The Democrats Deserve A Contender

Her mind boggling at the condition of the modern GOP, my Georgia-based cousin Bebe Bahnsen, a lifelong Democrat, misses the thrill of facing worthy opponents:

As I told a Republican friend the other night, moderates in his party will have a wonderful opportunity to shape its restructuring if they lose in November. Conservatives would still be a critical part of the GOP but I dare to dream that folks who oppose contraception, for instance, would have less voice.

Then, in 2016, we could have a good, old-fashioned election that, of course, I would still want Democrats to win.

It Feels Drafty

My cousin and fellow Episcopalian and blogger, Bebe Bahnsen, believes it's time for rich and poor to share the burden of defending our country. For one thing, she thinks we'd all pay more attention to decisions about where, when, and how military force is used:

And I believe it should be a universal draft—men and women. The new draft I envision would require one or two years of service from all young Americans. Many would probably be in the military but there might be other ways to perform required service—teaching or assisting in substandard schools where children are destined for failure without special attention, for instance. Or volunteering in crime prevention programs in high-crime areas. Spending a year or two helping to rebuild this country’s crumbling infrastructure might be a possibility.

It might be necessary to stipulate a certain number of draftees for military service. In that case, the draft would have to be a system such as the lottery during the Vietnam War.