By Joseph Povec

(Feb 19): I fingered through the mail lazily, hoping I had at least received a late Christmas check from one of my relatives. I found a bill for James Povec, an American Airlines executive club letter for Karen Povec, and JCrew, Sharper Image and The Complete Cigar Smokers catalogs (no one in my family smokes).

At last, at the bottom of the pile, I got to a piece of mail addressed to Mr. Joseph Povec. It was a plain postcard, but what caught my eye were the shiny blood-red words on the front. "Did you forget?" they asked. I nervously glanced left and then right. What had I forgotten? With a hesitant flick of my wrist I flipped the postcard over. "Our records identify you as a man who may be required to register with the United States Selective Service System," it said. I gave both a sigh of relief and of annoyance. This was the third notice I had received from the government telling me to register for the draft. My first came a few days before my 18th birthday. The U.S. government was the only one of my family members to recognize my birthday on its actual date.

Well, truth be told, I hadn't forgotten to send my registration form in; I had avoided sending it. For some reason it seemed that by putting my name on their list I was signing away my life to the U.S. government -- a government whose decisions I tend to disagree with lately. I began to question what I would do if I actually got called into service. What would I do when two stern officers in uniform showed up on my doorstep? "We're going to war, soldier."

"But, what are we fighting for?"

"Well son, itıs time those pseudo-intellectual Frenchmen learned their lesson about disagreeing with us."

I donıt want you to get the wrong idea. I love America. In the words of Jean-Jacques Cadet, "There's no other place I'd rather be. The grass is always greener on the other genocide." However, there are precious few things in this world I would pick up a gun for and this war against terrorism is not one of them. I will never fight in a war that demands retraction of the freedoms our country was founded under, a war I believe is unconstituted, and a war I believe has little to do with terrorism and more to do with personal motives.

Some of my peers may be willing to participate in this ever-expanding war, and some will be reluctant. It is a real issue all of my generation will more than likely face. American troops are already spread thin and far, and with Pentagon plans for a spring Afghanistan campaign, the word "draft" will undoubtedly come up on the congressional floor.

According to the New York Times, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has announced plans to move eight of the 10 active army divisions to Iraq and Afghanistan. This giant movement (the largest since World War II) will undoubtedly create empty space. Rumsfeld plans to fill the void with some 20,000 Marines, but even more troops will be needed eventually, especially in a national emergency.

Many political analysts believe the reason the U.S. didn't pursue information on North Korea's nuclear weapons project was due to the nationıs lack of free personnel. President Bush hopes to stop the unenrollment and retirement from the armed services by requiring a 90-day mandatory stay in the service after soldiers return to their bases. This of course undercuts the concept of an all-volunteer military. Whether it would pass or not, the movement for a possible draft is gaining traction.

I did finally register with the United States Selective Service System. It took 30 seconds online. It was quick and easy, just as my postcard promised. Yet the difficulty was not in the swiftness or simplicity of the registration. It was difficult knowing that it would be far easier for Uncle Sam to point his finger at me now that I had shown him just where to point.

Joseph Povec of Camden is a senior at CamdenHills Regional High School. He is an occasional VillageSoup contributor.

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