from Issue #1, April 2016, page # 26
by James G. Landis
The United States and Canada claim that because you are a citizen or a subject, a young person who turns 18 has an obligation to “serve your country.” And this usually means fighting in the army or an attached part of the military. In wartime, trying to evade this so-called service is a very serious crime.
Some of us who are older, well remember the posters with a stern-faced Uncle Sam in a blue coat pointing a bony finger at you. The caption read, “Uncle Sam wants you.” The claim to two to four years of your life in service and a willingness to die for your country has been somewhat blurred by the technology of warfare and the volunteer armies. But the underlying claim to your money and your life is still present.