Think of the Fair and Equal Service Amendment (FESA) as a national insurance policy against rushing into war. People who support FESA want to ensure that the President and Vice-President, plus two members of their Cabinet and every member of Congress, will ponder the personal consequences of sending U.S. soldiers into battle. Under FESA, soon after declaring or authorizing war, they must dispatch at least one close family member to serve 12 months in combat operations on the front line (fewer if the war is over before the tour of duty ends). It'll be part of their oath of office.

What is the purpose of FESA?

Getting FESA amended to the Constitution will accomplish two things. With their own family members' lives potentially on the line, our public servants will be especially careful when deciding whether the country should go to war. Second, if the United States does end up embroiled in a serious military conflict, our troops would quickly get the tools they need (such as the IED-resistant patrol vehicles whose absence in Iraq has contributed to the deaths of more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers and Marines). After all, Congress and the President would do everything in their power to keep their loved-ones-in-uniform from harm.

Isn't it anti-liberty to send these people into battle?

We think that the ultimate affront to liberty is when your own government sacrifices you in an unnecessary war — a war of choice. To make sure that any war the United States fights in the future is strictly necessary and unavoidable, we're proposing that only 539 close relatives of our highest-ranking politicians do a tour of duty. (There are 535 Members of Congress, plus we're including the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense.) If sending the family members of these public servants to the front isn't crucial, then neither is sending untold thousands of ordinary citizens' sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters.

It's true that the amendment potentially jeopardizes 539 people's safety (although for 12 months only). But it's just as likely that, thanks to FESA, they and hundreds of thousands of regular service members will avoid deployment and mortal risk altogether.

Do those 539 recruits have a say in the matter?

Neither. The Fair and Equal Service Amendment is a non-partisan initiative. The new law would apply to Democrats and Republicans alike, regardless of who's in power. 

Won't it be difficult to pass a Constitutional Amendment?

Without a doubt. But this is about the journey as much as the destination. Even if the amendment never makes it into the constitution, the pressure we'll be able to put on politicians will change their attitudes or impact their careers, or both. The long-term feasibility of the amendment may be uncertain, but the shorter-term benefit of promoting it isn't in doubt. Lawmakers and presidential candidates oppose or ignore FESA at their own peril. At election time, most people won't think kindly of politicians who have little apparent concern for the safety and wellbeing of service members and their next of kin. That'll be especially true if these public servants declare their own sons and daughters, and other close relatives, too good to go to war. We believe that forcing politicians to take a stand on FESA will provide excellent clues about their motives, principles, and overall sincerity.

On this site, we'll keep a running tally of politicians for and against FESA, by state and by district. You'll soon be able to look up your Senators' and Representative's position here, and in due time we'll have e-mail and snail-mail addresses and webforms that will allow you to communicate with them directly — to either thank them for supporting FESA, or to convince them to start doing so.

But as of now, this website is a little barebones, no?

Right again. It's under construction. We've only just begun, and we definitely need some help. If you believe you can be of assistance with web and graphic design, web development, computer hosting, legal advice, promotion and publicity, merchandizing, proven organizational skills, lobbying, fundraising, and what have you, please drop us a line.

We especially want to hear from you if you have an 'in' with a polling firm; that's because knowing that a solid majority of Americans supports FESA gives us a big stick to poke dismissive or nay-saying politicians in the eye with.

This is only going to turn into a real netroots movement if you do your part. At a minimum, spread the word about FESA, and ask others to visit this site if you think they might enjoy it.

How else can I help?

• If you have a website or a blog, mention the Fair and Equal Service Amendment, and tell your visitors where they can find us.

• Copy the badge in the right-hand column and display it on your home page — and hotlink it to this site (www.equalservice.org).

• Work FESA into a few conversations you'll have today, and maybe into a couple of e-mails.

• If you're feeling frisky, call your Congressperson and Senators, and politely ask the staff if their bosses will endorse FESA; if they won't, ask why not (and regale us with the answers at the e-mail address below).

• Please consider keeping us going — and growing — by donating whatever sum of money you're comfortable with. A couple of dollars, or a hundred, or more, will help us pay our web hosting fees, bandwidth surcharges, the rental of our post office box, office supplies, and other operating costs. Go to PayPal, click on the 'Send Money' tab, and enter equalservice@gmail.com as the recipient.

Plenty of changes are ahead. Come check them out soon!