| Pending Draft Legislation | Category: News | Topic: Politics | Books about Politics |  Print  E-Mail
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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.
$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.
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 [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.
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.
The public has a right to air their opinions about such an important decision.
Please send this on to all the friends, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins that you know. Let your children know too -- it's their future, and they can be a powerful voice for change!
Please also contact your representatives to ask them why they aren't telling their constituents about these bills -- and contact newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they're not covering this important story.
One of the easiest things that you can do is to visit http://www.upayna.org to sign a petition against these bills. It will only take a few seconds of your time and add to the vast number of voices speaking out against these bills.
You should also tell at least five people you know about this legislation and tell them to tell five people they know. The government is using our lack of information as the source of their power in passing this type of legislation. If the media won’t report on this then it is our responsibility to inform people.
You can view the bill at: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/g_three_sections_with_teasers/legislative_home.htm
Search for bill number S 89.
Again thank you for your interest in speaking out against this. It is an issue that will affect our future and it is our right to speak out against it. It has been far to long since the government listened to any of its citizens, especially the youth. It is time to force them to listen and take our concerns seriously.
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By Robert RoskindJust as the Beats immortalized their lives and times in such books as On The Road, Robert Roskind likewise commemorates the liberated lifestyle of the hippie era. This look back, while very personal, is also the archetype for a whole generation whose quest for freedom and the meaning of life led to some mind-blowing experiences.
Read Skip's Review! |
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