Show I J Two Cheeseburgers One Large Fries and anda a Pledge of To Go GoBy By Nancy Dixon The military draft is once again threatening to interrupt the American form of life as we know it today People are in an uproar uproar uproar up up- roar about the possible infringement infringement infringement in in- on their personal personal personal per per- freedom Ive got gotbetter gotbetter gotbetter better things to do is not an uncommon complaint The same goes for I UI dont don't want to die yet that is spoken as the grumbling individual lights his cigarette while gassing up his motorcycle prior to hi hitting the rush hour fic It appears that in answer answer answer an an- to these awful threats the fast food attitude attitude attitude at at- is showing its lip smacking face again theres there's just no appetite for anything that's not quick conventional carefree and fattening It was the sound of the and has perhaps even become a anew anew anew new tradition Whatever happened to pride in ones one's country to the sense of duty to the tradition of patriotism Has it seen its last day because because because be be- cause it is no longer convenient convenient convenient con con- to the American way of life At least once a year the Internal Revenue Service poses the same ungodly threats at the very least the same response Ive got better things to do But somehow the attitude toward the not so beloved IRS I.R.S. is a bit different It is very inconvenient to pay taxes but they do get paid Personal liberties and needs are comprised but the taxes still get paid I for example did not need the police last month but that does not entitle me to toa a tax rebate for services not rendered I dont don't have any children but that does not give me the right to refuse refuse refuse re re- fuse to pay a tax that is spent on public education I suppose I could always make it my right except that the government seems to have put a limitation limitation limitation limita limita- tion on how much of a aright aright right t I can really claim This is not a kindergarten playground it tells me The law of the sandbox does not hold up here If I dont don't go along with the majority rule because I dont don't like the way it interferes interferes interferes inter inter- feres with my game I not only stand a good chance of getting sand kicked in my face but I could go to jail Taxes are never a popular popular popular lar cause but they are al always always always al- al ways paid And the reason they are always paid is not entirely because of any threat of imprisonment The fact is that there are certain facts of life that simply must be accepted Growing up is one of them Paying taxes is another No man or woman is isan isan isan an island and there are dues to be paid for it That wars are waged is a fact of history And unless a body of people should prefer to relinquish its possessions and claims to its adversary and that has not been the usual historical case then the national defense must also be a fact of life Its It's part of the dues It was not so long ago that wars were waged on this continent to win the rights and freedoms that are basic to Americans today The problem is that those rights have become so basic that they are presumed presumed presumed pre pre- to be inherent in American life Overstuffed Overstuffed Overstuffed Over Over- stuffed chairs potato chips and TV sets have become so comfortable and commonplace that they have become the expectations expectations expectations of every economic class They are taken to be bethe bethe bethe the very least that we should have from society and a government that for some reason owes us Somehow the popular cause in recent times has been to make the government government government govern govern- ment pay its dues to the people above and beyond its primary function for something less than an equal exchange We did not however get these rights and comforts for nothing And it is naive to think that we can keep them for nothing They are guaranteed to us only to the extent that the constitution constitution constitution con con- is guaranteed which it definitely is not The world did not give us our country we took it And there are plenty of others who would just as soon take it from us That is not necessarily to say that what is called for is a civic passion for bodily sacrifice in the name of national security Certainly no one wants to to die There is a kind of irony however in the tendency tendency tendency ten ten- dency for modern Ameri Ameri- cans to regard their somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what life threatening habits ts like operating dangerous vehicles in dangerous situations or voluntarily inhaling nicotine more lightly than the equally hazardous hazard hazard- ous practice of soldiering It is also ironic that what is done in selfish carelessness careless careless- ness is thought of more highly than what is done in national consciousness certainly a more noble cause Admittedly the battleground battleground battleground battle battle- ground feature of military military military mili mili- tary service can be hard to accept though that's hardly all that's involved involved involved in in- in serving ones one's country But it is a fact of life that cannot be eliminated eliminated eliminated by simply not wanting wanting wanting want want- ing it Neither the scare tactics of draft resignation nor wars for popular causes should be needed to see it There is a give and take situation inherent in being a part of any coun coun- try National consciousness conscious conscious- ness really is not bad And Anda a renewed sense of national national national na na- pride duty and heri heritage tage really would not hurt anyone |