House Republicans click delete on draft rumor e-mails

[Dems Will Win]

WASHINGTON – The specter of a new military draft is being dismissed as "the hoax of the year," but Republicans are still doing everything they can to kill the rumor that has spread like wildfire among young voters and worried parents.

Both parties accused the other of shameless political gamesmanship in a House vote Tuesday that saw Democrats and Republicans line up against a bill that would have paved the way for another draft.

The 402-2 vote, on a bill sponsored by a Democrat, was called by House Republicans hoping the vote will quash the persistent rumors which have seeped into the presidential campaign.

The concerns were fueled in part by an e-mail driven rumor mill and a public awareness campaign by Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan group that seeks to boost voting among young people.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20041005-2239-thedraft.html

THIS IS A SHAM! BUSH CAN STILL REINSTATE THE DRAFT WITH A TRIGGER RESOLUTION, NO LAW IS NEEDED. RANGEL'S BILL DRAFTED WOMEN FOR COMBAT.

HERE IS WHAT BUSH IS REALLY DOING TO GEAR UP THE DRAFT:

Don't be confused by the Rangel DRAFT PROTEST BILL and the new BUSH SKILLS AND COMBAT DRAFT ACTIVITY that I've been reporting on. It's easy to get mixed up because both would draft women and both would expand the age up to 34 from 25. BUT Rangel's bill is a protest bill and hasn't a PRAYER of passing because it DRAFTS WOMEN for COMBAT .

The GOP hates that idea. Rangel proposed it because he knew it wouldn't pass but it would make it

The NEW BUSH SKILLS DRAFT would only DRAFT women for NON-COMBAT skills job.

They are two different animals.

The SSS secret Issue Paper which was an agenda for a 2003 top-level meeting between the head of the SSS and Deputy Undersecretary Abell in charge of Personnel and Readiness of the DoD, see: http://www.blatanttruth.org/selective_service091304.pdf

It's important that we not mix these up.

Here are the differences between the RANGEL PROTEST BILL and the secretive behind-the-scenes activity at the SSS and the DoD to ready not only a BUSH COMBAT DRAFT in 2005 but also a BUSH SKILLS DRAFT and BUSH MEDICAL DRAFT in 2006 or sooner.

RANGEL PROTEST BILL

1. Drafts Women for combat as well as men, 18-34
   
2. Does not draft for skills
   
   

ACTUAL BUSH SSS ACTIVITY TOWARD A 2005 DRAFT

1. Could draft MEN ONLY for combat, 18-25 (Current law)
   
2. "Groundwork being laid" (SSS Spokesman Amon) for a NON-COMBAT SKILLS DRAFT, men and women age 18-34. 2-year process to gear up SKILLS DRAFT started nearly 2 YEARS AGO in Feb. 2003, meaning a skills draft would be ready in 2005. (a new law wuold be passed if Bush gets back in)
   
3. The MEDICAL DRAFT registration data collection is also going to be readied for operational use in 2005 by using the SKILLS DRAFT work they've done and make the reg card you'd fill out at the Post Office contain all the listed medical skills. This means the Medical draft would be ready in 2005, men and women age 20-44. (This draft like the current combat draft for men 18-25, is already the law of the land)
   
4. The secret AGENDA DOC actually proposes being able to call a SKILLS and MEDICAL DRAFT WITHOUT calling a combat draft.
   ...
   

The biggest difference of course is that the RANGEL PROTEST BILL will NEVER happen and the NEW BUSH DRAFT has already begun gearing up for 2005.

SKILLS DRAFT AND NEW COMBAT DRAFT TIMELINE

Feb. 11 2003 - Top-level meeting between the head of the SSS and Deputy Undersecretary Abell in charge of Personnel and Readiness of the DoD on the SKILLS DRAFT. This is the meeting of the secret Issue Paper, revealed by the Freedom of Information Act in May. The SSS goes back encouraged enough to do some more planning.

Summer 2003 - Drive to start filling DRAFT BOARD vacancies by asking current board members to find new ones.

