{"article":{"id":105316,"heading":"get active or get drafted","author":"Walter Epp","created":"2004-03-19 07:17:15","modified":"2004-10-30 18:09:09","last_modified":"Sun, 31 Oct 2004 01:09:09","article":"

The Selective Service System is getting ready to draft people for

military service, including young women.

Whether it happens depends on whether there is enough public pressure,

now, through the campaign, in the election, and afterward on whoever

gets control of the white house and congress. People of any age,

from little children to grandparents, can write letters to government

and media, join protests, tell their friends to do likewise, etc.

The Spanish people threw out their pro-war government, but the new

government's plan to withdraw their soldiers from Iraq increases the

shortage of US soldiers.

The number of US casualties from Iraq was between 11,000 and 22,000

for the year of 2003 and is higher now.

[ www.envirosagainstwar.org\/edit\/index.php?op=view&itemid=1107

http:\/\/bernie.house.gov\/documents\/articles\/20040301115616.asp<\/a> ]

The true toll may be significantly higher as there are reports commanders

have refused to evacuate sick soldiers, so they don't get counted.

The ultimate toll could be dramatically higher, given what has happened

with vets of the first Gulf War.

The number of US casualties from the first Gulf War is over 270,000,

a rate of about 30% of those who served

[ traprockpeace.org\/gulfwarcasualties.html<\/a> ,

traprockpeace.org\/gulfcasualties.html<\/a> ].

While the absolute numbers are of course smaller than WW I or WW II,

this is a higher casualty percentage than any US war since the Civil War,

and as the numbers are still rising, it could end up being the highest of all.

That's not the impression we got from mainstream media coverage, is it?

The US just carried out a coup in Haiti that overthrew elected president

Aristide, and has sent in US military forces to prevent the Haitian public

from fighting back.

[ www.haitiaction.net<\/a> , Democracy Now<\/a> ]

(Note: Bush was not elected by the American people, so Aristide has more

legitimacy than Bush does.) The US has threatened Iran, Syria, Venezuela,

and who knows how many other countries.

To keep this warmongering going, more cannon fodder (ie young people)

will be required.

The \"war on terrorism\" is a war without end, so younger children will

be affected when they come of age, if we allow this to continue.

At the same time election-year-conscious officials are publicly proclaiming

there are no plans to impose a draft, they are quietly taking steps to do

just that - after the election. Another possibility is to start with a draft

of just those with technical skills needed by the military. Medical expertise

will be of special interest given the rate of casualties, and a system to draft

health care personnel up to age 44 is already in place. The Selective Service

System is currently preparing to expand this to include those with computer

and foreign language skills.

[ SF Chronicle 2004\/03\/13<\/a> ]

Some say a draft may be a good thing, because it will make people realize

we can't just keep our heads in the sand while letting poor people be

sucked into doing the dirty work, but must get active to put a stop to the

aggressive militarism which not only threatens our young people but also

threatens world peace and ultimately threatens our security by turning more

and more of the rest of the world against us.

What you can do:

Connect with others working on these issues:

StopTheDraft<\/a>

http:\/\/www.nyspc.net\/home.html&quot<\/a>;>National Youth and Student Peace Coalition

http:\/\/www.studentpeaceaction.org\/&quot<\/a>;>Student Peace Action Network

http:\/\/www.comdsd.org\/&quot<\/a>;>Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft

http:\/\/www.moveon.org\/&quot<\/a>;>moveon.org

http:\/\/www.BushDraft.com\/&quot<\/a>;>BushDraft.com

Join the big antiwar protest on Saturday March 20.

Events are happening in San Francisco & around the world:

http:\/\/www.InternationalANSWER.org<\/a> http:\/\/www.notinourname.net<\/a>

info@InternationalANSWER.org<\/a>, SF: 510-444-6466 415-821-6545

LA: 213-487-2368 answer-la@action-mail.org<\/a>

For info on prominent people in the media, government, etc who advocate

war to which others will be sent but declined to serve themselves, see:

http:\/\/www.nhgazette.com\/chickenhawks.html<\/a>

Write Congress and the media demanding that all these chickenhawks and their

children be drafted first, before there is a draft on the general public.

Get friendly people to join the Selective Service boards that decide

who gets exempted.

Feel free to spread the word by forwarding this.

misc.activism.progressive 13 Feb 2004

US Preparing for Military Draft in Spring 2005

by Adam Stutz

Vancouver IndyMedia - Wednesday January 28, 2004

http:\/\/www.vancouver.indymedia.org\/news\/2004\/01\/105146.php<\/a>

If voters who currently support U.S. aggression abroad were confronted

with the possibility that their own children or grandchildren might

not have a say about whether to fight, many of these same voters might

have a change of mind. (Not that it should make a difference, but this

plan would among other things eliminate higher education as a shelter

and would not exclude women -- and Canada is no longer an option.)

$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. SSS must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that the

system, which has lain dormant for decades, is ready for activation.

Please see website: http:\/\/www.sss.gov\/perfplan_fy2004.html<\/a> 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<\/a>

Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and H.R. 163 forward this year,

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

remember. College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada and

the US 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 US Homeland Security Director, Gov. 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.

Become a Selective Service System Local Board Member

http:\/\/www.defendamerica.mil\/articles\/sss092203.html<\/a>

<\/p>\n","contact":"for7gen@idiom.com","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"stop militarism now or the steps now being taken to reactivate the SSS are liable to result in people being drafted into military service;\r\nnote US casualty rate for first Iraq war was 30%\r\n","numcomment":1,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/03\/105316.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":118309,"heading":"kerrydraft","article":"Both Michael Badnarik and George Bush are\r\nagainst restarting the U.S. military draft.\r\n I do not know what John Kerrys position is\r\nor will be after the election. There are rumors\r\non the Internets that John Kerry voted against\r\nbody armor to protect volunteers. Does he think he\r\ncan just draft replacements if our troops\r\nget killed as a result of his carelessness in\r\nthe senate ??\r\n Even if John Kerry does not immediately start\r\na front door draft will he start a side door draft in\r\nwhich all male college students who have\r\nrecieved student loans or student financial aid\r\nor fee waivers will be required to serve in\r\nthe U.S. military in time of war or conflict ??\r\n George Bush performed well on the October 8th\r\ndebate.\r\nFor more info click on\r\n.\r\nhttp:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/news\/2004\/10\/117600_comment.php#117697\r\n.\r\nEric Matteson ","author":"Eric Matteson","parent_id":105316,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-10-30 18:09:09","modified":"2004-10-30 18:09:09","fileurl":""}]}