The Dead

Draft evader, Frank Emi, has died. He was 94.

Charged with draft evasion, all of the more than 300 resisters were sentenced to prison terms of approximately three years.

In separate indictments, Mr. Emi and six other leaders of the Fair Play Committee were charged with conspiracy to counsel draft evasion. Four, including Mr. Emi, were sentenced to four years; two received two-year sentences, and the seventh was acquitted. They were sent to the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., where they were surrounded by hardened criminals.

Now granted, this happened during World War II and yes, defeating the Nazis was of paramount importance. As was beating the Communists for that matter but unfortunately, Stalin got a pass. Apparently, history's greatest villains are graded on the mustache scale.

So serving in the fight against totalitarianism was certainly an important thing to do. But even in this unarguably critical war, does the government really have the authority to compel people to lay down their lives against their will? If a government cannot convince a sufficient number of its citizens that a fight is necessary, is that a fight that it should undertake?

Yes, yes...I know. We're talking about the war against the Nazis and yes they were (and are), the worst people on the planet. But still though, these are important questions that must be raised whenever conflict is considered.

In Mr. Emi's case the situation is further complicated:

Unlike most people, he did not receive his letter from the draft board while sitting at home with his wife and child. Rather, he received his letter while sitting with his wife and child behind barbed wire in an internment camp.

You see, Frank Emi had the unfortunate luck to be of Japanese descent. And along with 11,000 other citizens, he had been denied every right associated with citizenship. I think given the circumstances, it's pretty understandable that he didn't feel inclined to perform citizenship's greatest duty.