Selective Service: Status quo maintained

The ban on women in combat has been lifted, and while this action has been lauded as a major victory for gender equality and civil liberty, it comes into question; has anything really changed?

While there are no longer restrictions on women in combat roles, the Pentagon and the Department of Defense still have the arduous task of making the policy logistically feasible.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discussed the challenges at length in a press conference after repealing the ban, but one question raised by a journalist in the audience was particularly valid:

“…is there any thought to changing the Selective Service requirement so that young women at age 18 will have to — if we were to reintroduce the draft — to — and is it safe to say that this was essentially your idea to push forward with these changes?”

When that question was asked, I gave an emphatic “yes!,” but Panetta’s response was lackluster and weak at best:

“With regards to Selective Service, you know, that’s not our operation.  That’s obviously — I don’t know who the hell controls Selective Service, if you want to know the truth.  But, you know, whoever does, they’re going to have to exercise some judgment based on what we just did.”

And on Jan. 24, the Selective Service System issued this message:

“Even though the Secretary of Defense has decided to allow women in combat jobs, the law has not been changed to include this. Consequently, only men are currently required to register by law with Selective Service during ages 18 thru 25. Women still do not register.”

In the 1980 case of Rostker v. Goldberg, the Supreme Court upheld that requiring only men to register for Selective Service remained constitutional due to the ban on women in combat.

Now that no-such bans exist, congressional policy should be centered on ending gender discriminatory policy.

As we inevitably usher in the era of the infantrywoman, here’s a thought: Women are free to volunteer for combat positions, while men are still volun-told. Despite the social enlightenment that our liberalized society enjoys, we still cling to the notion that men are disposable.

Incentive for complying with the male only  Selective Service mandate include restrictions on Federal student loans, barring from Federal employment, a five-year prison sentence, and a $250,000 fine. In the event of the draft, the policy forces eligible males to be readily available to die for their country.

The Selective Service Initiative is an inherent threat to liberty, person, and property; imposing an unfair burden on men should they choose not to register.

Either registration, (and there-in; the draft) is compulsory for both sexes, or the Selective Service System should be abolished.