Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005

[doubles]

This is our ticket to victory come November. If the public sees this, Bush does not have a chance!

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=5834001&content_dir=ua_congressorg

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.

{snip}


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 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.

[still_one]

1. A fucking Democrat introduced this in the Senate!!!

To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons 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.


IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 7, 2003
Mr. HOLLINGS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A BILL
To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons 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.

[dusty64]

3. Unfortunately this does NOT

surprise me. Whomever tries to push something like this through will help to destroy the offending party for at least a decade. I can't get this link to work however I have heard of this before. Stupid, stupid, fucking stupid.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Vote on both bills has to be BEFORE Spring, 2005. Probably 3am Friday

night without the media like the other unpopular legislation. Keep writing to your Senators and representatives. And please vote in November as your representative may be sending you or your loved ones to war in January, 2005.

[Scooter24]

7. If we are...

...going to see any movement on the draft, it will be around mid-march when the Selective Service issues its final report to the President. They are running "trial drafts" to get the system tweeked to where it will only be 75 days to get conscripts in the system, rather than the typical 150+ days required by law.

I am prepared to fight it and am taking a wait-and-see approach pending the result of the Nov. elections.

[jforbes]

4. draft dodging in Canada

As a Canadian, I would think it likely that almost all Canadians will take a blind eye to any rules regarding American draft dodgers. American wars have never been popular in Canada, and Canada decides for itself about who, what and how much energy will be spent in pursuit of justice.

Hell the Canadian police don't even bother busting Mary Jane grow ops. I really rather doubt that any effort will be extended to find US draft dodgers that are in Canada. I can predict no war effort on the part of America will ever be looked upon with favour in Canada. I would still think Canada will be a popular destination for anyone that does not wish to join an organization to kill other people.

Canada and the US have not often fought for the same reasons. When Canada went to war to fight for freedom in 1914 the USA was no where to be found. Again in 1939 Canada went to war to fight for freedom, and again the USA was no where to be found. Ooppps yes they were... Preston Bush and many other US companies were selling services and supplying goods to..... GERMANY!!! Nice help there Uncle Sam, as many Canadian men were dieing for the freedoms that you claimed to fight for. Until you were brought into WWI by the concerted efforts of the Zionists.... and until you got smacked by the Japanese in Hawaii, you were no where to be found....

So with the fact that the USA has never supported Canada in the past, and in all probability never will, I would think it a safe haven for Americans that share Canada's commitment to peaceful negotiations over hostile actions.

John....

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Bless you, my Northern friend :) And welcome to DU!

[jforbes]

10. Nice letter

Well done.... http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/OpenLetter.htm

As a penalty for your warm welcome, I submit my letter to the American Embassy in Ottawa regarding a quip the ambassador gave suggesting Canada should join in the Iraq war with America because America would come to the aid of Canada if Canada were ever invaded.....

Don't take this the wrong way..... I have many friends in the United States, it is the history that America teaches, and the false propaganda and chest beating I dislike. The lack of appreciation for your Northern neighbours from your leaders, is somewhat upsetting. And we always hear and are more than a bit tired about how America came to the aid of the free world.... But we never hear about how America did not want to fight the wars for freedom.....

I am glad Canada told America to go stuff it regarding the Iraqi war. Frankly today 82% of Canadians want to see Bush out of office. The worst lop sided polls in Canada were 62% against the war. And that poll was done by the most conservative newspaper chain. The real polls were over 75% at the worst of times....

I have been able to get some messages posted in the letters to the editor in both the NYT and the Washington Post... This one made both of them.....

---------

Mr Ambassador....

US Ambassador Cellucci has suggested that the USA is disappointed in Canada's position regarding Iraq, and suggests that trade between the two countries and some current disputes (Softwood Lumber) could be affected by Canada's democratic position.

To threaten Canada with possible retribution for a trade dispute that predates the 9-11 terror incident is beyond the pale. To even suggest that the trade dispute could be held up because Canada does not support the USA's unilateral invasion of Iraq, is surely playing a cheating hand in the political game.

I beg the Ambassador to please give us an example of the support the USA has shown Canada in the over 200 years our countries have co-existed as neighbours.

The Ambassador suggests that the USA would back Canada if Canada were ever threatened by an outside force. Need I remind him that History has proven him wrong. Where was the USA in 1914 when Canada sent thousands of soldiers to fight for freedom? Thousands of Canadians died for that cause and the USA (until 1916) was no-where to be found....... And when America finally did come to war in 1916, it was a result of a threat to itself. Not for some made up fantasy of history such as... "we fought for freedom" or to come to anyone else's aid.

Again in 1939 Canada went again to fight for freedom and the USA was no-where to be found (until Dec 1941).... Oh lest i forget... The USA was involved.... Prescott Bush and his company was involved (as were hundreds of other American firms).... in selling goods to Germany, while many Canadians died to protect freedom.... and again you came to war as a result of a threat to your property (Hawaii), and not to come to any other countries aid...

In the history of Canada, only one nation has ever threatened Canada.... Fortunately that countries invasion efforts were rebuffed. And indeed we should be wary of accepting the word from these people.... These people and that country is... the USA.

I know I will never visit the USA again..... And I pray for Canada.... The biggest threat Canada has ever had in the past and the present is the USA.

Mike Stephen
---------------------------------


Dear Sir/Madam,

On behalf of United States Ambassador Paul Cellucci, I would like to
acknowledge receipt of your e-mail message. The Ambassador appreciates
your comments. Please be assured that they have been carefully reviewed.

If your message included an inquiry, our Information Resource Center will
reply separately within the next few days.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

Office of Public Affairs
United States Embassy, Ottawa

[newyawker99]

11. Hi jforbes!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Beware the Beast Man]

6. Here is a non-alarmist's perspective.

This is straight from the Central Committe for Conscientious Objectos webisite:

http://www.objector.org/positionpaper.html

The Rangel-Hollings bill, for the most part, is a political tool to weed out the Rethug chickenhawks in Congress. It's also not a cost-effective measure. It would cost more money and take large amounts of time to train raw recruits to use the high-tech equipment the militray now uses. Also, a draft would only fan the flames of anti-war resistance.

The rest of the article makes a pretty good argument for why a draft most likely will not happen. Take the article for what it's worth.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. I hope you're right. But Woodrow Wilson won in 1916 on the slogan

"He Kept Us Out of War" and promptly instituted a draft the very next year (months after his inauguration).

I trust nobody and it's up to us to monitor our representative, our senators, and the White House.

[Beware the Beast Man]

9. I. myself, am on the fence...

I don't trust much of what I read, but I can buy this argument against the draft, but anything can change. Like I said, i think this draft bill is a way for some Dem lawmakers to rile up the Chickenhawks by saying "your kids aren't exempt, either."

As for Wilson, he did try to keep the US out of war, but that wacky Zimmermann had that crazy idea to help Mexico regain all it lost during the Mexican War, so Wilson went to war on a "credible threat" (I did my senior paper on the Zimmermann Note)> :)

[Dems Will Win]

12. This thread is SO ignorant.

1. The Dem bills are irrelevant and will never even come to the floor.

2. There already is a men-only DRAFT law and to reinstate only a TRIGGER RESOLUTION is needed not a whole new law.

3. Bush is activating the DRAFT this summer and fall for next year by spending $28 mil on a 2004 "Performance Plan" which is really a reactivation plan when you read it, down to gearing up the Alternative Service for the first time in 31 years! With millions of DRAFT-age men he will invade the next 6 countries on the secret memo list Wes Clark revealed in his book (Kerry won't).

http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

4. Kerry has a NO-DRAFT PLAN