Fall 2003 - DoD announces critical skills shortages in linguists, computer experts and engineers. SSS Director Brodsky orders the designing of the SKILLS DRAFT procedures, the reg card and the massive database needed to track every young American under 35 and their skills. Brodsky, who "plays" JE McNeil and other anti-draft leaders by calling them regularly and shmoozing them, lies to McNeil telling her that in February of 2003 the SSS had to "justify their existence" before a hostile committee--when in reality the SSS and DOD were having the SKILLS DRAFT meeting and he himself had just started designing the new system and making it his top priority.

Sept 2003 - Draft board recruitment ad goes up on Web.

November 2003 - Draft board ad scrubbed!

Dec. 2003 - Brodsky announces the SKILLS DRAFT to be the "top priority' of the SSS in newsletter and tells of rapid progress to come.

March 13, 2004 - Word of SKILLS DRAFT leaks out in a SF Chronicle story and the SSS admits it and tells reporters it’s just a planning contingency. In an attempt to throw the press off, the SSS also says it would take 2 years to gear up and work out the kinks for the SKILLS DRAFT and that there is no funding for it. Eric Rosenberg, the reporter on the story, finds out about the Feb. 11 meeting Issue Paper and files a Freedom of Information Act request to get it.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/03/13/MNG905K1BC1.DTL


May 1, 2004 – Article on SKILLS DRAFT leaves out key points of how skills conscription would be expanded to fill labor shortages throughout Dept of Homeland Security, 1/3 of government, how the SKILLS DRAFT can be called without a combat draft, how SKILLS INDUCTEES will be inducted within a mere 90 days of reauthorization, that the SSS wanted to “promptly” change the very MISSION of the SSS and so on. The article does, however, reveal many major point of sweeping plan. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/171522_draft01.html

Sept 13, 2004 – Issue Paper agenda memo of key Feb 2003 meeting posted on the Web at http://www.blatanttruth.org/selective_service091304.pdf sample:
"while a conventional draft may never be needed, a draft of men and women possessing these critical skills may be warranted in a future crisis if too few volunteer."

2004 – MOCK DRAFT LOTTERY HELD, SAMPLE MEDICAL EXAM REPORT ORDERS ISSUED TO MAIL LIST. Alternative Service geared up for first time in 31 years! Papers to place Conscientious Objectors with employers actually drawn up. SSS brought up to 95% operational capability, full Medical draft capability set for 2005, all DRAFT BOARD vacancies filled by Spring 2005! On March 31, 2005, the SSS Director must report to the Congress that the entire system is primed and ready to open 2,000 draft board offices and start inducting within 75 days, or June 15, 2005.

BUSH ’04 = DRAFT ‘O5

“There will be no draft when John Kerry is President.” - John Edwards



Printable pdf: http: http://somnamblst.tripod.com/draftalert.pdf

[DesEtoiles]

1. Their actions show that they are scared of this issue

[Dems Will Win]

2. Here is the hidden agenda document on Bush's SKILLS DRAFT:

The scanned memo: http://www.blatanttruth.org/selective_service091304.pdf

(M+ then a number refers to Manpower Delivery in so many days after activation by Congress, SECDEF is Rumsfeld)

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

0930 11 February 2003

TOPICAL AGENDA
The Department of Defense (Personnel & Readiness)
And the Selective Service System

DoD Participants:
Hon. Charles S. Abell, Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness
Mr. William Carr, Acting Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for
Military Personnel Policy
Colonel David Kopanski, Deputy Director, Accession Policy

SSS Participants:
Mr. Lewis C. Brodsky, Acting Director of Selective Service
Mr. Richard S. Flahavan, Director of Public & Congressional Affairs


I. Review 30-year time-line – SSS major policy issues


A. Draft ends in 1973. Agency placed in “Deep Standby” from 1976 to 1980. Ninety-eight “record keepers” remain in SSS, part-time Reserve Officers kept on board, but no registration, no Board Members.

