Ways to dodge the draft

[ringmastery]

With this talk about the draft coming back, how would young people age 18-25 dodge it?

Would they exempt people in college?

What about people with physical disabilities? nearsightedness exempt you?

Travel to Canada/out of the country? Enter the National Guard?

I guess the easiest way to dodge the draft would be to say you are homosexual, right?

[elperromagico]

1. Is your mother/father a Congressperson?

If so, you get a slot in the National Guard flying an obsolete plane!

[La_Serpiente]

2. It would be hard to dodge it this time

Will they exempt people in college?

HELL NO!!! If you are in college, you only be allowed to finish the current semester and off you go to boot camp.

People with disabilities?

You are lucky then. I don't know about the vision thing.

Canada?

Nope, not this time. Canada and the US have a treaty now that Canada must return the people for peace "back" to the US. I don't know about other countries. Mexico? I don't know if they even will enforce a US order.

Homosexual? I don't know. However, if you go on behalf of the draft board, you have to publicly say that you are a homosexual and it will be put on the record. I don't know how it will play now though. Yet, your entire family will know.

What can you do?

You can become a concientious objector. Start putting together a portfolio showing that you are a peacenik. It might work.

[rawtribe]

Vote

18 - 24 year old need to vote in the 2004 election like there life's depends on it. Voting Republican is suicide, not voting is worse!

[newyawker99]

56. Hi rawtribe!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[sleipnir]

3. None of those will work for the next draft....

Scary but true, they will end "don't ask don't tell" in a heartbeat just to eliminate a loophole. Physical disability only limits you from combat, not active service, in which you still might get you ass blown up. Move to New Zealand, that's my plan....

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

4. My father-in-law

took speed and stayed up for three straight days. Worked like a charm.

[durutti]

11. There's an Idea

Just do drugs.

[LittleDannySlowhorse]

47. Doing drugs is not enough

You have to do a LOT of drugs, and show up for the draft board visibly impaired. If you don't do drugs, I suppose touching yourself in your bathing suit area during the review will do nicely too.

[dreissig]

5. Being Female Makes You Totally Exempt

The draft is male-only. Can you imagine the squawking if there were anything GOOD about it? Feminist silence on the subject is deafening.

[durutti]

9. Sex Change?

That could do it.

[dreissig]

25. Contest the Unfairness of It

Let the troglodytes and the feminists justify the male-only draft. This is one issue where they stand hand in hand. Every time I mention the gender unfairness of the draft, a feminist/troglodyte calls me a misogynist, questions my sanity or my virility, or both. Nobody ever actually defends the male-only draft; you're just not supposed to notice.

[jbm]

50. if it makes you feel any better..

I consider myself a feminist,and I wouldn't want a draft..but if there must be one,I think it should include everyone. I served in the military myself,and while I believe that the good old boy attitudes there make things hard for women,I also believe that the experience contains certain gifts and perspectives that will serve them later in life. I wouldn't want the men to be solely responsible for staffing the military,and I wouldn't want the women to be deprived of the few benefits(growth-wise) that the military has to offer.

[lysergik]

49. But it won't.

Look for Selective Service requirements to cover 18yr old females as well.

[Eloriel]

53. Who exactly are we to complain to?

You're really way ahead of yourself, anyway.

Charlie Rangel's bill DID include women. If you have information on any other bill, let's see it. That alone would be news -- that there's another bill out there.

Eloriel

[absolutezero]

57. look up S89 in the senate

that's the change to draft rules allowing women to be drafted

[durutti]

6. How to Dodge

With this talk about the draft coming back, how would young people age 18-25 dodge it?

You could try to become a conscientious objector; go to another country; pretend to be a homosexual; or somehow make yourself physically or mentally unfit for service.

Would they exempt people in college?

No. They abolished the college exemption in the 1970s.

What about people with physical disabilities? nearsightedness exempt you?

It depends on the disability. Nearsightedness wouldn't exempt you; you'd just get military-issue glasses. Few disabilities will exempt you from service. In most cases, you'll just be made to serve in a non-combat capacity.

Travel to Canada/out of the country? Enter the National Guard?

Canada and the U.S. now have an agreement that essentially prevents draft dodgers from fleeing to Canada. There are some other countries that would take you, though.

