不管今天节目的标题是什么，就连约翰和肯也同意，军队可能是有用的。But, taking it for granted that any major nation which wishes to be a force on the world stage must havesomemilitary, that still leaves a ton of questions as towhat kindof military we ought to have. Should we have a compact military that deals only with homeland defense? Or should we have a large, robust force that can project power around the globe? And who should serve? Everyone? Or only volunteers? Do we civilians owe our military leaders a great deal of respect? John and Ken feel that it goes to the heart of the nature of democracy that the people of the nation as a whole ought to consider these vitally important questions, yet this topic has been conspicuously absent from the public eye—even though we have been at war for the last decade! One reason for this lack of discussion may be the lack of a draft. If military service were compulsive, then there is no doubt that politicians and military leaders would have a more difficult time convincing the nation of the necessity of mysterious wars.

大卫·肯尼迪加入讨论，提供一些历史方面的专业知识。在谈到军事目的的问题时，大卫说，在我们这个不完美的世界上，军事力量往往是必要的，而且可以用来维护国家的利益。然后他很快指出，相对而言，我们目前的军队规模非常小。当然，自第二次世界大战以来，时代已经改变了。纯粹的人力资源已经不像以前那么重要了，大卫认为志愿军的好处远远超过征兵的任何可能的原因。约翰担心向小型精锐军队的转变会带来真正的危险。美国人民会意识到我们国家或无人机实施的暴力行为吗?

Robin from Daly City asks Ken, John, and David to confront the tough question of whether “willing” and “volunteer” accurately describe the vast majority of our military, many of whom may feel compelled by their economic circumstances. David agrees this is a vitally important issue, and he points out that military recruitment occurs disproportionately from rural counties, southeastern states, and from the least privileged sectors of our society.

In closing, John and Ken ask David what he feels are the most immediately practical steps that could be taken in response to issues raised over the last hour. David responds that there are two major dimensions, accountability and equitability. First, he would restore the total force doctrine of the 1970’s which would raise the threshold for demonstrating that a war is reasonable. Second, he would bring back ROTC at ‘elite’ universities to try and provide more connection between all sectors of society. Third, without imposing obligatory military service, he feels that some version of lottery could go a long way towards removing some of the perceived class boundaries within the military.

• Roving Philosophical Reporter (seek to 5:30):Caitlin Esch speaks with a Vietnam veteran who went through the draft process. Rick Collins, who grew up in a working-class neighborhood, ending up volunteering in order to choose what kind of job he could have in the war. He discusses his experiences coming before an all-white male draft board, and how it felt to be called “a babykiller” after returning from the war.
  
• 60-Second Philosopher (seek to 46:50):伊恩·肖尔斯(Ian Shoales)负责报道，他告诉我们，第二修正案提醒我们，“一支纪律严明的民兵对一个自由州的安全是必要的，人民持有和携带武器的权利不得侵犯。”然而，他想知道，按照21世纪的标准，今天行使这一权利的美国人是否仍然可以被视为一支管理良好的民兵。