B. 1980 – Cold War continues. President Carter decides to revitalize SSS after Soviets invade Afghanistan and MOBEXs indicate need. No draft, but resumes registration program for men. Wants to include women but Congress says no. 10,000 Board Members appointed and trained. DoD sets preparedness goal for SSS: “Be ready to provide first draftees to MEPS at M+13 and 100,000 by M+30”

C. 1988 – Congress reacts to military medical shortages (“war stoppers”). Language inserted in the Defense Authorization Act telling SSS to develop a “structure” which would allow the registration and induction of health care personnel in an emergency
DoD identifies more than 60 health carespecialtiess to include in the SSS Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS). Planning calls for first HCPDS draftees by M+42 HCPDS becomes a paper and computer exercise lasting many years.

D. 1989-1991 – End of Cold War, Desert Storm, no draft, and SSS remains in standby status with flat-lined annual budgets.

E. 1993 and 1994 – Detractors in the Congress challenge need for continuing to fund SSS and peacetime registration. Section 547(b), FY 1993 DoD Authorization Act requires SECDEF, in concert with SSS, to report on continuation of peacetime registration. This was accomplished, registration is retained, and an interagency task force review was formed, led by the NSC. Conclusion is announced by President Clinton: preserve SSS and peacetime registration in current standby status for three reasons:

1. A hedge against underestimating the number of soldiers needed to fight a future war.
2. A symbol of national resolve to potential adversaries, and,
3. A link between the all-volunteer Armed Forces and society-at-large. Clinton also instructs SSS to increase operational efficiency. Instructs DoD to update MOB Requirements for SSS, re-examine timelines, and review arguments for and against Continuing to exclude women from registration.


F. 1994 – Defense issues new “post-Cold War” guidance to SSS: “provides first untrained draftee to MEPS at M+193, first Health Care draftee at M+222.” DoD reaffirms that it is not necessary to register or draft women (for a conventional draft of untrained manpower) because they are prohibited by policy from serving in ground combat assignments. SSS recognizes women may have to be included in health care draft.

G. 1998 – DoD Health Affairs says health care personnel would be needed earlier than M+222 in a future conflict. Guidance changed to M+90. Today, HCPDS can be implemented, but ability to meet M+90 time frame is doubtful. Program not fully tested and compliance aspects still not complete.

H. 1995 through 2000 – Anti-SSS Members of Congress almost successful in eliminating SSS through the appropriations process. SSS undergoes structure and program reductions to make ends meet. Readiness suffers.

I. 2000 and 2001 – DoD and SSS plan and implement joint mailing project to increase peacetime relevancy of SSS and improve timeliness and address accuracy of DoD recruiting direct mail programs.

J. 2002 and 2003 – Administration says use of draft not an option for war on terrorism or potential war with Iraq. Rep. Rangel and Sen. Hollings introduce bills (H.R. 163 and S. 89) call for reinstituting a draft for military and national service. SECDEF adamant and vocal against using the draft for any immediate or likely contingency. Most recently, Reps. Paul, DeFazio and Frank introduce H.R. 487, calling for repeal of the Military Selective Service Act and an end to the SSS within six months of the bill becoming
law.


11 February 2003
ISSUE PAPER

Synopsis:

With known shortages of military personnel with certain critical skills, and with the need for the nation to be capable of responding to domestic emergencies as part of Homeland Security planning, changes should be made in the Selective Service System’s registration program and primary mission.

Situation:

Currently, and in accordance with the Military Selective Service Act (MSSA) <50 U.S.C., App. 451 et seq.>, the Selective Service System (SSS) collects and maintains Personal information from all U.S. male citizens and resident aliens. Under this process, Each man is required to “present himself for and submit to registration” upon reaching age 18.

The methods by which a man can register with Selective Service include the internet, mail-back postcard, checking a box on the other government forms, and through the driver’s license applications process in many states. The collected data is retained in an active computer file until the man reaches the age 26 and is no longer draft eligible. It consists of the man’s name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Currently, 91 percent of all men, ages 18 through 25, are registered, enabling the SSS to conduct a timely, fair, and equitable draft in the event the Congress and the President decide to reinstate conscription during a crisis.

