Once in a while, I receive letters from young men asking me for personal advice
on problems connected with the draft. Morally, no one can give advice in any
issue where choices and decisions are not voluntary: “Morality ends where a gun
begins.” As to the practical alternatives available, the best thing to do is to
consult a good lawyer.
There is, however, one moral aspect of the issue that needs clarification. Some
young men seem to labor under the misapprehension that since the draft is a
violation of their rights, compliance with the draft law would constitute a
moral sanction of that violation. This is a serious error. A forced compliance
is not a sanction. All of us are forced to comply with many laws that violate
our rights, but so long as we advocate the repeal of such laws, our compliance
does not constitute a sanction. Unjust laws have to be fought ideologically;
they cannot be fought or corrected by means of mere disobedience and futile
martyrdom. To quote from an editorial on this subject in the April 1967 issue
of Persuasion: “One does not stop the juggernaut by throwing oneself in front
of it. . . .”