Louisiana Senator Cassidy Thinks Drafting Women Gives Equal Opportunity

By Shane Kastler

I have railed for some time against the maniacal idea of the military draft being extended to include women.  Make no mistake, I oppose the draft in all forms; and think it is just as reprehensible to force men to serve and die for a cause they may or may not believe in as well.  The military should be an all-volunteer army.  And if it’s not, then the entire idea of liberty is nothing more than an elaborate hoax foisted on the masses.  The only TRUE liberty belongs to those who cannot be drafted.  Because when you live in a country that believes it has the right to take your sons, brothers, and fathers BY FORCE to “serve” then you don’t really live in a free country.  Rather, you live in a country of freedom for the elites and slavery for the peons.  Now, the United States wants to potentially expand the nationally sanctioned kidnappings to include your daughters, sisters, and mothers.  The asinine concept of forced military service has been elevated to the level of “infinitely asinine.”  And the most frustrating part of it all is that the elected officials in Washington are either too ignorant, or too corrupt to care. 

Take for example, my Senator Bill Cassidy; the smiley outspoken “conservative” who voted in favor of the military bill that included drafting girls.  I wrote to Sen. Cassidy and expressed
my strong opposition to the legislation.  He responded to me by saying that the draft gives women “equal opportunity” to serve in the armed forces.  I am dumbfounded by the fact that 85 U.S. Senators continue to describe the draft as an “opportunity.”  Who, in their right mind, would see a legalized, government kidnapping as an “opportunity.”  I echo to Sen. Cassidy, the same thing I have said over and over and over again to any citizen and/or political hack who cares to listen:  Women do not need to be DRAFTED to have “OPPORUNITY” to serve in the military.  If they want the OPPORTUNITY to serve…. THEY CAN ENLIST!!!!!  Enlisting involves signing up, of your own accord, to serve in the military.  The Draft involves taking citizens against their will and forcing them to “serve.”  If you want equal opportunity, then let the girls who want to fight….fight.  Let the girls who want to stay home…….stay home.  Let the citizens do as they please.  And let the government STAY OUT OF IT!

Here is an excerpt from Sen. Cassidy’s letter of response to me:

“Dear Reverend Kastler:

Thank you for expressing your thoughts on Senator Lee’s amendment to require women to be registered for the draft. It’s good to hear from you, and I appreciate you taking the time to write to me on this complex issue….As a husband and father of two daughters, I care and believe deeply that women should be afforded the same opportunities as men. Our country has made great strides throughout history and should continue on this path. Please know that I do not support gender discrimination of any kind. Through my work as your Senator, I will continue to make sure that women’s rights are always treated with the respect it demands.”

So Sen. Cassidy told me that he views it as “gender discrimination” if we don’t give our daughters the “opportunity” to be drafted!  Perhaps I’m just stupid; but I think this is a type of discrimination I would joyfully welcome.  Maybe instead of avoiding the “discrimination” of not forcing women to be drafted we should EXTEND the “discrimination” to male and female alike.  And not draft anyone to serve against their will.  For all the banter in political circles about how reprehensible slavery was and is; the majority of our country supports it --- as long as it’s carried out by the military under the direction of the Federal government.

Sen. Cassidy is trying to paint his support for drafting women as him being a champion of women’s rights.  This type of thinking seems to be clueless, political jargon designed to make the senator look appealing to feminists; and hoping that no one actually pays attention to what he just said.  But I am paying attention.  And like the senator, I also have two daughters.  Sen. Cassidy says: “As a husband and father of two daughters, I care and believe deeply that women should be afforded the same opportunities as men.”  Well, Rev. Kastler’s reply is this: “As a husband and father of two daughters, I care and believe deeply that women SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE TO LIVE THEIR LIFE AS THEY PLEASE, without a government requirement to sign up for federal slavery.”  In fact, I would prefer to have the same liberty granted to my son as well, but I digress.

While I may agree with Sen. Cassidy on other issues, his response to me on this issue is unconscionable and incoherent.  He epitomizes what is wrong with Washington.  He supports dictatorial legislation, that he defends with pious and politically correct rhetoric, while seemingly unable to truly defend his position when engaged in a true intellectual debate.  Drafting women is not equal opportunity.  It is equal incarceration.  I oppose it.  Sen. Cassidy favors it.  But our daughters could potentially pay for it.  Wow.  What a country.  Yet another coward politician, gaining and keeping power, by stepping on the necks of the men and WOMEN he is supposed to represent.  All the while, smiling at you and telling you he's in favor of "equality." Indeed we are all equally doomed with senators like him.

Shane Kastler is Pastor at the Heritage Baptist Church, Lake Charles, LA and Co-Host; "Church & State" KELB Radio, 100.5 FM. He blogs at The Narrow Road.