However, the Secretary of Defense and Department of Defense manpower officials have stated recently that a draft will not be necessary for any foreseeable crisis. They assume that sufficient fighting capability exists in today’s “all-volunteer” active and reserve Armed Forces for likely contingencies, making a conventional draft of untrained manpower somewhatt obsolete. Yet, Defense manpower officials concede there are critical shortages of military personnel with certain special skills, such as medical personnel, linguists, computer network engineers, etc. The costs of attracting and retaining such personnel for military-service could be prohibitive, leading some officials to conclude that while a conventional draft may never be needed, a draft of men and women possessing these critical skills may be warranted in a future crisis, if too few volunteer.

Proposal:

In line with today’s needs, the SSS structure, programs and activities should be re-engineered towards maintaining a national inventory of American men and (for the first time) women, ages 18 through 34, with an added focus on identifying individuals with critical skills.

An interagency task force should examine the feasibility of this proposal which would require amendments to the MSSA, expansion of the current registration program, and inclusion of women. In addition to the basic identifying information collected in the current program, the expanded and revised program would require all registrants to indicate whether they have been trained in, possess, and professionally practice, one or more skills critical to national security or community health and safety. This could take the form of an initial “self-declaration” as a part of the registration process. Men and women would enter on the SSS registration form a multi-digit number representing their specific critical skill (e.g., similar to military occupational specialty or Armed Forces Specialty Code with Skill Identifier), taken from a lengthy list of skills to be compiled and published by the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Individuals proficient in more than one critical skill would list the practiced skill in which they have the greatest degree of experience and competency. They would also be required to update reported information as necessary until they reach the age 35. This unique data base would provide the military (and national, state, and municipal government agencies) with immediately available links to vital human resources…in effect, a single, most accurate and complete, national inventory of young Americans with special skills.

While the data base’s “worst-case” use might be to draft such personnel into military or homeland security assignments during a national mobilization, its very practical peacetime use could be to support recruiting and direct marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging skilled personnel to volunteer for community or military service opportunities, and to consider applying for hard-to-fill public sector jobs. Local government agencies could also tap this data base to locate nearby specialists for help with domestic crises and emergency situations.

With the changes described above, SSS programs would be modified to serve the contemporary needs of several customers: Department of Defense Department of Homeland Security (FEMA, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs, INS), Corporation for National Service, Public Health Service, and other federal and state agencies seeking personnel with critical skills for national security or community service assignments. The SSS would thus play a more vital, relevant, and immediate role in shoring up America’s strength and readiness in peace and war.

# # #

II. Are today’s SSS capabilities in sync with DoD needs?


A. Is there a need to preserve the capability of conducting a draft of untrained Manpower? If so, is the time frame still M+193?

B. How likely is it that DoD will need SSS to conduct a Health Care draft?

C. How severe are any other critical skills shortages in the military?

D. Are the Clinton-era’s abstract reasons for preserving the SSS and peacetime registration still valid?

E. Would DoD still fight nay and all Congressional initiatives to cut or eliminate the SSS?


III. Consider restructuring the SSS to address contemporary national security needs

A. Focus might be on relieving critical skills shortages

B. Include potential service to DHS and other government agencies that must attract/recruit skilled personnel

C. Explore the feasibility of developing a single-point data base of virtually all young Americans, 18 through 34 years old, immediately identifiable by critical skills possessed and practiced. Data base could be used for a draft in war and for recruiting in peacetime.


1. Would require modification of SSS mission and changes to authorizing law.

2. Cost considerations

IV. Next steps – Statement of Administration Policy needed


A. DoD decides what services it needs and wants from SSS: Three options for consideration:

1. SSS status quo; however, redefine the DoD mission guidance and time lines to make the SSS more relevant to DoD’s needs and the SECDEF’s policy. The current guidance of providing untrained inductees at M+193 runs counter to the SECDEF’s views and is out-of-sync with possible wartime scenarios.
2. Return the SSS to “Deep Standby” status. If a draft of any kind is highly unlikely and undesirable, eliminate peacetime registration and dismiss the 10,000 trained volunteer Board Members. However, should a draft be needed, it would take more than a year to get the system capable of conducting a fair and equitable draft from Deep Standby status.
3. Restructure the SSS and shift its peacetime focus to accommodate DoD’s most likely requirements in a crisis. Plan for conducting a more likely draft of individual with special and critical skills.


