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Subject: VERY IMPORTANT -- ALL READ


Author:
Keith
[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
Date Posted: 00:39:20 09/22/04 Wed

Hey my mom's friend told me over her 50th B-Day party that the government is currently moving bills in Congress to make a mandatory draft. She said there are no headlines because both parties support it.

I'm tired and just started researching it, but the first link I found was quite unsettling. Basically, no college protection. Women serve too. Canada isn't an option.

Read on from what I found, and please tell me what you've found:

Mandatory Draft Coming-Soon

From: Sophie Lapaire
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/mandatorydraftcoming19mar04.shtml
March 19, 2004

I rarely send a mail to a large audience, but the possibility of mandatory drafting for boys and girls (age 18-26) starting June 15 2005, is something, I
believe, everyone should know. This litteraly affects EVERYONE since we all have or know children that will have to go if this bill passes.

If there are children in your family, READ this.

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
--
Also, crossing into canada has already been made very difficult.

Actions, actions, actions:
P please send this on to all the parents and teachers you know, and all the aunts and uncles, grandparents, godparents.... And let your children know -- it's their future, and theycan be a powerful voice for change!

Please also write to your representatives to ask them why they aren't telling their constituents about these bills -- and write to newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they're not covering this important story.

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.informationclearinghouse.info/article5146.htm www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year, http://www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/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.

WHAT TO DO:

- Tell all your friends

- Call the Mercury News (Newsdesk) 408-920-5000

-E-mail the SF Chronicle at: Tbyrne@sfchronicle.com

- Contact your Senators and tell them to oppose these bills.
Barbara Boxer: 415-403-0100
Diane Feinstein: 415/393-0707
Anna Eshoo: 202/225-8104
Nancy Pelosi: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov

For the full list of representatives (53) and websites, go to:
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=ctc&state=ca

We just can't sit and pretend that by ignoring it, it will go away. We must voice our concerns and create the world we want to live in for
our children and their children's children.

Sophie Lapaire

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Replies:
[> Subject: little bit more info


Author:
Keith
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Date Posted: 00:43:47 09/22/04 Wed

The bill is being sponsored by a DEMOCRAT! Someone from NY. THis is fucking crazy! 18-26 M and W, mandatory two year service!!!

What the fuck?!

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[> Subject: More updates


Author:
Keith
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Date Posted: 15:53:23 09/22/04 Wed

Such strange timing. I researched this last night, and today Kerry mentioned it in his speech. He said that if you vote for Bush, it will most likely occur.

So there goes the fucking world. Bush wins = we all serve two years of mandatory military service.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK W.!

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[> Subject: The sky is falling


Author:
Richard
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Date Posted: 18:00:45 09/26/04 Sun

Yeah, talked to one of my Poli. Sci. professors today about this. He said that there is always a bill similar to this floating around congress, but this one is getting some real attention this time. For now the army is doing everything possible to avoid a draft like contracting out paper-pusher jobs and restructuring units to make them more efficient and so on and so forth. Fact is though, these are only stop-gaps at best. Eventually they'll just need more troops, and, well... Fuck man, now is the time to stop this. A little over a month left until we see what kind of government this country wants. In the meantime I’ve started volunteering for the Democrats here in Columbia. If you have the time I'd advise you to do the same, or if nothing else make sure your friends and neighbors are registered to vote. With a little luck maybe we can break some voter turnout records this year. Let's hope so.

"How fortunate for those in power, that people do not think."
Adolf Hitler

"We the people are the boss. In the final analysis we will get the kind of government, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve."
President John F. Kennedy

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Psa 34:14

Peace and good luck.

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[> [> Subject: Alright team, here we go


Author:
Keith
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Date Posted: 10:39:38 09/29/04 Wed

I saw the sponsor of the bill on the Senate side on Bill Maher. He's from NY, and Sarah is exactly right.

The democrats are sponsoring this because they want to raise the stakes of the war. They are saying, hey America, if this war is so important why don't you have some of your kids go and die. Scary thought.

I like the "let's bombard them with calls and emails" idea. How about tomorrow? Thursday the 30th? I'm down.

