Uncle Sam doesn’t just want you to enlist in the armed forces; if you are 18 or older and a male, he orders you to. Since terrorism hit home on Sept. 11 and Bush planned an attack on the “axis of evil,” war is constantly looming. A possible draft of eligible males to fight is not far behind.

A new federal legislation under the “No Child Left Behind Act” allows Pentagon recruiters to receive names, addresses and phone numbers of eligible students, unless the parents choose not to share this information. In fact, if schools don’t provide the necessary information, they risk losing federal education funding, according to Boston Globe writer Susan Milligan.

How are our rights protected if recruiters can obtain our personal information whenever they want? And when did our schools become a feeding ground for the army?

Presently, Dade County has not released these records and they are reviewing whether releasing this information is necessary.

Since the infamous Vietnam War, the idea of waiting for your number to be called, the draft has been regarded by some as a perpetual death warrant.

But AP Government/ Economics teacher Damon Halback believes it isn’t a big threat since the Welsh v. United States decision in 1970 allows anyone to object to being drafted if their “consciences, spurred by deeply held, moral, ethical, or religious beliefs, would give them no rest or peace if they allowed themselves to become an instrument of war.”

Others feel that there are enough army personnel to prevent such governmental action.

On the bright side, according to the Miami Herald, some democratic senators such as Rep. Charles Rangel of New York tried to bring the draft back, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld rejected the notion: “We’re not going to re-implement a draft. There is no need for it at all.”

The fact that males still have to register makes some wonder about the equality of Selective Services. “Why should we be penalized if we don’t register?” senior Ender Guerra said.

“It’s totally unfair. You can’t have a requirement for one half of the population that the other half does not have. It’s seemingly a violation of the Constitution, the due process of the 14th amendment,” Halback said.

But in 1981, the Supreme Court held in Rostker v Goldberg that women need not be enlisted for the draft. If women want equal rights, how is this decision proving their equality? It’s discriminatory to give male students interested in college an extra headache, as they cannot receive federal financial aid if they don’t register.

“Unfortunately, I have to tell males that it is required. It’s a law.” CAP counselor Robert Roddy said. Males who don’t register are still eligible for Florida Bright Futures and institutional scholarships.

Krop is making sure students are informed. Administrative Assistant Errol Dreyfuss noted that in the second semester all 17 and 18-year-old males will be given information in an assembly.

“We just have to make them aware. It’s their job to sign up,” he said.