Military Draft (1548 hits)
Category: Politics -> IraqRating: -1.2 on 17 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <lnknptheory> (View user info) at 2004-05-23 22:28:33 EDT
As many of us know, after the 2005 election, there is a high probability of reenstating the draft due to our situation in Iraq. Since the draft is so close and many of us fall into the designated age range that the draft focuses on, I think that it is important that everyone be informed and knowledgable on this information. The draft now focuses on 18-26 year old men and women and college is not an option to escape the draft. I think that we need to do something to inform everyone and maybe put a stop to this draft. This war is turning out exactly like Vietnam did. Soldiers being sent over have no idea what they were fighting for. In World War II, there was a great passion to protect and serve this country, but today we face a war where many of us cannot see the justifications. Attached is an article on the possiblities of reenstating the draft as well as a letter written by an upset college student to Senator Barbara Boxer opposing the draft. In no way am I anti-American, I just don't think that this is worth fighting for. Why is Congress hiding the fact that the draft may become a reality? And why are they waiting until after the election to alert the public? Hopefully this post will urge some of you to do something about this situation, rather than just sit around and say 'this will never affect me'...because war truly does affect everyone in some way.
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http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=5834001&content_dir=ua_congressorg
Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005
The Draft will Start in June 2005
There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin at early as Spring 2005 -- just after the 2004 presidential election. The administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public's attention is on the elections, so our action on this is needed immediately.
$28 million has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System (SSS) budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as June 15, 2005. Selective Service must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that the system, which
has lain dormant for decades, is ready for activation. Please see website: www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the sss annual performance plan - fiscal year 2004.
The pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide.. Though this is an unpopular election year topic, military experts and influential members of congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld's prediction of a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan [and a permanent state of war on "terrorism"] proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.
Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year, http://www.hslda.org/legislation/na...s89/default.asp entitled the Universal National Service Act of 2003, "to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons [age 18--26] in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes." These active bills currently sit in the committee on armed services.
Dodging the draft will be more difficult than those from the Vietnam era.
College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a "smart border declaration," which could be used to keep would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada's minister of foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other things, a "pre-clearance agreement" of people entering and departing each country. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable along gender and class lines also eliminates higher education as a shelter. Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service until the end of their current semester. Seniors would have until the end of the academic year.
Even those voters who currently support US actions abroad may still object to this move, knowing their own children or grandchildren will not have a say about whether to fight. Not that it should make a difference, but this plan, among other things, eliminates higher education as a
shelter and includes women in the draft.
The public has a right to air their opinions about such an important decision.
Please send this on to all the friends, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins that you know. Let your children know too -- it's their future, and they can be a powerful voice for change!
Please also contact your representatives to ask them why they aren't telling their constituents about these bills -- and contact newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they're not covering this important story.
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To:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Sen. Barbara Boxer
May 23, 2004
I just read through the proposal to reinstate the draft. Although I'm sure I don't need to point out the lack of constitutionality of the whole issue, I've decided to anyway.
First of all, I am 18 years old, and thus eligible for the draft, even though people who are older may not be required to join. This is an equal protection issue. Where do we draw the line, and why, on the age that a person must be to be sent off to act in an economically and politically inspred slaughter.
Secondly, being forced to participate is a due process issue, becuase our freedoms are restricted and our options are limited when overseas. What did I do to deserve such punishment?
Thirdly, this entire war is completely unjustified and mismanaged, and Congress should have acted to recall the troops in the Middle East months ago.
Also, if we have the right to bear arms to protect ourselves, wouldn't we similarly have the right to not bear arms to protect ourselves?
I'm very mad. It makes me not write as persuasively, but trust me, if this goes through there will be an uprising from America's youth that no nation has ever seen.
Irvine , CA
User Reviews
Submitted by Jack <beanstalk.at.aol.com> at 2004-10-04 22:11:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by SFbaby (user info) at 2004-05-28 18:14:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
You don't have to worry about the draft beiong reinstated. 1 volenteer is just as affective as 10 daftees. The military knows this and their strategy and chain of command is based off of this. The generals high up on the chain of command would never stand the reinstatement of the draft unless it would absolutely neccessary such as the onlsuaght of the third world war or the war with north korea. The onlyu reason this ever bacame an issue was because the more libral democrats briefly pushed the reinstatement of the draft in an attempt to degrade support for the Bush administration.
Submitted by Fixer (user info) at 2004-05-24 13:51:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
This could have been a great beer/satire post, but no.
Submitted by hendrixjrr (user info) at 2004-05-24 09:24:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
That letter was written by a cripple.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2004-05-24 02:55:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
http://www.sss.gov/
HAR HAR! You're a TARD!
Seriously, we haven't even activated all the reserves, and we still have active duty folks that are not deployed. Tens of thousands of them.
Submitted by hidden101 (user info) at 2004-05-24 02:21:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
there will be no draft and whoever wrote that letter at the bottom is a complete moron. i'm talking amazingly stupid.
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-05-24 02:09:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Fuck the draft volunteer. Kill some sand nigger's the more we take over the cheaper gas will be, and then we can all have huge SUV's that get 3 miles to the gallon and you fill it up twice to go to Blockbuster. It's gonna be great.
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-05-24 02:09:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Fuck the draft volunteer. Kill some sand nigger's the more we take over the cheaper gas will be, and then we can all have huge SUV's that get 3 miles to the gallon and you fill it up twice to go to Blockbuster. It's gonna be great.
Submitted by AlwaysAnEagle (user info) at 2004-05-24 02:01:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
"As many of us know, after the 2005 election"
That's where I realized you were a moron. The rest was just supporting evidence. The draft will not be reinstated.
Submitted by kerthwap (user info) at 2004-05-24 02:00:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
The reason that WWI and WWII were popular wars was because the media was on the government's side then. Obviously, to win the war on terror; we need propaganda, not a draft. Just spend all your time reading and writing for Ubersite, and you will fail the physical fitness test. If that fails you could try draft dodging by shooting your self in the foot or sodomy.
Submitted by chipolatte (user info) at 2004-05-24 01:48:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I don't think there's going to be a draft.
Submitted by bargled (user info) at 2004-05-24 00:41:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
The draft will not be put into place, and if it does, expect riots like no other.
Submitted by DraconianKing (user info) at 2004-05-23 23:58:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
I dont have to give a shit about the draft! They wont take me.
Submitted by domenad (user info) at 2004-05-23 23:32:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
There's not going to be any draft, end of story. But even so, there should be mandatory military service for every man in the US, like Israel. It would get 2/3 of the losers I see wasting time at college doing something useful.
Submitted by youarsoghey (user info) at 2004-05-23 23:26:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
They thought the draft was going to be reinstated three years ago after September 11th. We've lost about 800 soldiers in the war. We need no draft, they won't reinstate it. It's too costly.
Submitted by Rixes (user info) at 2004-05-23 22:43:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The democracts are trying to get the draft going, Bush is opposing it. That letter to the two senators was bullshit, all it was is that girls opinion of the events going on right now. Most people don't share that opinion.
Submitted by drink_DDT (user info) at 2004-05-23 22:41:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
The draft will not be reinstated.