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TechnoratiRegistering for Peace
On Wednesday, the 29th of July, I filed a lawsuit against the federal government declaring that, because of my religious beliefs, I should not be required to register for the draft unless it could be officially recognized that I claim to object to all war.
I grew up believing not only in nonviolence, but also that I should never submit myself to a system that is contrary to my beliefs. As traditional principles of Quakerism, these were part of my religious education; but also, by Quaker teaching, a person must come to these conclusions only by checking their own conscience.
There was no time that my beliefs were challenged as deeply as when I first had to decide whether or not to register.
I had just come back from six months working with Burmese refugees in Thailand when I was delivered a letter threatening prosecution if I didn't sign a draft registration card, already inscribed with my name and address. Having just lived on the edge of a war-zone, my beliefs were as clear as ever before.
On the other hand, refusing to register for the draft is a felony and, though no one has been convicted in two decades, it's punishable by up to five years in prison. Refusal also makes you ineligible for federal aid in paying for college, and, because of a recent wave of legislation, it can even keep you from renewing your driver’s license in all but a shrinking handful of states (my home state of Washington among them, lucky for me.) According to the Selective Service System, the organization that runs draft registration, many states with these license laws have seen registration leap to 99 percent.
But a more pressing question for me was: What does a belief in nonviolence really mean? I had to go back to the beginning, to the very root of my beliefs.
To me it came down to this: if I register, I'm saying, “If there's a war and you need someone to fight, call me up.” That's not a statement I can make and still respect my conscience. To me, any lie I put my word behind is reprehensible, and one that also violates my principles of belief is out of the question. If I'm ready to give up my beliefs for a little ease or regularity, what does that make me?
I sent in the first of many letters to the SSS indicating my refusal and asking for relief on religious grounds (and making it clear that I would be happy to register for service, as long as it would be recognized that I was indicating service at a nonmilitary facility such as a hospital or school). Two years later, still denied federal college aid or recognition of my beliefs, I sat with my lawyer, Arthur Spitzer of the ACLU, in a benign waiting room deep in the DC federal court house, watching the friendly clerk as she photocopied the 15 pages of my legal complaint.
I don’t know what the outcome will be, but I’m happy and exhausted, in the capital of this nation that will always be my home, no matter how far I travel. I feel grateful to finally have a way that I can seek relief; still, I think the change that I'm asking for is mostly a change of minds.
I can't tell you how often people have said to me, “I had no idea young men still have to register for the draft.”
Many of those young men are unaware, too. Over and over I talk to men my own age who say, “I never registered.” I ask them if they're in college and, if so, if they're receiving any financial aid. If the answer is yes, then I tell them, “Well, then you did register.”
I nearly registered myself on accident when I was filling out my application for student aid. There's a tiny line in the middle of the application for federal aid: the innocuous phrase, “Register student for Selective Service?” Below that is the fine print saying that if you answer “no” you won't be eligible for any financial aid. It's such a no-brainer that so many people answer yes, not realizing that a signature at the end of the form counts as an official signature registering you for the draft.
Now, like anyone involved in the legal process, I have to be patient. The defendants have 60 days before they have to respond, and it could be several years before this matter is settled. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a country where service means more than war—and no other people, religious or secular, have to violate their beliefs in order to enjoy their rights.
9 Comments so far
Show AllI have to say, I admire your courage and conviction. I also believe that there should be an outlet to let people perform national service without having to compromise their beliefs. I have been a soldier and worked for the government on contract. I believe that it wrong to ask individuals whom are not suited to this type of calling, to in essence, become cannon fodder. Man is a greedy, violent, and irrational animal. Sometimes it is good to have a shepard guarding when the wolf howls at the door. But it is also critical that the shepard is not a wolf in sheeps clothing.
The cold hard truth is, that for you to have this right, someone suffered and possibly gave their life for you. I also believe that a national system of healthcare (not health insurance) could be a possible avenue for people with your convictions, to serve the greater good. Don't count on it ever happening soon. Vote out your favorite sell-out next election. Then we'll see.
Congratulations on the lawsuit! Excellent point also that many of your contemporaries don't even recognize they've registered. Further, it's clear that a gender-neutral community should force both women & men to register (if anyone at all). Why isn't this done? The blowback would be much higher if all young people were exposed to potential military servitude. Split the patsy pool in half, and any resistance is more controllable. For your own next parallel challenge you may be interested in: http://peacemonth.org
During the Vietnam War I did two years of alternative service, working for minimum wage at a state mental hospital. I had registered for the draft, because the law said I had to. When my number came up, I declared myself to be a Conscientious Objector and filed a carefully crafted appeal with my local draft board. They accepted it, so I was able to stay true to my moral and religious beliefs without breaking any laws.
Does this mean I feel morally pure? No. I still occasionally feel existential guilt, because my education and my contacts with both Quakers and Mennonites gave me an advantage others did not have. I had classmates who died over there. I wonder if I should have gone to Vietnam as a medic. Back then I rejected this choice on the purely intellectual basis that clearing the wounded is a key component in the war effort, just like driving a supply truck or being a cook. I was lucky in that I did not have to deal with having my appeal be rejected and be faced with the choice of going either to jail or Canada. I also was lucky, because Vietnam was an easy decision. I often think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and pacifist, who was executed after engaging in a plot to kill Hitler. What choice would I have made? I don't know. I do suspect that Bonhoeffer was a better Christian than I have ever dreamed of being. Life is complicated, and as I get older I see more shades of gray. With regard to the issue at hand, I see nothing wrong with registering for the draft, but I respect Tobin's decision and wish him well.
You are a good man Toby Jacobrown. Non-violence is what all of Christianity should be about, not just the courageous Quakers. But this is what happens when Christianity buys into the "system" rather than being counter-cultural as Christ so preached.
Thanks Toby,as a friend I applaud your statement of conscience and your lawsuit is brave and powerfull.You also reminded me that I need to join the new local chapter of the A.C.L.U and send them a check.Good luck brother I will hold you in the light and in my prayers. peace p.s. great website by the way
I propose an online voter initiative and referendum to establish a Department of Peace.
Would national service be attractive if every opportunity were included in list of possibilities - Peace Corp, Forestry Service, conservation groups, military, , etc etc.....
Two years of a selfless endeavor to be with and benefit people you would not normally associate with in a part of the world you wouldn't normally choose for vacation?
I was scoped up by the draft in late 60's and would have appreciated more options.
I turned 18 in 1971 and registered for the draft in a timely fashion. 1971 was the first year that there was no college deferment. Being unlucky my lottery number was in the low thirties. The “unofficial rumor” that year was the 10% of the pool were to be called up.
I received a notice to report to my local draft board to be bused to Indianapolis to receive a Pre-Induction Physical. Boarding the bus in the wee hours of the morning there were already a few men onboard and as the bus passed through each county seat on the way to Indy more were loaded aboard.
By 1972 (when I had to report for my physical) the war in Viet Nam was widely unpopular.
Based on my conversations with fellow potential draftees that day at least a third, possible half, would have refused to report had there been a draft call-up that year. Simply stated the draft ended because those who would have been drafted refused to cooperate with the system.
Thankyou Toby for your commitment to those principles to live in peace, and for your courage to share these with those who sit in the seats of power. I have a disturbing feeling however that if the draft were to be reinstated there would be such objection that those in power would have to rethink the insanity of war.