"Draft Dodger" Trump
Warmonger Trump Is Far More Fitting--and Cutting
Seth Moulton, Congressman from Massachusetts, has once again called Donald Trump a draft dodger for his “heel spurs” that made him exempt from the draft during the Vietnam War. Previous to the dubious heel spurs diagnosis, Trump had taken student deferments for his time in college.
Of course, a whole lot of young men were “draft dodgers” in the 1960s--and who can blame them? The Vietnam War wasn’t exactly a moral crusade. Trump, who wasn’t about to be shot at for no reason, used the resources available to him, just like Bill Clinton (a questionable ROTC deal he later reneged on), Dick Cheney (student deferments and “other priorities”), George W. Bush (who took cover in the Texas Air National Guard), and Joe Biden (student deferments followed by claims of asthma, which didn’t prevent him from participating in athletics.)
It’s not that Trump was a draft dodger back in 1968 that makes him lamentable--it’s that he’s a hypocritical and enthusiastic warmonger today. He’ll send others to fight immoral crusades, as with Iran, but not himself or members of his family. Wars are for suckers, Trump allegedly has intimated, by which he meant anyone getting shot at in the trenches. Wars are certainly “great” for corporations and profiteers.
Seth Moulton’s draft dodger charge is just empty posturing. Certainly, Trump’s supporters don’t seem to care. They recognize Trump was “smart” to avoid military service in an undeclared and unwinnable war that should never have been fought. Just as they smile when Trump said he was “smart” to avoid paying federal income taxes when Hillary Clinton leveled that charge against him.
We peons all wish we were “smart” (had the money and connections) to avoid murderous wars and onerous taxes. But, sadly, a lot of us are “dumb” and have to pony up to the IRS. And if there’s ever a revival of the draft, rest assured the “dumb” will be drafted and the “smart” will once again create loopholes for themselves and their privileged progeny.
My advice: forget the “draft dodger” nonsense and hit Trump for his warmongering, his corruption, his greed, his utter indifference toward the plight of the poor and nearly everyone else he feels is beneath his notice.
P.S. If you watch the Seth Moulton interview above, you’ll note the typical Democratic sword-waving about a possible war with China over Taiwan. So Trump is criticized, not for his warmongering per se, but because he’s allegedly making America weaker in and around the waters of Taiwan, which my globe helpfully labels the “South China Sea.”
Well, we certainly can’t allow China to be strong in the South China Sea.
I read an article in NYT, yesterday, saying Pakistan is making/selling electric motorbikes because no one wants to pay for gas. Guess where most of the parts come from--China. Trump and entourage are doing more for China than anyone. The owner of one of the "bike" shops says Trump is their best salesman. Yup, Trump is good for business (even if it's for other countries he terms our "enemies"/competitors). What a "smart" guy!
I heard Chris Murphy offer a similar criticism of Trump and then prattle on about Ukraine. They're all the same - they just choose the 'just' conflict that is not in America's interest.
Every male teenager during the 1960s - particularly after about 1966 - at some time had to ponder his future upon reaching the age of 18 and getting a draft number. Particularly knowing older brothers of classmates who went and didn't make it home alive was sobering. When I was 18, my draft number was 352 and I knew (in 1970) I wouldn't be called.
I can't blame someone who used deferments to avoid military service. Some like the author James Fallow have expressed an almost shame they were able to use the system to stay out of the draft while others of lower economic conditions couldn't. Molly Ivins had perhaps the most reflective comment on the war - no one had any good choices.
Having said that, those who found a way out of the draft but now are the most strident war mongers, and that includes most of the owner class, deserve nothing but contempt. The orange monstrosity in particular should be reviled. That he's not, among a segment of the population who consider themselves 'patriots', reveals how empty the term is.