On a bright spring day, someone feels a draft

It was a rare and beautiful day in Philadelphia, a few days back.

South Pacific skies, an Aruba breeze, temps just right.

I had knocked off my rehab exercises in the morning, then monitored several channels to try to keep up with the rapidly changing mess in Iran — was the cease fire holding? Was there a cease fire? Was the Strait of Hormuz open? Was it closed? Were the Iranian charging tolls? Did President Donald J. Trump make another obscene genocidal threat?

There was no keeping up with that, but there was catching up with an old friend I don’t see enough over lunch at Capital Grille, one of my favorite restaurants. (Not just because that was where I had the first date with the wonderful woman who was to become my wife.)

I’m not mentioning my friend’s name, because she has been through a lot lately. The loss of a beloved relative, problems on the job, a bad tumble down some stairs. I don’t want to embarrass her, and she is a strong woman who does not want nor need sympathy.

We talked for more than two hours. 

Personal stuff, professional stuff, silly stuff.

The food was great, service attentive, and not too many other diners, so we had as much privacy as you can have in a public place.

It was immensely enjoyable, and then I was off to the Sofitel Hotel for cocktails with out-of-town friends, former Philadelphians. They represent an outer ring for me — educated, affluent, world travelers. Not many of my friends ring all three bells.

So no names here either.

Cocktails went on almost three hours, too enjoyable for words, and it was during that — here’s the lede — that one of them mentioned that they had “heard” Pete Hegseth was bringing back the draft.

What? I exclaimed calmly at the top of my lungs.

“The Republicans are in deep doo-doo for the midterms now, are they trying to cut their throats?”

That’s me talking. Then me asking, “Women too?”

My friend replied, “You know how he feels about women in the military.”

I do. I think troglodyte sums it up.

I will have more to say on that subject in a few paragraphs. (This is a writer’s device designed to keep you reading.)

Anyway, I pretty much forgot about the draft until I got home when a neighbor said she had heard the same thing.

The draft coming back would be a big story, but it was not mentioned on either the CBS or the NBC evening newscast.

Hmmm.

So I ventured into the dark waters of the internet, where I pretty quickly found what was going on.

Or wasn’t.

First, the draft.

There is no draft.

And there can’t be a draft without authorization by Congress. Pistol Pete can’t bring it back.

But, men turning 18 have to register with the Selective Service System, which maintains a database of men, should the draft return.

Spoiler alert: It won’t. Unless we are attacked — and invaded. We were attacked on 9/11 and no one called for the draft. The last active draft ended in 1973, thanks largely to the unpopularity of the Vietnam War, and it is highly unlikely to rise from the cemetery. 

So what did happen? 

Last December, a rule was passed that enables automatic registration of men. Until now, men had to turn up at a government office to register, and it is a felony to not do that.

And someone, somewhere, remembered or discovered the new rule, which led to many misleading headlines.

So nothing has really changed.

And here we get to the point I promised you: Women are still exempt.

Why?

Ladies, I am 1000% behind your demand for equal treatment in fields ranging from pay to employment to sports to academics (um, in which you already excel). I have a daughter. I have nieces. I have a wife. I am a feminist.

What I would like to see and hear is, say, the National Organization for Women, demand that women be registered, too.

I am not fooling, and I am not trolling. Why should women be exempt?

About 45 nations use mandatory conscription for men, with about one-quarter also drafting women. 

Why would we  voluntarily exclude half of our population in a time of emergency,  the only time a draft would be revived?