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[> Subject: Gee Whiz Kids


Author:
Sarah
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Date Posted: 08:50:53 09/27/04 Mon

So after I read your initial message, I started crying. Everything is getting so close and i am getting so nervous...

Then I did some calling. I called Bond, Talent, and Graves (my rep but probably not any of yours) and, of course, nobody has a position on it that they know of. Letters will be arriving at my house soon to let me know what they think.

I looked on thomas.gov to see the status and both are in the Armed Services Cmtes. The chairs of those committees expect to be contacted by those outside of their district/state regarding cmte. issues, so I suppose we could call/write to them as well. There are no cosponsors on the Senate side only the lead. On the House side, there are a few cosponsors to note including Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (MO-1). I am not sure if we know anyone in the first district, but surely you could find some at MU. I think part of the reason a lot of people haven't put their name on it yet is because of the election, but if we can put pressure on those who already have their name on it (like Clay) as well as the committee that has jurisdiction over it now it might become too hot to touch.

I thought it was interesting that Rep. John Lewis (GA-5) was a cosponsor. I don't know if you all know that he worked closely with MLK Jr. during the civil rights movement. It makes this bill a little tricky and a little easier to understand why it is so bipartisan. We all (us cool progressive types at least) that the military is classist (which in America translates into racist as well), so it seems to me that Lewis thinks this is a way to soften the burden on the underprivileged. Plus, to me it seems a huge leap forward to include women, though I assume they still would not be allowed in combat roles. These seem like really noble progressive goals... IF you accept the military and war and especially this war as a noble goal. My fear, and I assume it is yours as well, is that this is just about the endless WoT and progressives like Lewis will have to make a choice between equality and peace. A kind of weird choice if you ask me...

Those are my thoughts so far. Here are some helpful phone numbers in case you are too lazy to look them up.
Sen. Talent DC Office 202-224-6254 KC Office 816-421-1639
Sen. Bond 202-224-5721 KC Office 816-471-7141
To find your reps #, just go to house.gov.

Oh, and another thing, calling and writing really does matter. They (the non-paid interns) make a tally of the calls and letters on each side. Maybe we could organize a day or a week where we bombard them with calls about it or something. This may be too early, but then again this issue's fate is going to be decided by voters in November, not by Congress next spring. I know we are all working our asses off to get G.W. fucking out. Work equally hard to kick Kit Bond to the curb also. Nancy Farmer is his opponent and has loads less cash.

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[> Subject: New Information Update


Author:
Keith
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Date Posted: 18:14:33 10/05/04 Tue

Check out this quick article on Yahoo! regarding the draft: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=2074&e=2&u=/ap/20041005/ap_on_go_co/the_draft

Cool
Keith

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[> Subject: Re: VERY IMPORTANT -- ALL READ


Author:
Richard
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Date Posted: 22:42:15 10/05/04 Tue

I just hope that's that. Unfortunately, I still think that if Bush is re-elected the draft will be a real possibility. After all, it would be in the tradition of the Bush family to make a promise (Read my lips...) and then turn right around and fuck everyone up the ass. Remember, once he's in for a second term he won't give a fuck about anything but his legacy, and Cheney sure isn't going to be running for president so he won't be sweating it either.

Nope friends, I don't think this one is over, not by a long shot. Iraq just isn't getting any friendlier, and nothing short of a massive nuclear strike or some magic fairy dust is going to fix things overnight. If Bush is in the white house another 4 years he sure isn't going to implement Kerry's plan of bringing in foreign peacekeeping troops. Hell, I frankly don't think Kerry will be able to pull that one off.

We’re running low on troops, and this “backdoor draft” (Why would the homophobic military complex use such a homosexual term?) is a short-term solution at best. And with the military falling short of their recruitment goals someone’s going to have to fill that gap.

Oh well, too much pessimism for tonight. No sense in losing any sleep over this stuff. I guess all we can do is vote, love, and hope that one day the forces of good can steer the ship for a while, fixing a course on something nicer for everyone.

Tonight I go to bed dreaming about French women and cheap wine.

Au revoir, À bientôt

Richard

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