Watch for Oz Bengur's son, Noah, to be in the Baltimore area this weekend to campaign for his dad. Oz Bengur is running for the Third District congressional seat on a strong end-the-war message, and he's probably one of the very few candidates around the country who actually has a family member in combat boots. Noah Bengur is a Marine captain and Harrier pilot who has served in Iraq.

There has been a monsoon of e-mail and calls -- most in approval and agreement -- on my recent column on military service and the lack of public and personal sacrifice in the "war on terrorism." A number of writers argued against the draft because they do not believe in the mission in Iraq, or don't even know what the "mission" is. They believe the Bush administration lied to get us into Iraq.

Fine. They are entitled to believe that, and it's pretty much where I am. Beyond the present situation, however, there is still a lack of engagement in the national defense by all segments of American society; right now only a certain segment steps up to volunteer, or is the target of recruitment efforts. The affluent and well-educated are most certainly not inclined to enter the military.

The problem I have with the "Bush's war" argument against the draft is this: Had more Americans had something personal at stake, and had more members of Congress family members with their lives on the line -- we might have been more cautious about letting the president start this war, and we would certainly be more active in coming up with a finishing plan. When more Americans, across all socioeconomic strata, are engaged in the nation's defense the nation gains in a more vigilant citizenry.

Here are more letters from readers. (For further response, please submit a post to this blog.)

WTRA (wishing to remain anon.):

Why should I encourage my children to blindly follow a
mad imbecile who sends them to die in an unprovoked
invasion of a sovereign nation?  I have no problem with citizens
defending a direct threat to the United States, but
have a problem with the Military-Industrial Complex
using 'terrorism' as an umbrella to justify their
hidden agendas.  We need a return to honesty and
integrity in our government.  Until that time, I will
do everything in my power to keep my kids out of the military.

Lee Lears:

There seems to be a real disconnect in this argument
about the efficacy of a military draft. What's left
out of the equation is the question of the Iraq War
itself -- a war that was conceived in mendacity; a war
that was unprovoked and unnecessary; a war that has
maimed and killed thousands of Americans and
Iraqis, for no reason; a war that has nothing to do
with the defense of the United States or the
installation of democracy in Iraq --and everything to
do with oil, hegemony and the hubris of politicians.
A military draft will facilitate this pointless carnage, just as it did in Vietnam. There's nothing democratic about military conscription. It simply provides the government with cannon fodder for military adventurism. If we really want to support the troops, we'll begin bringing them home from this quagmire.
Stuart Aiken:

My second son graduated from West Point in May 2005 and will be deployed to Baghdad in about one month. I read about service men and women who have died in Iraq/Afghanistan and I come to tears. There is no response to this war like it was during the Vietnam era. As you are well aware there was a draft back then and college student anti-war activism heightened the nation's awareness to that futile effort in SE Asia.

Eliel:

I can hardly think of a more important topic of discussion for our country. The bottom line up front is that the situation puts our democracy in danger. By the way, I just showed up in Iraq for a year tour. I went to Afghanistan in 2004-05.

Joan Wodarski:

As a mom who watched her son strive to get accepted into the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, I highly agreed with your article. My son did get accepted into West Point. It was the greatest two years of my life. I can't say the same for him, however. At first he enjoyed it, not because he liked being yelled at, but because he could see the big future down the road. This began to fade. Since he sang in the boys’ choir at his high school he was asked to sing in the West Point choir. They sing at all the funerals of the fallen soldiers who return home to West Point.  In ‘03, Steve wrote to me that it seemed like it was every day. Eventually, when he did make it home, I saw a depression coming over him....This went on for two years.... He finally opened up to me and said, "Mom, I don't think I can send guys out to die for me in this battle.” My heart was crushed...He said what I had felt.  My views on the war had been changing. It was witnessed everyday on the evening news, which they seemed to brush by, only to move on to the next topic. He has transferred to a civilian college.  Much happier and doing well.  We still keep in touch with our friends from West Point....and pray for them each day.

From Herman Heyn, Baltimore: