So far this is the only appearance of Cousin Gabe.
The whole Selective Service thing always smelled to me of a setup. There’s no real danger of a draft being reinstituted, not as long as congressmen have sons. The problem is, young men aren’t really kept aware of the need to register and keep it updated. So, if it does come down to needing more troops, all they gotta do is send the sherif around to offer either a pair of cuffs or enlistment papers.
Paranoid? Probably.
↓ Transcript
A young man enters Ace's office. "Hey, Cousin Ace!"
Ace answers, "Gabe? What brings you here?"
Gabe says, "Dad says I need a tux for some show we're seeing Friday."
Gabe hands Ace an envelope. "Hey, lose this for me, would you?"
Ace glances at it. "Selective Service? Not going to register?"
Gabe says, "Yeah. Don't you feel a Draft coming on?"
Ace tells him, "Not really."
Ace continues. "Why would the government implement a program as unpopular as The Draft, when they're sure to find lots of 'volunteers' that 'forgot' to register and prefer not to do the time in jail."
He adds slyly, "You should be fine though. What are the chances your dad's remembered to list you as a deduction in every tax return he's filed for the last 18 years?"
Gabe reaches out. "I'll take that back now."
Ace answers, "Gabe? What brings you here?"
Gabe says, "Dad says I need a tux for some show we're seeing Friday."
Gabe hands Ace an envelope. "Hey, lose this for me, would you?"
Ace glances at it. "Selective Service? Not going to register?"
Gabe says, "Yeah. Don't you feel a Draft coming on?"
Ace tells him, "Not really."
Ace continues. "Why would the government implement a program as unpopular as The Draft, when they're sure to find lots of 'volunteers' that 'forgot' to register and prefer not to do the time in jail."
He adds slyly, "You should be fine though. What are the chances your dad's remembered to list you as a deduction in every tax return he's filed for the last 18 years?"
Gabe reaches out. "I'll take that back now."
This is one of the best and most true sounding strips in the whole comic.
It creates a smile in every reread.
During the Vietnam War a popular way of dealing with the draft was to join one of the other branches first. Navy or Air Force were considered much safer than being boots on the ground.
My uncle joined the air force, they took one look at his scores and made him an instructor. He hated it and as soon as he could left the sevice. When the Cuban missle crisis happened he was still in the reserves and feared getting called up again. To prevent this he joined the navy… they took one look at his scores and made him an instructor!!!
Amusingly, when I decided to join the military, one sticking point was that I was a year late getting my draft card in. I almost was kept out of the military for not being available for the military…
Bureaucracy is weird. Both my sister and I received notices that we should have registered with Selective Service. I understand that computers didn’t deal well with last names that were two words, but who did they think was cruel enough to not only give sons the same first name, but to also stick both of them with two blatantly female middle names? After reading that I would be required to send a copy of my birth certificate to prove I was female, I sent them a letter pointing out that they were welcomed to take me to court since all I’d need do would be to strip before the court to prove my gender. I didn’t even offer to invite the press. Never did hear back from them.
You think this is shady, you should read about how ol’ George found soldiers to fight in his revolutionary army.
Here’s a warm-up clip, but it’s really worth it if you an track down the full episode!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHLHT-nbqHQ