http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=5834001&content_dir=ua_congressorg
Eh… Thoughts?
Well, it would give me something to do while I am out of work cause the US economy sux so badly.
But seriously, I wonder what each of the presidental candidates would think/vote on this issue?
That would definately sway my voting stance.
I agree. I would most definitly not vote for anyone that would reinstate the draft. I think it’s a pretty interesting thing that they’re trying to cover it up with election year things. It’s pretty sad, since a lot of FIRSTers I know are in that age range. I honestly hope nothing goes through.
oh snap…good catch, i went ahead and forwarded it too.
Guys, I really think we should all write letters to our representatives concerning this issue. I am. =/
I am writing one as well. Being the pessimist that I am, I’m honestly afraid it would go through. If it did go through hypothetically, what would people do…? I think I would personally, if it were an option, vote to be put in a medical position, like running bandages or something. shrug it’s practice.
It’s part of being an American, standing proud for who you are - no matter if you believe it is right or not. You are in this country, and you should stand by her for everything she is going through, and everything she is worth. I know the struggles all to well, and have great pride to be here in the glorious country - as I know others on here will have similar thoughts as I.
Yes, it does scare me, that old classmates may go (many have already willingly been sent), family members may be drafted, and I may even lose my soul mate. But its a beautiful country, and I would be happy to do everything possible to stand by her.
While this is your constitutional right, and a great thing to do IMO, I would be more obliged to write a letter to the local, or national news station and get some press on this issue, since a) your representative probably already knows about this, b) the letter to the news station would get some media attention to this issue which is what the people in congress trying to enact this law are trying to avoid by covering it up under the presidental election year.
Forward to the news, and see how long it takes for everyone to write to their representative, and uncover this issue.
I did not mean to say that I do not love this country. I mean more to say, that I among many people that I know do not support the action taking place in Iraq. I admire your pride in the country, though I must say I believe that a draft isn’t an appropriate action at this time in our country’s history. If I were drafted I would refuse to fight, for religious moral and personal reasons.
Sorry, wasn’t atacking or directing it towards anyones post. Was moreso just a statement and opinion towards the article from Congress as a whole.
… I hope no one takes it as an offense.
For fear of turning this thread into a heated debate, I am going to agree with that statement 100%.
It is not a good time to reinstate a draft when more than 50% of polls I see on the news do not support the “war” in Iraq, or anywhere else for that matter.
And it’s not that war is not a good or bad thing, obviously in a perfect world there would be no wars, but this one in Iraq has gotten out of hand.
Good point Elgin, though if there was a debate to start I would cut and run, because I think the debate over Iraq is never going to stop. My question was more, what would you do if drafted, even if you didn’t support the war? Fight? Medicine? etc…Engineering? ^^
Yeah, the thought of a draft is something that scares me. This draft bill is set for Spring 2005, and I turn 18 in June 2005. Really I don’t support the war (not to make a debate out of this thread), and I my own personal morals are against killing of almost any kind, including war. Also, there is no longer the option of college students being able to “dodge” the draft.
My 2 cents
Here is a copy of the actual bill submitted to the senate. A duplicate bill was submitted to the house. Currently, both are pending commitee approvals.
-Bill
What are the conditions for getting out of the draft/moving lower on the list?
Since I was not alive when the draft was implemented during Vietnam, I am not familiar with the rules. I know you can be excused for medical reasons, and I am aware of something about students. Can somone explain more on the student issue?
If a draft was passed, I would start to ‘set things up’ in Canada. No, really, I’m not kiding. I’m not going to fight for, what I believe are, the wrong reasons. I’m also not going to jail for the same.
REad through the article for better info, but there is no longer a way for students to dodge the draft, and anyone who has been drafted will be kept from fleeing to Canada through more extensive border control. And pretty much everyone from ages 18-26 gets drafted, except the really really rich.
Thousands of bills never make it to the president each year, thousands of bills never make it out of committees each year either…I seriously doubt they’ll pull this off and pass this…Every few years this issue gets brought up and is eventually killed…in fact I think they’ve tried at least 3 different forms of that bill since military action began against Afghanistan…it will never pass.
If they do, ill have to maintain being 25 pounds underweight so I qualify for the physical hardship clause… :ahh:
Ah, that was the point in the article I skipped over.
Is it just me or does it seem the at US is keeping us trapped in our own country? You can’t leave if there’s a draft, you can’t go anywhere else any other time because ‘they may harbor terrorists’ or they may hate americans. Now there would be required activities. What happened to freedom?
And I don’t think I can achieve 25 pounds over weight. That would probably mean I need to gain at least 50 pounds. 
First of all, everyone is getting worked up over nothing. The draft will never pass. If it did, America as a whole would riot. The american public might support a draft uf say WWIII starts and the united states is directly threatened. I mean ships and planes coming towards our borders and our freedom is actually at risk, not the crap they feed us about our freedom being in danger from Saddam’s weapons.
I would fight if the US was being invaded. I would not fight just because the president believes a place like Iraq or Vietnam is a risk to the security of our country.
If the U.S. wants to exercise it’s strength as a superpower and attack countries in aggression, I refuse to support, or be a part of that effort.
Would I go to jail? I don’t know. I can say I would, but nobody really knows until it happens…
I know one thing. I absolutely will not kill people because the President of the United States tells me that they’re bad.
$0.02
Cory
I agree with Cory that this bill will not be signed into law. With support for the war in Iraq at an all-time low, it would be political suicide for many congresspersons and senators to try to push this through. This isn’t to say that no one will try, but it won’t succeed. This isn’t the right time, and these aren’t the right circumstances, and these aren’t the right wars that should require our country to conscript soldiers.
<tangent>I don’t see our soldiers as fighting for our country’s survival in Iraq or even in Afghanistan anymore. Does anyone believe that the people in Afghanistan are any better off under warlord control than under Taliban rule? Do people believe that the situation in Iraq will so drastically change between now and June 30 so that the US government can relinquish sufficient control to the Iraqi governing council so as not to appear to be ruling Iraq like a “conquered” territory? This has turned into two giant messes when it could have just been one (Afghanistan) to focus on. Who called it? http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14696 </tangent>
Here are some of my feelings… I don’t think I would ever volunteer for the armed services. Combat doesn’t seem to be my calling in life. I sure as hell wouldn’t volunteer to go to war without some sort of undeniable evidence that my country and my way of life was at risk of being annihilated. I would allow myself to be drafted if another country was hell bent on destroying this country and it was “us or them.” But I will not allow myself to be drafted into the situation that we are in. I will not risk my life for a lie or an “intelligence error.” I believe very strongly that I am justified and right in feeling this way. If I’m sent to prison, then I will serve my sentence, but there’s always a way out of the country and I would probably explore that option first if need be.
Mad props to Cory 