a. Minimum requirement: SSS mission guidance and time lines must be redefined promptly by DoD to allow more relevant pre-mobilization planning and funding for the possibility of a critical skills draft at M+90 or sooner. Peacetime registration of men 18 through 25 would continue, but consideration would also be given to identifying men with certain critical skills among these year-of-birth groupings. A post-mobilization plan would also be devised and computer programming accomplished for a full-blown critical skills draft. The HCPDS program is completed, brought to the forefront of SSS readiness planning, and tested through exercises. Without a reaffirmation of relevance and adjustment of mission, the SSS will be an easy target for reduction or elimination by detractors in the Congress and the Administration.

b. Expanded pre-mobilization requirement. SSS peacetime registration expanded to include women and men, 18 through 34 years old, and collects information on critical skills within these year-of-birth groupings. Requires change of law and additional funding (see Issue Paper dated 11 Feb 2003).


B. If more examination of the issues and options is needed, consider forming an interagency task force to provide the Administration with a policy recommendation. Possible players: DoD, SSS, DHS, NSC, OMB, Corporation for National Service, PHS, others.

C. After suitable analysis, obtain a White House Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) announcing plans for the future of the SSS (course of action 1,2, or 3, above).

D. If the SSS is to expand its pre-mobilization activities to include registration of women and collection of critical skills identifiers, it will be be necessary to market the concept for approval by the Armed Services Committees and Appropriations Committees and draft implementing legislation for congressional consideration. The changes will be implemented after the amended law is signed and funding is identified.

[RivetJoint]

3. Read the Constitution

The Power to "raise armies" is left solely to the Congress. NO President can institue a draft on his own. Period.

[Dems Will Win]

5. Bush will say "we're not going to cut and run from Iraq" and Congress

will reinstate the current draft -- men only 18-25-- into law. THe Rangel bill drafted women for combat!

[RivetJoint]

6. What current draft?

There is no "current" draft.

[Dems Will Win]

10. Meant current draft law--why you have to register if you are 18-25

[RivetJoint]

12. That's not a draft.

It's selective service registration. NOT a draft.

Why are you trying to scare people?

[Dems Will Win]

15. Pleas read the above posts more carefully than you have

It clearly shows Bush is gearing up a Skills Draft here is the COmbat Draft activation quietly taking place behind the scenes.

First of all, the draft never really left us. Selective Service has been registering people for over twenty years and at any moment the President can go to Congress and ask them to reauthorize conscription for male combat draft ages 18-25. It doesn’t take much to imagine a re-elected Bush going to Congress and saying “We cannot cut and run from Iraq or the War on Terror. I need you to reauthorize conscription.” Would a re-elected Republican Congress give it to him? You bet.

An article in the July 13 issue of Family Circle reported that Rove surveyed Republican members of Congress to see if they would support the President if the draft needed to be reinstated. The answer was they would.

And they would not have to pass a whole new draft law to do it. All that is needed is a “trigger resolution”, which could be passed in an afternoon—and bingo! No debate, no regular bill, just a short resolution passed quickly in the dead of night and the draft is back for men 18 to 26.

That is why the Democratic draft legislation being offered by Rangel and Hollings is totally irrelevant. These are known protest bills and actually propose drafting women, just to make sure they will never see the light of day. Rangel and Hollings offered them to raise the issue and confront Bush. Hollings even said he wouldn’t vote for his own bill!

They are not needed—and the press and the Republicans will bring them up as red herrings to distract everyone from what is really going on: the SSS is quietly, behind the scenes, oiling up the draft machinery—getting ready to reinstate for the Spring of 2005.

What is the proof? The government’s own document, the SSS Performance Plan for Fiscal Year 2004:

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

The Selective Service System, or the SSS, has for decades operated at a low level of readiness. Readiness Exercises are conducted on a multi-year cycle but historically these have been little more than getting draft board volunteers together and going over the procedures of what would happen under reinstatement and training new members every summer. And the draft boards themselves have become 80% vacant over the decades.

In the current 5-year cycle of exercises, however, the SSS is clearly ramping up the draft machinery to an unprecedented level.

