College Republicans

They're having their convention or something this week. The question keeps coming up: if they're in favor of the war, why are they in college at all? Why don't they go enlist? Silly wabbit, getting killed in wars is for stupid people, not smart college students such as themselves. Also, it's vitally important that they fight liberalism on college campuses giving much needed symbolic support to actual troops, which is so much more valuable that actually risking yourself in anyway.

And on the other hand, I avoided asking this question of the young republican I know. One reason is that he argues like Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh and I don't especially enjoy provoking him as he becomes entirely unpleasant. The other reason is that I don't support the war and going to Iraq to fight is extremely dangerous and this seems like a variation of "why don't you go play in the freeway." Also, seriously, do we want our country to be represented by people this obnoxious?

And, again, on the other hand, sending poor people to fight their dubious wars is deeply immoral and if they think the war is such a great idea they should go fight in it. At the very least, they should join the ROTC. But this is their moral problem and not mine. My moral problem is stopping the war. Encouraging young republicans to sign up is like so much playground taunting at best and at worst, a distraction from actual anti-war work.

If they won't go, though, maybe they would start to ask themselves why it's ok to make other people go

Tags: Young Republicans, War, Celesteh