US Attacks Iran 2026

[Jazman]

I will be very, very surprised if a draft materializes anytime soon. I think public support would be low enough that the party in power would really take a hit in the next election cycle.

I think you’re right in the current climate, but if we were to experience a 911 type attack followed by the intense propaganda you would expect from the current administration I believe a draft would not be out of the question. I also agree with Jazman that conscientious objectors will not likely have as easy a time as they have for the past 75-100 years.

Particularly if the loudest representatives of COs decide to align themselves wholly with whatever the Democratic Party wants.

Responding to this earlier sprout of a conspiracy theory? but also trying to bring it back to another angle that was raised about this current event and what it might mean for conservative Anabaptists (CAs) / COs...

First to JohnH and that strange, confusing line... are you referring to conservative Anabaptist CO's? (and their CO representatives)?
I don't know any, nor have heard of any conservative Anabaptists aligned in any way with the Democratic Party or progressive/liberals by voice, rhetoric or votes.

Regardless of what you were trying to get at - I do know/have seen conservative Anabaptists (CAs) loudly and proudly aligned with the Trumpism Republican Party, by talk, rhetoric and voting. There are videos of CAs talking about their trust/belief in Trumpism; there are reports and journalism showing the same thing. I have my own personal experiences of observing/overhearing. It seems like there's a fare number of CA's, especially Old Orders who lean towards or completely support the current ruling party/movement. It seems they think this party is the 'christian' one and therefore will protect them, commiserate with them because they supposedly share similar 'values'...?

Granted, there are some nice grandfatherly or motherly GOP legislators who probably feel fondly towards the plain peoples...but they're not the ones running this show are they? They might put in a dissenting voice in a meeting run by the likes of Hegseth or Rubio et al? Who knows what favor or protection of CAs would come from that. I have my doubts... (For some hint, see discussions here on MN between real conservative/plain Anabaptists vs politically motivated/zealous non-Menno, non-CO Christians; note the breakdown in good feelings when the rubber starts hitting the road; the difference in values, world view/hermeneutic, but especially real life praxis if the subject is difficult/alarming current events... Note the authoritarian anger, the calls for punishment directed towards the CO conservative Anabaptist. I suspect many of you have had these kinds of conversations in real life with family/friends (I have) and they should tell you something about the feelings/view at the top, running this show, right now.)

SO, If there's a draft, that supposed bond between CA's and the nice christian 'family values' part of the GOP is going to be a problem for CAs... who up to that point have supported in one way or another (including votes) almost everything the current MAGA/Republican Party is and does... What's 17yr old Amish boy construction worker, right-wing talk radio/podcast listening, avid hunter/gun enthusiast, mocker/hater of urban libs/Dems Amos Fisher [generic name] going to say/do when his "English" Maga evangelical boss/vehicle driver encourages him to join up and fight with all the other good 'christians' fighting the MAGA crusade? Hmmm? I strongly suspect 17yr old Amish boy's CO application (and many like him) will be turned down pronto... Why would the recruiter believe the evidence that says, "I'm with you guys all the way! Until now please! Pretty please let me go! Forget my love of guns and anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-out group, jokes... forget my FB posts, that Ai video the White House made that I just loved so much...the Instagram/TikTok posts I've liked... Please, let me go home! Don't make me fight! I was just joking!" Sure that'll work... (Unfortunately this describes half or more of the non-plain but still supposedly Mennonite youth men of my church. Most, if not all of them will fail this test too - they're neck-deep in this supposedly cozy bond as well...).

I understand that the current ruling party (GOP) has some variety, has some different factions; this war is exposing that quite a bit... BUT, the current admin/ruling party (deep state!), the one prosecuting this Middle East WAR is the Neo-con/christian nationalist/supremacist, dominionist wing... Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I have 0 confidence in this wing of the GOP/current admin...I see no evidence that they are fond of or forgiving of conservative Anabaptist praxis or beliefs about violence, war, church & state relations or civil action/participation.

This Anglican minister/priest podcaster has the right measure of these people I think... Although there are areas I disagree with him (expressed in other videos of his), this particular war/peace/christian nationalist/militarist talk by Trevor, resonates... it should resonate with Anabaptists because he references church history, albeit here in the US; but it's very analogous to our forefathers situation in Europe. He's also alluding to the reason the founders of this country did what they did! They didn't want a repeat of 1500/1600 Europe. And the subtext of this video in connection with this current war being run by an open 'christian' nationalist/militarist sectarian zealot like Hegseth - suggests the possibility of a Return to that kind of mediveal sectarian/religious wars, christians persecuting Christians situation... I've mentioned Hegseth prolifically, but he and his crew have been working very hard replacing people downstream from them with others in lower ranks... so yeah, conservative Anabaptists might be wise to think about worrying... I suspect these guys would reject even the appeal of a completely 'clean', thoroughly consistent, prepared CO. (the effort that Judas Maccabeus refers to here: pg 65 of this thread ) But how they deal with the other kind of conservative Anabaptist boy, a pretender who wants CO status, but has a hobby AR-15, listens to Fox/TPUSA, loves patriotic country artists? He'll be laughed all the way to the barracks with little to no redress...

I feel some here are a little nonchalant/naive about people like Hegseth, et al because they're always on TV/social media spouting Jesus/Bible/God talk... but my strong opinion is that they are not your friends, especially in situations like the present. Start praying... start preparing. Lord willing this blows over, miracles happen and these militarist/christian nationalist types are moved out of office eventually, but we're not promised that.