I'm not sure about the National Guard.

I guess the easiest way to dodge the draft would be to say you are homosexual, right?

Pretty much.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Tell them you are gay! (even if you are not, specially if you are not!)

They are so homophobic that they will take your word for it without bothering to check your story out. It is guaranteed to work! It has never failed!

[theorist]

13. I don't think so...

A US Navy friend of mine told me that they have to actually catch you in a "sex act". Your "don't ask don't tell" loophole was being abused to get off of ships.

[tritsofme]

15. Not when millions start claiming homosexuality.

Not to be overtly blunt, but how would the draft handle the kids that are extremely overweight? I know we have a lot more of them now than ever.

[IndianaGreen]

24. Overweight recruits were put in the "Porky Squad"

I used to see them running by my office many years ago when I was still on active duty. Those guys suffered!

No, the best way to get out is to tell them you are gay. I have seen it work! They are more homophobic now than ever because we have a lot of fundies in the military.

[pinkpops]

8. In the VietNam war

I was classified 1Y for dermatitis. I was not eligible unless a national emergency were to be declared, and - can you believe it - with all those people dying there was never a national emergency.

[theorist]

10. Foolproof draft dodging tactic?

Will the "drug addict" excuse work?

(Officially, marijuana is addictive, but you could always claim you're a Rushie, right?)

Addition:
I'm trying to coin a new synonym for junkie: "Rushie".

[Lars39]

12. Is there a height limit?

[DemBones DemBones]

Yes, but great height is not required. I think you can serve if you're

at least 5'2".

[durutti]

23. You'd Have to Be Very Short

I can't remember the exact figure, but it's abnormally short. Like 5'0 for a guy or something like that.

[Lars39]

29. No, I meant, what's the tallest they'll allow?

[durutti]

41. 6'5 I believe. n/t

[Superfly]

14. Dodging the draft = illegal and immoral

IMHO. I know this is incredibly unpopular, but...

1) Illegal - as a citizen, if called, you must perfrom your duty...failure to do so results in

2) Immoral - if you dodge, you have, first of all, broken the law. Second, somebody has to go in your place. Personally, I cannot live knowing that somebody might have died, in my place, because I had political objections to fighting.

Go ahead, flame away.

B

[Lars39]

16. So it's illegal and immoral to try to get out of an illegal/immoral war?

Interesting.

[Superfly]

19. I'm sorry, but, yes.

And I know it's an unpopular viewpoint, but that's part of the "cost" of being a citizen.

[Lars39]

28. Cost/citizen ........poverty/conscription

All bets were off when PNAC was revealed; that's not normal service to your country. This is not a just war.

[Superfly]

30. Bottom line

if my conscription results in my brother not being conscripted, I'm going.

[ringmastery]

33. Bottom Line

I'm doing everything in my power not to die in some Iraqui hellhole because President Chimpy says I should.

If others are smart, they'll find a way to dodge too. Where there's a will, there's a way, and when it means saving my life, there's a lot of will.

[Superfly]

OK, you can keep on believing that...

meanwhile, it's bed time and I'm outta here.

[Superfly]

35. Shama-lama-ding-dong

this is a dupe

[dreissig]

20. A Citizen's Duty

You mean, a male citizen's duty. But this aspect of the male-only draft is so unwieldy that nobody ever wants to mention it. If I were subject to the draft, I'd squawk about gender discrimination. Heck, I do it anyhow!

[Superfly]

22. Fine, go right ahead...

and I agree with you, it should be gender in-discriminate.

[Red State Rebel]

34. I agree with what you are saying.

It is unfair to dodge and send someone else in your place. We criticize others as "draft dodgers" yet daily there is a thread here on dodging the draft. Whether you agree politically or not, it is your duty. Yes, I have a son of draft age and yes, I would send him.

[Superfly]

36. And, yes, it sucks the big one

but it's part of the deal.

[Lars39]

37. It is also the duty of the CIC not to squander life unnecessarily.

There's been enough lives lost/destroyed because of the sociopaths in charge.

[Superfly]

39. That's 100% true

and what's with the slash/slanted line?

