Draft Expected to Start July 15, 2005????

[DudeAsInCool]

A member and occassional poster sent me this in a private email.

I am posting it as a PSA and urge everyone to write their congressman

to vote against these pending bills

****************

Many of us may know about the pending legislation to start drafting our

young into military service. If you don't know this, please read below. It

may concern you for political or personal reasons. Our military is hugely

important, but do we need a draft? Is there justification to invoke one,

along with its discriminatory impact and elimination of choice as was during

the Vietnam War? Some of us may advocate national service, but they also

could well be in areas of health, environment, education, elder care, etc.,

along with the military. If this bill passes, the outcome may be an

unnecessary amount of new caskets, wheel chairs and amputees, simply made

possible by an arbitrary decision of neo-conservative political "theory"

that calls for enlarging the military by conscription! Vietnam was an

example of military action based on a political "theory".

_____

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. Details and links follow.

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 draft $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.

http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year,

http://www.hslda.org/legislation 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.

For the full list of representatives (53) and websites, go to:

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/...te=ctc&state=ca!

[Shawn]

I feel bad that this may come to pass guys. If it makes anyone feel better I'm going to send stinging letters to anyone in Ottawa foolish enough to list their email on the web. We should never have signed such an agreement, although I'm betting it was on the pretence of stopping terrorists from crossing the border. (Funny how bills work)

[Bombardier]

Many of us may know about the pending legislation to start drafting our

young into military service.

I wouldn't hold my breath on their actually being a draft in 2005, unless Kerry somehow becomes president. Even then...

Those draft bills will get shot down faster than Bill Clinton's butt after a trip to McDonald's.

There hasn't been a draft in the U.S. for decades. It's absurd that empty-headed politicans are trying to rush bills of this magnitude through congress.

Is there justification to invoke one?

In a word, No. Don't tell me the US military is running low on soldiers.

Since a reimposition of conscription would require Congressional approval, which has not yet been given, it is unlikely that a draft (even if approved by Congress) would be underway as early as Spring 2005:

And even if the draft were reinstated tomorrow, it would take at least two years before it could produce additional soldiers for Iraq and Afghanistan, the experts say.

"It will take 193 days from the time that we get started until the first person is presented to the Department of Defense," said Alyce Burton, a spokeswoman for the Selective Service. It would then take a year and a half to two years to train the draftees and form them into new combat units, Krepinovich said.

from http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp

[DudeAsInCool]

I wouldn't hold my breath on their actually being a draft in 2005, unless Kerry somehow becomes president. Even then...

I dont see the party faithful getting behind this, and I dont think Kerry would be dumb enoug to promote this as part of his campaign...

[Yoda]

Oh crap.. Im not going to Iraq bump that. Im to young and sexy to die.

[cjules13]

Yeah Yoda, I would be pissed too if I was younger - they don't want my old 28-yr old ass anymore. I guess I'm too slow now <_>

[Potato]

The last thing I want to do is fight for something I don't believe in.

[Redneck4sure]

I doubt there will be a draft. It is very politically unpopular and the military hasn't been pushing it.

[jipper]

not unless i get an elaborate gun and get a head band

[Redneck4sure]

not unless i get an elaborate gun and get a head band

If they draft you don't expect to get either. They will give you what they want you to have (M16) and tell you what to wear (headband?). :rolleyes:

You may get to drive a late model tank! That would be cool! Problem is that they would tell you where you can drive it, how far, how fast and crap like that. Sorta takes the fun out doesn't it? :(

[KiwiCoromandel]

wow guys, talk about back to the future...we heard this news on talk back radio down here in nz last week...bush was asked this question in europe at the d- day memorial and categorically stated " no " which we all know is politicians code for " yes, but not till after we get re-elected "...

guess we`ll be seeing a lot of you down here in new zealand soon (there`s already a lot of american families settling down here in nz because we have a nuclear - free policy)...or else there may be a lot of volunteers for the upcoming missions to mars.....i`m not sure if they have the draft up there..you might be lucky...

Edited June 8, 2004 by kiwibank