Andrew Darata wants to graduate college, not go to war.
Someday, however, the Bergen Community College freshman believes he will have no choice.
President Bush says there will be no military draft. But Darata believes Eminem, the rapper, when he says that Bush is "lying to us."
"When you're talking about a military draft, a lot of people listen to what others have to say," said Darata, 18.
More than 1,800 American soldiers have died in Iraq. Recruiting numbers are sagging. National Guard troops serving in the Middle East and in hurricane-ravaged areas are stretched thin.
For those who are of draft age, the question has emerged: Will they have to trade their T-shirts and baggy jeans for desert camouflage-fatigues and machine guns?
As classes begin at New Jersey colleges and high schools, a number of men and women are preparing themselves for that possibility.
Even those who doubt it say anything's possible. Another Sept. 11 - or another Hurricane Katrina - could change everything, they say.
"My mom is fearing it. She is always fearing that something can happen," said Dan Librero, 22, a Bergen Community College sophomore. "My dad says, `If it happens, I'll help you get out of it.'"
Many believe it would be wrong to reinstate the draft for the first time in 32 years. An Associated Press poll in June said 70 percent of Americans oppose bringing it back.
Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, noted that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld opposes the draft. The all-volunteer military does the job better, she said.
"They put their lives on the line in the name of freedom," she said.
Jonathan Kazemaini, 19, said troops who are forced to fight wouldn't work as hard as those who volunteer.
"I trust the president," said Kazemaini, a Bergen Community College sophomore.
U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel introduced a bill in Congress two years ago to reinstate the military draft, saying fighting forces should more closely reflect the economic makeup of the nation.
Minorities make up more than 30 percent of the military, Rangel said. Many of the poor are enticed by promises of employment and free college tuition, he noted.
On its Web site, however, the Selective Service System prints a disclaimer that says the House of Representatives, by a 402-2 vote, defeated the bill. Opposition to the draft is nearly complete, the site says.
Others, however, say rumors spread by Internet bloggers that a military draft is imminent are justified.
Edward Rhodes, an associate professor of political science at Rutgers, said the president has a "credibility gap" with his draft-age students. He said the Bush administration misunderstood the political climate in Iraq.
If there were a national emergency, the Bush administration could expand the active-duty military, Rhodes said. But the additional salaries would be too expensive, he added.
"They (students) can do the math," Rhodes said. "They (the administration) can't keep doing this forever."
Some parents say the political atmosphere reminds them of the Vietnam War, and the false beliefs that the conflict would soon be over.
Some recently formed a non-profit, national organization called Mothers Against the Draft, saying they don't believe the government's denials. Facing war and natural disasters, Congress has few choices, they say.
Dixie Lee Patterson, who heads the organization's New Jersey chapter, said she believes the federal government is "greasing the skids" for bringing back the draft.
"The TV media is bringing up the subject with spaced regularity, always speaking of the eventual necessity of a draft," Patterson said. "So the government propaganda machine is alive and well."
Women are thinking about it, too.
Men ages 18 through 25 still must be registered with the Selective Service, and more than 15 million currently are eligible to be drafted. Women are not required to register.
But Katie Miglia, 19, of Hillsborough, noted that women are now serving in a number of combat-oriented positions in the military. If there were a national emergency, the military may need the additional resources, she said.
"It's scary. Women have never been in that position," said Miglia, a Rutgers sophomore. "I don't have the heart to step on a bug."
Those who are draft-age are even considering what they would do if they were called to duty. College students don't want their lives disrupted.
"It would be like a culture shock. It's not something we're used to," said Eric Barone, 19, of River Edge, a Ramapo College student.
Some say they'd find a way out - even if it means fleeing to Canada. Others oppose the Iraq war but say they'll serve if called.
James Williams, 19, of Newark, said his registration card came a week before his 18th birthday. He wants to be a federal agent, but he doesn't want to go to war.
"My mom said, `You've got a present,'" said Williams, a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
"I thought about not filling it out."
"But my mom said, `You'd better.'"