“Strategic Objective 1.2: Ensure a mobilization infrastructure of 56 State Headquarters, 442 Area Offices and 1,980 Local Boards are operational within 75 days of an authorized
return to conscription.”

Tie that to this objective:

“An annual report providing the results of the implementation of these performance measures will be submitted by March 31, 2005.”

75 days from March 31, 2005 is about June 15, 2005. According to the 2004 plan, the nearly 2,000 local draft boards will be “operational”, meaning that they will be set up in 1,980 local offices around the country. If Bush asks for reinstatement on April 1, Congress could pass it that night and the first batch of over one million 20 year-olds would face the national lottery as soon as that date.

Here is how the $28 million is being spent according to the official document:

“Strategic Goal 1: Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Manpower
Delivery Systems (Projected allocation for FY 2004 – $7,942,000)

Strategic Goal 2: Improve overall Registration Compliance and Service to the Public (Projected allocation FY 2004 – $8,769,000)

Strategic Goal 3: Enhance external and internal customer service
(Projected allocation for FY 2004 – $10,624,000)

Strategic Goal 4: Enhance the system which guarantees that each conscientious objector is properly classified, placed, and monitored. (Projected allocation for FY 2004 – $955,000)”

In analyzing each of the 2004 goals in detail it is painfully obvious that there are hidden “activation bombshells” in this so-called “Performance Plan”. Goal number 1 in particular brings the combat induction process up to 95% operational readiness, going so far as to actually hold a mock lottery drawing this year and to issue sample orders to report for the famous medical exam. The document does not reveal the day in 2004 the mock lottery is to be held.
In addition, the Medical Draft, or Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS in the document), is for the first time brought up to full readiness by next year. This draft would take men and women up to age 44 if they are doctors, nurses or one of 60-some medical specialties. No medical deferments allowed. Previous readiness exercises merely went over what would happen with HCPDS and updated the guide. The 2004 plan actually develops a readiness exercise for the Medical Draft that would be conducted next year. Plus HCPDS must be ready to conscript by June.

“Develop an Area Office Prototype Exercise which will test the HCPDS work flows and its automated support programs. FY 2004.

Prepare, conduct, and evaluate an Area Office Prototype Exercise for health care in FY 2005.”

Goal number two increase registration compliance and actually tries to assign Registrars to nearly every high school, the goal being 85% of the schools. This could very well indicate that Bush plans to have a very large draft indeed. Several hundred thousand men from each year could be inducted, while the Medical draft is designed to induct up to 80,000 per year. At first, the system probably could not stand to draft more than 200,000 to 300,000 per year but after that it could go much higher.

Goal number three makes ready the administration of the draft, down to making sure the system can answer all correspondence within 10 days and that new tracking software is implemented as quickly as possible.

Goal number four is particularly ominous.

“Strategic Objective 4.1: Ensure a mobilization infrastructure of 48 Alternative Service Offices and 48 Civilian Review Boards are operational within 96 days after notification of a return to induction.”

For 31 years, the Conscientious Objector system, called the Alternative Service, has lain dormant. The 2004 plan also calls for this to be brought up to speed and to be ready to decide cases and place COs in the Alternative Service by July 6, 2005 (96 days after March 31, 2005). The SSS is even going so far as to draw up the SOPs, the Standard Operating Procedures which identify local employers eligible to receive cheap AS workers and to also draw up the actual MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding the employer must sign to get their CO workers and allow their mandatory attendance to be monitored. This is the last obstacle to be hurdled before the draft could actually be ready for activation under the law.

So Bush is filling the draft board seats, testing the entire combat draft this year and the medical draft next year (early next year?) and making sure the Alternative Service is geared up—all by March 31 of 2005.

But that’s not all going on quietly behind the scenes.

It turns out that the SSS has presented a secret 6-page proposal to the Pentagon and given to the Congress that calls for the creation of a “Skills Draft”, conscripting men and women up to age 34 for non-combat jobs such as linguist, computer specialist or engineer—the first three occupations the DoD has already identified as being in short supply. Modeled after the Medical Draft, the secret document was obtained only through the FOI Act by a reporter from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

If this is created after Bush’s re-election, DoD could theoretically ask for hundreds of different occupations to be drafted. The SSS, right this very minute is designing procedures and a massive database that would track everyone who had special skills—including their entire skill set and most important, their address.

