I always speak against government curtailing civil liberties and intruding into our private life and I even agree that those who so wish should be able to have guns to defend themselves on their own properties, but anything the government of Australia does at the moment (yes, even its demand that one cannot ride a bicycle without wearing a pot over their head, which I often complain about and which will determine who I vote for in the coming elections) DWARFS in comparison with conscription.

The only curtailing of civil liberties and intrusion into one's private life that is on par with conscription - is imprisonment, yet here we speak of innocent 18 year old boys who committed no crime except for being born in Australia and reaching the age of 18 in relative good health.

I have no problem if for the sake of protection in Lindt-cafe situations, the government wishes to train trustworthy volunteers who could subsequently carry weapons in public spaces - but it must be volunteers and I can hardly see how the trustworthiness of such young people can be ascertained, still at an age when hormones play such a big role. Better wait till they are at least 30 and present a clean record.

Killarny, during the second world war a lot of those metal heads deliberately fired over the enemy. Unlike you most soldiers who have actually served just don't see taking a human life as some sort of team sport. But after D day, when the death camps were liberated none of the metal head western imperialists who saw that unmitigated horror ever fired high ever again, understanding that some wars are righteous!

Particularly one started by a mad dog dictator!

But pure evil personified hitler and the nazi SS and their activities on the russian front, pale in comparison to look like benign boy scouts, when compared with the mass murdering rampage and intent of an army of mad rabid dogs that are the only way to describe ISIS and the entirely mindless mass murder, beastial rape and sexual slavery they are now infamous for!

Of course we must defend ourselves and all the potential victims of this pure incarnate evil by all possible means.

These "men" are real heroes, when the enemy is defenceless unarmed children ,women and old men! I'd like to see them confronting a professional army that, like our heroic diggers (civilian army) on the Kakoda trail, make/take a determined stand, whatever the cost, in order to push these abominations back into the hell holes that spawned them!
Rhosty.

Rhosty: Of course we must defend ourselves and all the potential victims of this pure incarnate evil by all possible means.

That even means you Killarney. But if you wouldn't want us too. We could hand you & you Ilk over to these people such as ISIS. Just to make you happy.

Who said anything about carrying weapons in public by trained volunteers? I have no idea why my aricle is being deliberately misinterpeted by some who have an irrational opposition to conscription.

The scenario is when civilans, not "volunteers with weapons in public," are caught in a terrorist situation and because of previous national service, have at least some options to use in order to save themselves and those around them. Much in the same way someone has first aid training etc.

It's not about vigilantism. Under Victorian State law, 1958 Crimes Act, Section 458, the average person has powers of arrest, incorrectly labelled a citizens arrest, as well as "use of force" under Section 462A to effect an arrest or to defend themselves from assault.

Going to school is also a requirement for young people.

I see nothing wrong in conscription teaching the population self defence skills as well as how to act in a potential crisis.

Conscription is worse than rape, because rape, however painful, is over in a few minutes while conscription is a torture that lasts for years.

If ever Australia introduces conscription, then first I would be straight out of here and second, I would be happy to see it torn to shreds by Islamic terrorists.

Forcing young people to go to school is indeed very very wrong - but not anywhere as wrong as conscription.

At least there, children can select and change schools. There are alternative schools and if worse comes to worst, then there is the option of home schooling! School-children are not required to remain in school 24x7 and are not required to blindly obey all the orders of their teachers and if they fail to obey such an order, especially orders that require them to do things they abhor or that are contrary to their conscience or religion, also if they are late or their shoes are not sufficiently polished or are laced in the wrong direction or a shirt-button is left open, or they fail to salute, etc., they are not locked up in a cell, then required to spend even more years in school as punishment.

Sadism is not a new phenomena, but dressing it as caring for "civil liberties and intrusion into one's private life" comes straight out of George Orwell's book, 1984: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength".

Regarding trained volunteers, I never meant that they would remain on duty, but rather that they volunteer to be trained and subsequently could carry weapons in public as free civilians. I don't think that it is currently required, only that government could choose to do so if and when terrorism becomes a bigger problem in Australia.

yutsie: If ever Australia introduces conscription, then first I would be straight out of here and second, I would be happy to see it torn to shreds by Islamic terrorists.

I hear that after the next election they are going to make National Service Compulsory for everyone. Bye.

Team Uzi: I have no idea why my aricle is being deliberately misinterpeted by some who have an irrational opposition to conscription.

Because going off half cocked is what Green, Politically Correct Lefties do. Exaggerate, exaggerate, panic, the sky is falling. Don't take any notice of them, unfortunately they don't go away