap up their gear and head for Iraq. I envisioned the worry on the faces of the wealthy and well-protected Congress once they realized that they and their children could possibly be sent up to fight. However, that excitement which burned from the underbelly of my soul went numb when I learned that you went along with 400 other members of Congress to vote against your proposal for the draft.
According to White House correspondent Askia Muhammad, in a New York church on the eve of the war in Iraq, you contended that reinstating the draft would bring about change in government. You also said that doing so would \embarrass the president"" but more importantly ""deter people from talking about going to war if, indeed they thought their loved ones, their family, their community would be placed in harm's way.""
What could it have been that changed your mind, Mr. Rangel? Seeing as almost no one in Congress has offered their children to fight in this bipartisan supported war and that the president is using the war for his political advantage, I can't fathom why you would now change your mind. I can't understand why you have opted to become a part of the blind sheep that are herding the American people onto the dark path of political stupification.
What happened to your edge? Nearly four years ago I watched you, along with the rest of the Congressional Black Caucus, stand up to the Senate and protest the shady election tactics that have tarnished the American ideal of democracy. I now see you bowing to political pressure, afraid to stand as the lone soul who will challenge his colleagues and stand for what is right.
While I know that many Americans, including myself, are content that the draft doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of becoming a reality anytime soon, I'm saddened that our freedom fighters and true whistle-blowing politicians are becoming apathetic and weary.
Don't bend to the system and be whittled away into conformity. Follow your convictions because the soldiers, the public and myself are depending on you.
opinion@dailycardinal.com.