Why would Bush reinstate the draft? The answer lies in the secret plan that Wesley Clark revealed in his book Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire:

“I went back through the Pentagon in November 2001, and one of the senior military staff officers had time for a chat. Yes, we were still on track for going against Iraq, he said. But there was more. This was being discussed as part of a five-year campaign plan, he said, and there were a total of seven countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan. So, I thought, this is what they mean when they talk about ‘draining the swamp.’"

Assuming Libya is now off the list, according to Clark Bush and the neo-cons plan to invade 5 more countries. That need does not include trying to defeat the insurgents solely with the U.S. military as a re-elected Bush might attempt. Bush, moreover, is building 14 permanent bases and huge intelligence centers in Iraq and has no intention of ever leaving that oil to the Russians or even worse, the French.

The major media cover hardly anything that John Kerry says, especially if it is about the draft. So you would never know it, but John Kerry has a No-Draft Plan, a plan to strengthen the military in key areas yet draw down U.S. troop levels in Iraq by internationalizing the situation and then getting out as soon as possible.

Here are the five main points of Kerry’s No-Draft Plan:

1. Move some paper-pushers to combat (lots of potential there)

2. Increase enlistment with real scholarships, benefits and pay raises

3. Let troops know Special Ops will hunt al-Queda, no more invasions needed, so re-up rate goes up. "Primarily a law enforcement effort, not a full military effort", said John Kerry on Meet The Press.

4. Start a "Civilian Stability Corps" that would help in reconstructing Afghanistan and Iraq and relieve military pressure. It would be kind of like the Peace Corps—but on steroids.

5. GET FOREIGN TROOPS TO COME INTO INSTEAD OF LEAVE IRAQ.

Kerry gave some details about the proposed Civilian Stability Corps, made up of volunteers:

"...I propose that we enlist thousands of them in a Civilian Stability Corps, a reserve organization of volunteers ready to help win the peace in troubled places. Like military reservists, they will have peacetime jobs; but in times of national need, they will be called into service to restore roads, renovate schools, open hospitals, repair power systems, draft a constitution, or build a police force. A Civilian Stability Corps can bring the best of America to the worst of the world—and reduce pressure on the military."
- Source: Kerry, John. "Protecting Our Military Families in Times of War: A Military Family Bill of Rights." March 17, 2004. http://johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0317.html >

In April, on a conference call with 130 College Newspaper Editors, Kerry said “No Draft”, that he would have a sensible foreign policy that would not require reinstatement. And in June, Kerry told a Wisconsin high school that if elected, a draft would be "absolutely unnecessary".

Kerry’s plan calls for increasing active-duty troop levels by 40,000 people. He also doubles the number of Special Ops troops. Half the 40,000 being added are civil engineering/reconstruction specialists and half are combat, costing an extra $7 billion, but it relieves the pressure on the Guard and Reserves for overseas deployments and essentially saves the Volunteer Army. $7 billion is well worth not having to bring back the draft!

Kerry charges that Bush is ruining the Volunteer approach with long Guard and Reserve deployments and numerous stop-loss orders, which Kerry says is a “Back-door Draft”. Since Kerry will increase pay, benefits, scholarships and reduce long deployments of regular troops and the reserves, if he is elected the re-enlistment rates and recruitment rates will return to normal. Recently, troops returning from Iraq are reportedly leaving the Service in huge numbers, although denied by DoD (see David Hackworth, Voting With their Feet http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38644).

With this No-Draft Plan, Kerry will not have to resort to conscription, even after Bush has made such a mess of it in Iraq. Kerry has also pledged that he will push renewable energy development and true energy independence, “so that we never again have soldiers dying for oil”.

Kerry has criticized the inequality of the draft, that the poor and minorities are inducted in higher numbers than their fair share and that the draft is a source of conflict. John Kerry will not reinstate the draft—outside of the invasion of the United States by China or something like that.