[Soloist]

I suspect you are right. the primary difference though between your example and a sincere with CO with no compromises come down to one key thing.
After they are denied, did they go to prison or did they go to the barracks?

[JohnH]

That’s why plain Anabaptists have taken stances against the radio and other forms of media.

[Bootstrap]

That’s why plain Anabaptists have taken stances against the radio and other forms of media.

And the Internet? MN? X?

[Soloist]

That’s why plain Anabaptists have taken stances against the radio and other forms of media.

And the Internet? MN? X?

X definitely no. MN… every single church I’ve been in has frowned on it. Back in the day two of the ministers we know would’ve been on it at one point but no longer.
As far as the Internet goes all the churches I’ve been part of have allowed it under fairly hefty restrictions.
At one point there would be posts on mennonet I could not see.

[JohnH]

That’s why plain Anabaptists have taken stances against the radio and other forms of media.

And the Internet? MN? X?

More conservative groups have taken a stance against the Internet. In my own conference, excessive use of X would be discouraged, roughly in the same category as click-bait news.

[JohnH]

That’s why plain Anabaptists have taken stances against the radio and other forms of media.

And the Internet? MN? X?

More conservative groups have taken a stance against the Internet. In my own conference, excessive use of X would be discouraged, roughly in the same category as click-bait news.

I strongly suspect 17yr old Amish boy's CO application (and many like him) will be turned down pronto... Why would the recruiter believe the evidence that says, "I'm with you guys all the way! Until now please! Pretty please let me go! Forget my love of guns and anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-out group, jokes... forget my FB posts, that Ai video the White House made that I just loved so much...the Instagram/TikTok posts I've liked... Please, let me go home! Don't make me fight! I was just joking!"

Jazfan, expressing disagreement with the current war doesn't make one a CO either. There seems to be quite a bit of misunderstanding about this. CO status is not something granted because someone disagrees with current government policy or a specific war.

[Judas Maccabeus]

.. I've mentioned Hegseth prolifically, but he and his crew have been working very hard replacing people downstream from them with others in lower ranks... so yeah, conservative Anabaptists might be wise to think about worrying... I suspect these guys would reject even the appeal of a completely 'clean', thoroughly consistent, prepared CO. (the effort that Judas Maccabeus refers to here: pg 65 of this thread ) But how they deal with the other kind of conservative Anabaptist boy, a pretender who wants CO status, but has a hobby AR-15, listens to Fox/TPUSA, loves patriotic country artists? He'll be laughed all the way to the barracks with little to no redress...

I feel some here are a little nonchalant/naive about people like Hegseth, et al because they're always on TV/social media spouting Jesus/Bible/God talk... but my strong opinion is that they are not your friends, especially in situations like the present. Start praying... start preparing. Lord willing this blows over, miracles happen and these militarist/christian nationalist types are moved out of office eventually, but we're not promised that.

It is not the military that will run the Selective Service System, but patronage appointed civilians, if that is any better. Even in my time, there was an underlying hostility that I suspect people who were a part of "Peace Churches" experienced less than those outside of them (Which is what I was.). From the reply, I got, I doubt they actually read my application. As far as preparing our youth, we can teach, we can encourage, we can admonish, we can do our level best to prepare. We are trying to do that. As this has been going around, I made a brief survey of the young men in my congregation, only three own weapons, all of these weapons are wooden stocked, bolt action rifles. Their predominant use is shooting at dinner.

Well, this may be not be universal, and we may be a bit different as an urban congregation, I am not sure we are all that different. I should be in a meeting in a few weeks, I will bring up some more ideas with respect to preparing for the for an eventual restart of the draft.

Somewhere here, I see somebody spreading the idea that young men from more conservative churches will fare better than us from what would be called, moderate conservative churches, I doubt that the presence of education or lack their off, wearing a plain suit or not, what our conference standards are, or anything of the sort will matter. It will be how well the young man is able to explain non-resistance, how consistently he has lived non-resistance, and whether any information that would undermine his claim can be found. I am considering proposing giving each young man in our congregation the floor in a Sunday service to do a devotional on the topic of non-resistance. That way everybody will hear it, and the young men in question will be able to prepare a good position paper that all will hear and be able to testify that they heard. Once again, I think it's the best we can do, if it gets closer and seems more likely to actually occur, than other plans will have to be made.

My son-in-law works for the Republican political establishment. I know what is going on.

[ken_sylvania]

It is not the military that will run the Selective Service System, but patronage appointed civilians, if that is any better.

Where's Ken when we need him. He would say the SSS consists of people who couldn't make it anywhere else so they got put here where they can't cause problems.

[Judas Maccabeus]

It is not the military that will run the Selective Service System, but patronage appointed civilians, if that is any better.

Where's Ken when we need him. He would say the SSS consists of people who couldn't make it anywhere else so they got put here where they can't cause problems.

Currently, it may be the “turkey farm” of the federal government. The actual boards in my day were “ prominent members of the community “ whatever that means. All I got from them after I sent in my form claiming to be opposed to war in any and all forms was a letter saying I was rejected because they “could not determine my requested status. If they actually READ it, it would be very clear. I sent in the appeals form, with another essay, and my catalog of people who had heard me express those views. Heard nothing, than got a letter stating they were not going to hear my appeal. No one from my year was drafted. I had a middle of the pile number, I think in the low 200s.

I expect the new version to be even less competent.