[Lars39]

40. Shortcut for and/or.

:)

[Superfly]

42. OK/gotcha

NT

[never cry wolf]

48. It is not unfair...

if we were under a real threat I would agree but war for the purpose of lining the pockets of the corporate elite and to establish a pax-americana to feed the egos of a small group of PNAC fanatics is NOT justified.

I have a son who will turn 18 in a month, he is a pacifist and a progressive. He would not hurt a fly. I would do everything in my power to keep him out of the service should he be drafted and if someone else has to go in his place let it be the son of someone who voted this illegal regime into place or supports their war mongering. Let them put their progeny where their mouth is!!

[durutti]

17. My Plan

If they start up the draft again, I'll refuse to serve, just as a matter of principle. I'll go to prison.

I couldn't get conscientious objector status because I don't object to all war.

[tritsofme]

27. I hope you have your principles

when your 50 and you cant get a job at Walmart because youre a convicted felon.

[qwertyMike]

18. Anal Cyst

or "other priorities" - Cheyney

Cocaine Binge before the interview

[wuushew]

21. Register a false address

wait for the war to end or (if you are to old) and then if you are ever brought up on charges say you attempted to notify the government but the change of address was lost in the mail. How many people have permanent addresses between the ages of 18-25, not very many IMHO.


(On Edit) the selective service must be doing a piss poor job since I have recieved no registration renewel forms for six years.



Men who register with Selective Service are required, by law, to inform the Agency whenever they change their address. Such notification must be made within 10 days of moving, and if the man has not yet reached age 26. Men are no longer required to notify Selective Service of address changes once they are 26 years old or older.

Currently, a man must notify Selective Service of a change of address by one of five available methods:

Submit a change of address on-line through this Web site. Go to this page address: https://www4.sss.gov/regver/AddrChg.asp, and follow the on-screen directions; or,


Complete and mail back Selective Service Form B, which is the tear-off "Change of Information" form every man receives in the mail with his registration acknowledgment card, shortly after he registers; or,


Obtain, complete, and mail back a Selective Service change of address form (SSS Form 2) at any post office; or,


Call toll free during business hours; 1-888-655-1825 and press "00" after connecting to speak with an operator; or,


Send e-mail to [e-mail]. The Subject Line of the e-mail message should be "Change of Address Notice," and the message must include the man's name, social security number, date of birth, old address and new address.

http://www.sss.gov/FSchngadress.htm

[Catherine Vincent]

26. If there is a draft,

I guess this is one time repiglicans won't bitch about affirmative action eh?

[wuushew]

31. Why not raise basic pay to six figures for basic infantry

Lets see how the Republican's religion of market forces handles income elasticity convincing people to die a sandy death.

[DemoTex]

32. Don't go National Guard!

Where the Johnson/Nixon administration would not touch the reserves and/or guard (with a few exceptions - the F-100 unit - callsign "Misty" - at Phan Rang being one), the weekend warriors are the current regime's main choice for cannon fodder in the war for oil.

[DemBones DemBones]

43. Yeah, they're trying to keep it "all volunteer" as long as possible.

AKA the economic draft. The weekend warriors are in it for the extra money, and it was a bad bet to make with this crew in power.

[OneBlueSky]

38. kiss the sergeant . . .

on the lips . . . with passion . . . or just introduce them to your boyfriend Bruce (assuming you're a guy, of course) . . . showing up dressed like Harvey Fierstein in Hairspray will also probably get you out . . . :)

[dreissig]

45. Then Again ...

You might share a foxhole with your opposite number.

[SmileyBoy]

44. Does having Aspberger's Syndrome and Tourette's Syndrome help me out???

:shrug:

[Lone_Wolf]

46. Maybe one could make a legal argument that...

That becoming involuntarily drafted is equivalent to involuntary servitude, and is unconstitutional by the 13th Amendment.

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

[Trek234]

52. Already ruled on by the courts

No go. "involuntary servitude" has been ruled on before.

However, I think there is a legitament case for sex discrimination. "nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. "

[carols]

51. If you would like to find out how to be a Conscientious Objector

please check out the information here:
Falloutshelter home page

[Ksec]

54. Have money

Thats all ya need. 99% on Nam vets were poor folks. With money you can always find a way out.

[Sting]

55. I have...

various disorders of my mind I don't want to share, I am nearsided in one eye and farsided in the other, and, as a last resort, I'll admit publically I'm gay.