IMPORTANT: Possible Draft to begin in June 2005
 

This story is courtesy of: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/...ua_congressorg

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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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H-D :pimp:

let's just hope Bush doesn't get re-elected

That sucks :eek:

I just wonder if I could get out of it with my legal Canadian citizenship??? I have dual citizenship between the USA and Canada (Canadian mother, American/Canadian father), and because of that, I MAY be able to get out of it. I'm just not sure if there's laws registrating which country one is currently living in. Of course, the Armed Forces may not accept me because I take medication for depression & anxiety. Let's just hope this whole thing gets overturned.


H-D :pimp:

yeah

so does that mean women over the age of 18 now must sign up for selective service as well? because that would definitely be nice. you also answered my question about using college as an excuse.
and i wouldn't mind seeing it overturned, but if it goes through, and i end up getting drafted, i'll finish out my semester at school, and join the military. my only fear would be of being severely wounded, but still living. somehow, the idea of not living as i did before, fully functioning, doesn't appeal to me. we'll see what happens.

Oh Dear God, I hope this doesn't go through. It would be Vietnam all over again.

When will the world learn, that peace does not come as a result of war.

War breeds war.

This terrifies me..I have brothers and friends in that age group and I am proud of any man or woman serving our country in the military but like Whitebird said another Vietnam...
I cab see why they overturned the college excemption and tighted borders, Vietnam was called the poor man's war...it was a travesty!!

As far as I am aware, men are required to join the selectice service when they turn 18, and for women it is optional. I'm sure women in the SS will be drafted.


H-D :pimp:

You guys are making too much of a big deal abouit this. Fuck, unlike many of the chicken shits running around, I went out and got my SS card.

i havent gotten mine in the mail yet

yeah, i know males over 18 are req'd to join the SS, but i wasn't sure that, b/c the article mentioned that, in the spirit of equality, women would be drafted as well, that women were gonna hafta sign up for the SS as well. i got my card in my wallet, it's so beautiful!

It is possible that the draft might come back because of the lack of "voulenteers", but it maybe political sucide for the politicians who endorse it, so it is kind of iffy...it may all hing on if Bush monkey gets elected...if he does there is a greater chance...


if they do begin the draft they will start with men (and maybe women) 18 to 25...

When will the world learn that by having so many damn kids they just keep breeding those ideals of violence and hatred? Just by standing down on the draft there is not going to be peace. I would think some of the country would understand the sacrifices every soldier, whether or not they were drafted, fought for America's freedom back in the 60's. And maybe with a more interesting president than Carter, one WITH personality, the rest of the world WILL understand what those in the war ARE doing for us and not against us. We can go to work every day, drink a coke while sitting on a nice swing, and relax, or go on with the busy hussles and hectic crap at work, BUT WE ARE NOT THE ONES FIGHTING OVER THERE! Just b/c it may be your son that is drafted, does NOT mean that son isn't doing something right. And just because the fear of loosing a son, husband, or brother over there that didn't want to go there is a possibility, so is the problem of the fear of death. Death is mysterious so naturally a lot of people are afraid of it. And if society is afraid of it, they don't face reality. Death is also required to make points in the world, it's not a pointless ideal. Independence is still allowed for those drafted. It's just in what type of soldier they are or what they will do to try and avoid being drafted. If it is anyone who should be drafted, it's the rich, not just the everday son. For they are the ones who can pretty well use their money anywhere for almost anything, and that's a hell of a lot of freedom they got without the grief of war. I'm known for contradicting and if I did, I'm just myself. Peace out, Creedsters.

"Thou Shalt Not Kill" It seems that people forget the meaning of these words.