Posted by Interesting on January 05, 2007 at 08:08:59 (EST):
In Reply to: Re: Draft posted by board miority report on January 04, 2007 at 23:26:18 (EST):
: : Firstly, let me apologize for the lengthly post. Sometimes when I get started I just can't stop. I think you'll find it interesting so please read on....
: : Though Pres. Bush and his cabinet as well as the Military have repeatedly dismissed the idea of draft, one does have to wonder, given the circumstances in Iraq, if we should consider the dismissals as accurate and honest representations of truth. Sadly, I have become even more skeptical of our governments honesty when it comes to telling us the truth vs. telling us what they need (or want) us to believe. Similarly, I have become more critical of our governments decisions regarding military involvement in Iraq as well as other places throughout the world. This I blame largely on George Bush himself, since I sincerely believe his eagerness to invade Iraq had little to do with 911, WMD’s, genocide, or a brutal dictator and more to do with oil, or the control of it, a permanent military base in the Middle East, and possibly even a Christian President’s need to repent his past sins via the destruction of Islam. (Okay, maybe the last one is a stretch but it is something I’ve thought about.
: : Also, sometimes I wonder if they (Bush, the cabinet, and military) are behaving like the ostrich with it’s head in the sand in that they’ve convinced themselves by saying ,“we don’t need or want a draft,” often enough that they’ve actually started believing it.
: : Alas, conditions in Iraq coupled with these two facts suggest to me that a draft is inevitable:
: : 1. In June, 2005 the U.S. Army reported falling short of its annual recruiting goal for the first time since 1999.
: : 2. The number of military personnel on active duty plummeted from 9 million to 1.4 million in the last 20 years.
: : Generally, I am opposed to resulting to war/violence to solve problems when in nearly all situations could be handled diplomatically. That said, I have mixed feelings about initiating the draft. On one hand, I’d hate to see anyone forced to put his or her life in harm’s way, especially for a cause they may not support. On the other hand, I believe a purely volunteer military has allowed most people to be casual about their support of our President and his antics. It may take a draft to force people into seriously asking themselves if this war is worth sacrificing life and limb. It was the draft, after all, which propelled protestors during the Vietnam War (oops, “Conflict) and it was the protestors who brought skepticism and doubt into our living rooms via the television set. The protestors also made possible Network Televisions willingness to bring the blood and gore of the war to the forefront. Much like this Iraq War, the Vietnam War originally was wrapped and protected by Old Glory and her civilian defenders, ie., it was widely considered unpatriotic and “un-American” to oppose the war and, much like today, doing so prompted the accusing finger to be pointed squarely into one’s face with the accusation of “not supporting our troops.”
: : Here is some information at a website I found several minutes ago:
: : http://www.nodraftnoway.org/about.shtml
: : ----------------------------------------------
: : If a draft were held today, it would be dramatically different from the one held during the Vietnam War. A series of reforms during the latter part of the Vietnam conflict changed the way the draft operated to make it more fair and equitable. If a draft were held today, there would be fewer reasons to excuse a man from service.
: : Before Congress made improvements to the draft in 1971, a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress toward a degree.
: : Under the current draft law, a college student can have his induction postponed only until the end of the current semester. A senior can be postponed until the end of the academic year.
: : If a draft were held today, local boards would better represent the communities they serve. The changes in the new draft law made in 1971 included the provision that membership on the boards was required to be as representative as possible of the racial and national origin of registrants in the area served by the board.
: : A draft held today would use a lottery to determine the order of call. Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, Local Boards called men classified 1-A, 18 1/2 through 25 years old, oldest first. This resulted in uncertainty for the potential draftees during the entire time they were within the draft-eligible age group. A draft held today would use a lottery system under which a man would spend only one year in first priority for the draft - either the calendar year he turned 20 or the year his deferment ended. Each year after that, he would be placed in a succeedingly lower priority group and his liability for the draft would lessen accordingly. In this way, he would be spared the uncertainty of waiting until his 26th birthday to be certain he would not be drafted.
: : -------------------------------------
: : Also, The Healthcare Personnel Delivery System (the “medical draft”), authorized by congress in 1987 to deal with possible shortages of medical personnel, if implemented, would require a mass registration of male and female healthcare workers between the ages of 20 and 45.
: : What I could NOT find while doing a little research for this post was were the U.S. military stood on the issue of gays and the draft. I’ve wondered, if gays are not permitted to volunteer to serve in the military (don’t ask/don’t tell) then would the be permitted or even required to serve if drafted? Would the be a Class F4 reclassification: “Registrant not acceptable for military service”?
: : Interesting footnote: Ministers of Religion (Class 4D) and one who is Study Preparing for the Ministry (Class 2D) are both acceptable deferments, under current law. That is a very disturbing to me.
:
: Thank you Mr. President for 6 years with no more terror attacks on our home soil. Thank you for two conservative Justices. Thank you for understanding that cutting taxes helps to stimulate the economy. And thank you Mr. President for remaining a moral man who is not ashamed of his Faith.
Thank you mr President for losing the lives of over 3,000 young American men and women and having thousands seriously wounded and probably a 100,000 Iraquis killed. You are such a great man who will go down in history as one of the 5 worse Presidents.