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We haven't gotten rid of it, it still exists. It just isn't being used right now. Getting rid of it would be to abolish it entirely, and instead require people
by JoshTriplett 7y ago
We haven't gotten rid of it, it still exists. It just isn't being used right now. Getting rid of it would be to abolish it entirely, and instead require people to voluntarily consent in the future. (And if you can't get people to agree to it, perhaps that should tell you something.) "needed" isn't even a factor here.
An involuntary mechanism for contact or location tracing that's accessible to governmental authorities without the consent of the user is a civil rights violation, whether it's being actively used at the moment or not.
- ceejayoz 7y ago> It just isn't being used right now. The American public exercised their power to elect politicians who'd end the draft as the Vietnam War got progressively more unpopular. It's well within our powers, if we care enough.
- JoshTriplett 7y agoIs it, in fact, "well within our powers", or do you just believe it is? I don't, in general, believe "we could take this power away from government if we wanted to" is true without an existence proof.
- ceejayoz 7y ago> Is it, in fact, "well within our powers", or do you just believe it is? Public opposition ended the Vietnam War and the draft. It would be political suicide to reactivate it barring a full-scale world war.
- aqq10 7y agoIf you care enough, sure. But a draft during war times is something very concrete and threatening. This is something covert, like secret courts, unconstitutional data collection, manipulating the stock market for the 1%. You won't get people to care once a new, barely visible leash is entrenched.