The Red Menace

A front page headline in the NYT today: "New Poll Finds That Young Americans Are Leaning Left".
Everybody stand up and sing the Internationale. You'd think our young are all sporting Che Guevara's beret and Fidel's fatigues, to judge from the ominous use of the word "left". What do you know, turns out the kids are a bunch of reds. See evidence above.
But, geez, aren't young people supposed to be liberal? Remember the peeps from the 60's and 70's in this country? Imagine a similar headline then: "Beware! Maoists in our Midst."
I think the right word would have been they are more liberal. Left is for Commies.
Did the poll expect to find 17 to 29 year olds voting for a party that uses them as cannon fodder, tries to take away their every human right when nobody's looking and messes with their private lives?
Of course the young should be more open minded. We are already in enough trouble as it is with their unbelievable indifference to the war in Iraq and their video-game induced torpor. I'd be totally freaking out if they announced en masse they are voting for Giuliani and taking up golf.

They, naively, in my view, think that a draft is more likely to happen with the Republicans.
Honeys, if Dick Cheney hasn't drafted you yet, it ain't going to happen.
However, if I and Charlie Rangel had our druthers, a draft would be in place tout suite. And all your tender asses would be required to show up at Fort Urfucked for compulsory military duty. Best way to end public support for a stupid war.

The results of the poll are not surprising. The young would vote for someone who had smoked marihuana. Duh. They would allow gay marriage or gay unions (very magnanimous on their part). They think global warming is very bad. They would vote for a black candidate or a woman (phew, progress in leaps and bounds). So far so good.
But 70% of them (and like all polls it's really like 650 people) said they would not vote for a gay or a lesbian. Why the fuck not?
What possible rationale makes them think a homosexual person is unfit for office?

Bring in the draft.