Lawmakers drop proposal to add women to the draft as defense bill headaches mount

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Compromise defense policy legislation set to be filed Monday will not require women to register for a military draft, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations, a stunning turnaround after the proposal gained bipartisan support in both the House and Senate this year.

Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees left the provision out of the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, despite the fact that both chambers' bills would have expanded the Selective Service System beyond men.

The move is a victory for conservatives who fought to strip the provision. Earlier attempts to kill the proposal came up short because lawmakers from both parties supported including women in the draft. Expanding Selective Service has gained momentum since all combat roles in the military were opened to women.

It's also likely to upset Democrats who are already on edge over what may not make the cut. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are threatening to oppose the bill in the House this week if it doesn't include a major overhaul in how the military prosecutes felonies as well provisions to combat extremism in the ranks.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/06/ndaa-women-draft-dropped-523829

[Girard442]

1. They won't acknowledge that women can do anything except gestate babies.

[Hekate]

18. True dat. We can be trained to kill people, too.

[Woodswalker]

2. Could you imagine another draft in America

Nobody would show.

[twodogsbarking]

3. Odd they decided against telling women what to do with their bodies.

[James48]

4. That is terrible news.

I was in the first year of renewed draft registration in 1980. As a male, I had to register, or I would lose college federal students loan aid. Women were not required to register. The US Supreme Court ruled that it was legal because women were prohibited from combat roles.

Today there is no such prohibition.
But a male who doesn’t register loses his ability to work for the federal government FOR LIFE. Cannot obtain many federal benefits. But women are unaffected and can’t register.

Justice is needed. Pass draft registration for all, or end it for all. Period.

[pnwmom]

7. Yes JUSTICE is needed. So the EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT should have been passed.

As long as men are preventing women from having equal rights guaranteed by the constitution, they can't complain about women not serving in the draft.

[DURHAM D]

8. Thank you.

I can't believe anyone thinks women should be subject to the draft without passage of the ERA.

[yardwork]

11. Particularly as the courts are stripping what few rights we had over our bodies.

This is a particularly ironic time to be discussing justice, in my opinion.

[Farmer-Rick]

10. Yeah let's give women 100 percent full bodily autonomy and equality

And then add them to the draft.

How can you force your baby incubators and second class citizens to fight your wars when they don't even have equality?

[old as dirt]

5. Good. Women have a right to say, "no". (nt)

[christx30]

6. Men should be able too also.

Last edited Tue Dec 7, 2021, 04:19 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm pretty much against mandatory *anything*, much less military service. No one should have to go unless they want to. Men should be able to refuse service if we want. No one should have to register for the draft. My son is going to be 18 in a few years. I'd hate for him to have to join, if things with China start to heat up.

[Buckeyeblue]

9. It's probably time to just end the selective service requirement

It's an antiquated system that probably wouldn't work if we needed a draft. We would be better off asking for volunteers. My dad and people of his generation have told me things that people did to circumvent the draft. The whole thing sounds like it was a clusterfuck. I could you imagine what it would look like today with social media and 24/7 news?

[yardwork]

12. They stopped the draft because it caused anti-war protests.

They found it was much easier to sign up volunteers than deal with the protests. If we still had a draft I don't know that we would have invaded Iraq or stayed in Afghanistan for 20 years.

[McKim]

15. Amen to That!!!!

Amen to that! With a draft they saw that it was becoming too difficult to create their increasingly unpopular foreign war adventures. Best to keep wages low and make the military more attractive.
No fragging, no questioning, the perfect army!

[yardwork]

16. That seems to be what happened, and I agree that keeping wages low was the plan.

[Farmer-Rick]

13. Let's draft Trumps, Cheneys and the filthy rich first.

Because their families have proven to be war mongers and incorrigible draft doggers.

The draft was always a way for the filthy rich to force us to fight for their banks and profit centers while they stay safe and secure behind at home.

The GOP is filled with cowardly leaders who avoided the draft.

[Wuddles440]

14. And yet...

these chicken shit, cheerleaders always seem to transform themselves into illusionary tough guys who embrace military might and have the support of most veterans' groups. Go figure....

[llashram]

17. still the pedestal

American soldiers have been fighting and dying for 20 years now in far-flung postings. Many are female. If the draft continues as the bellwether of equality or non-equality then so be it. And as an aside, I agree white extremism in the ranks is a poison. Must be prosecuted to the full extent of military law.