Just wondering if anyone else has heard much on this. A lot of US news dosn't make it up here to Canada. ive just seen it on a few websites. And i have lack of trust in politcal websites. the following is copied From, http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert?alertid=5834001&content_dir=ua_congressorg --------------------- 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.
All I can say is if that does happen, my boyfriend and I are heading to Mexico! Well, I hope he's down... he'd probably not want to be a coward. But I don't want to lose my baby for some stupid war. It's such a tragic thing to lose a loved one to something you don't even agree with. Hell! What the hell do we need a draft for anyway? Iraq is how big? Not very. And there are pleny of people in the Armed Forces willingly. Peace, Moonjava
The Army announced yeaterday that it was delaying the retirement and ETS [ended tour of service] of soldiers. This is as bad as the draft. Hopefully this will bring a few thousand more votes to Senator Kerry in November.
I believe that same treaty was also signed by mexico.In other words,that won't work either.The size of iraq is irrelevent.The amount of troops spread between iraq,afghanistan,bosnia,south korea,etc means extended tours for all involved.And,not all soldiers are combat soldiers.The all volunter army/military is in a lull right now(no kiddin').The military is also extending the tours of duty in iraq and afghanistan,and extending the enlistments of the soldiers.If they don't get our troops out of there soon,they will have a serious moral problem even worse then they have now.This is pretty much a no win situation for all concerned.
Who knows what will happen at this point. Personally, I don't think it will happen, but there is always that possibility. This is why all you Bush/Kerry supporters need to reconsider who you vote for in this upcoming election. We already know either Bush or Kerry will be elected, but voting for a third-party candidate is the only way to protest against this shit. Because keep in mind, both Bush AND Kerry plan to remain in Iraq if elected. If Kerry was to say he would back completely out of Iraq if elected, I would vote for him in a second. But he isn't, he's a fucking typical Democrat sellout. This is why voting for Kerry is ultimately the same as voting for Bush. Vote anything but Republican or Democrat in November if you are that concerned about a reinstatement of the draft.
