Precedents for avoiding military service

September 10, 2004 6:38 AM

Has George W. Bush established a moral precedent for evading military service in the United States? How about a legal precedent?
posted by mischief to Law & Government (8 answers total)

I think Bill Clinton may have--it's old news.

But really, this is not the kind of thing to be posted on AskMefi.
posted by ParisParamus at 6:57 AM on September 10, 2004

Paris is right, Clinton avoided service, and was against the war, which is morally consistent.

Bush got out of going to Vietnam and later claimed in his autobiography that he flew for years after he had actually been stripped of his flight status.

So, the conclusion? IOKIYAR.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:27 AM on September 10, 2004

Being too old, college, marriage, children, running to Canada, staying at home with the National Guard, or just not showing up for duty. That would be the ways to avoid military duty if there's a draft on, and a hell of a lot of people did at least one of them.

These days, the National Guard thing isn't working so well since so many of them are in Iraq, but you could always claim to be gay. Whether avoiding military service or the draft is moral is up to your own beliefs, though.
posted by mikeh at 7:29 AM on September 10, 2004

This is a loaded, pedantic question. And the answer is no, just like you already knew. If you're going to troll, you should be a little more subtle.
posted by angry modem at 8:10 AM on September 10, 2004

How about a legal precedent?

Yes, the old "well he did it" defense.

This "logic" didn't even work in gradeschool.
posted by probablysteve at 8:18 AM on September 10, 2004

But really, this is not the kind of thing to be posted on AskMefi.

I'm going to agree with PP.
posted by callmejay at 8:24 AM on September 10, 2004

Who the hell looks to George Bush as their guide to moral behavior???
posted by Jart at 12:30 PM on September 10, 2004

Kim Il Jong?
posted by Blue Stone at 1:34 PM on September 10, 2004