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← Plato's Chariot and the Two Horses

Standing Up: Calls, Votes, School Boards, State Legislators, and Lawsuits, Never Violence

A parent who has read the record (see The Charioteer Reads the Record) knows three things. The United States has been at war with Iran since 28 February 2026 without a declaration or authorization from Congress. The machinery for a draft is being built: automatic registration from December 2026 and a Selective Service request for draft-simulation software. And the people pushing the war, including Israeli voices who openly calculate how many American troops a ground war would take, are not the ones whose children will go.

The next question is: where do I actually go? The answer is closer to home than most people think. It is a phone call, a ballot, a school board meeting, a state legislator's office, and sometimes a courtroom. In Plato's image, this is the charioteer with both horses pulling the same way: honor (the white horse) and even fear and self-interest (the black horse) harnessed behind reason.

1. Calls and letters to Congress: the margin is one vote​

On 24 September 2026 the Senate rejected a House-passed resolution to end the Iran war 49–50 (The Guardian). Ask your senators and representative how they voted, whether they will cut funding for ground operations, whether they will vote against any bill to restart induction, and whether they will repeal automatic registration in the next defense bill. Joe Kent, who resigned as the nation's top counterterrorism official over the war, put it plainly: "we need to let our leaders hear that we do not support this war."

Read more: Calls and Letters to Congress

2. Votes: 3 November 2026​

Many parents voted in 2024 for a candidate who said "I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars." The midterms are the first chance to hold every member to that promise. Candidates are already moving: Republicans in key races have begun calling for an end to the war.

Read more: Voting in the Midterms

3. School boards: the place a parent actually goes​

Federal law lets any parent stop the high school from giving their child's name, address, and phone number to military recruiters (20 U.S.C. 7908). Ask your board how parents are told about the opt-out and how many students' records were released last year.

Read more: School Boards and the Recruiter Opt-Out

4. State legislators​

States cannot stop a federal draft, but "Defend the Guard" bills would keep a state's National Guard out of undeclared wars, and state laws decide what data feeds Selective Service. In 1970 Massachusetts told the Supreme Court its sons need not fight an undeclared war.

Read more: State Legislators: Defend the Guard and Registration Laws

5. Lawsuits​

Courts have mostly refused to rule on wars (Massachusetts v. Laird, Doe v. Bush) and upheld male-only registration (Rostker v. Goldberg). Lawsuits still force the government to put its reasons in writing. In 2026 the administration's reason, per its own State Department legal adviser, is that it entered the war "at the request of" Israel.

Read more: Lawsuits Against Undeclared Wars and the Draft

6. Conscience​

Hundreds of service members and families have called the Center on Conscience & War hotline since the war began, many citing the Minab girls' school bombing. Conscientious objection is the lawful refusal.

Read more: Conscientious Objection

Never violence​

Violence is a crime, it discredits parents, it is unnecessary (every parents' movement that won used lawful means), and it is the one event most likely to swing public opinion toward a ground war and a draft. Plato's charioteer exists to keep rage on the reins.

Read more: Why Never Violence

A calendar for a parent​

  • This week: find your senators' votes on the September war powers resolution and call.
  • This month: ask your school district how it notifies parents of the recruiter opt-out.
  • This session: ask your state legislator whether a Defend the Guard bill has been filed.
  • Before 3 November: know where every candidate on your ballot stands on the Iran war, ground troops, automatic registration, and a draft.
  • Before December: document any conscience claim your son may want to make.

Sources​

Research captures: twitter/t74__v877.md, t74__v882.md, t74__v886.md, t77__v913.md, t77__v914.md, t77__v920.md, t77__v922.md, t78__v925.md, t78__v927.md, t78__v934.md, t81__v966.md

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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