[starman2003]

A government openly killing its opponents will very quickly be recognized as evil and totalitarian..

It can arrest and kill them in secret.

....if it on the other hand the state disguises its murdering of political enemies by pretending that them being sent to dangerous war zones is just a coincidence makes it easier for them to get away with this murdering..

This is so silly. Many political enemies could be too old to serve, and they could just desert or defect. It's very inefficient compared to the direct approach.

Your imagination sucks.

My imagination is fine, and more realistic.

[Kman]

It can arrest and kill them in secret.

Yeah because their friends and family wont notice they go missing right? If the state does this with more than 50 people im sure people will smell a rat.

:lol: This is so silly. Many political enemies could be too old to serve, and they could just desert or defect. It's very inefficient compared to the direct approach.

I never claimed it was a perfect way to kill political opponents, I just claim that having a draft puts a chilling effect on people's willingness to speak out openly against the government during wartime since that puts them at risk of being drafted by the government they are criticizing and then being sent to some hellhole where the army is suffering enormous losses.

[ozone]

Mandatory conscription can be used by the violent communists to infiltrate the chain of command and call for a coup. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves...Israel is not vulnerable to this but try them in the Philippines. Possible. They all happened. A socialist cashiered colonel attempted to grab power 6 times from the lawfully ordained government..

Every commie was amused when they happened.

[starman2003]

im sure people will smell a rat.

So what; this is how authoritarian leaders have always acted. It shouldn't be necessary to have a war, with "enormous losses" just to silence internal dissent.