The choice is thus clear to all voters. Vote for Bush and you are also voting for the resumption of the draft—to man his hidden agenda of invading more countries and staying in Iraq forever.

Or vote for Kerry and you are voting PNAC out of the White House, and with it Bush’s hidden agenda to bring back the draft so U.S. companies can dominate the world’s remaining oil supply.

Finally, a draft is morally reprehensible, an infringement of freedom against the principles of the Constitution. We know that Bush cares nothing about morality when it comes to Iraq and that Kerry has over the years always expressed real opposition to the draft for a number of moral and ethical reasons. Having lived through the Vietnam era, Kerry knows well the long history of conflict and opposition that the draft has wrought.

John Kerry will not reinstate the draft, but Bush is secretly gearing up the whole system right now for the summer of next year.

[Wright Patman]

7. The Southerners

read the Constitution as giving them the right to secede. So had said some of the framers of the Constitution 70 years earlier. Lincoln thought otherwise.

Presidents are so powerful--especially post-Patriot Act--that I wouldn't put anything past the executive branch of the U.S. government, no matter who holds the office.

They will push until they are stopped and Congress is full of gutless wonders.

We have a de facto presidential dictatorship in this country and have had for some time.

[RivetJoint]

9. The Constitution is pretty

clear on the pwer to raise armies AND on the power of the purse. The draft is up to Congress. Period. If they cave in to tyrants, we have only ourselves to blame.

[Dems Will Win]

13. Your point is completely irrelevant--KARL ROVE HAS ALREADY POLLED

THE GOP CAUCUS ON THE DRAFT AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD REINSTATE CURRENT DRAFT LAW IF BUSH ASKED THEM TO.

One sign of that, says Rick Jahnkow, program coordinator of the nonprofit Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities, was that last fall " Karl Rove polled Republican members of Congress on how Illey felt about the draft. They said they'd support the President"

http://www.oregonparentsunited.org/articles_could_your_child_be_drafted.htm

This is from Family Circle, circ 23 million and the WH NEVER DENIED IT!

I hope that makes it clear for you that Bush is preparing a DRAFT.

[RivetJoint]

14. No, it is not clear.

Show me some proof that Rove has done what you said.

Why should I believe Mr Jahnkow?

[Dems Will Win]

17. Because the White House rapid response team has let the charge

go unanswered for 4 months. Don't you think they would have denied it?? They can't because obviously they did it and some moderate Republicans SNITCHED on them. There are some Repubs against the neo-cons you know.

Ask me another, so I can clean your clock again.

[atreides1]

8. You're Right

But since when has the US Constitution meant anything to this administration, the Patriot Act violates some Constitutional guarantees, but it's still the law.

Under the War Powers Act, the President is supposed to report to Congress every 6 months, on the progress of the war, and justify the
continued deployment of US military personnel. But, Bush does not have to follow the same set of rules as everyone else.

Do you really think that with the US Congress being controlled by the Republicans, Bush can't get a draft reinstatement bill passed?

And let's not forget that some Republicans in the House also have a bill to reinstate the draft, but it seems to have been placed under the radar for the moment.

So while we here may feel the obligation to abide by the US Constitution, this current administration does not.

[RivetJoint]

11. The Congress

EVEN in the UNLIKELY event that * is elected President in 2004, will NOT approve a draft. The American people are dead set against it.

This is nothing more than fearmongering.

[John Q. Citizen]

16. Do the math.

Bush has nothing to lose politically if he win in November. A draft won't cost him re-election cause it's his second term, and Cheney isn't running.

They are calling up retired military in their 60s because they have a major shortage of manpower.

Recruitment is down.

Where are they going to get the warm bodies from without a draft?

[Dems Will Win]

18. Look the Army just sent the Arlington Color Guard to fight in Iraq

That doesn't mean anything to you?

THe back-door draft of the IRR and the Guard and Reserve??

It's clear Bush is putting band-aids all over this until he gets beck in, then in November, expect the new skills draft law and then the combat draft itself activated right after the SSS reports on March 31, 2005 that they can be fully operational in 75 days (or June 15, 2005).

Inductees will be delivered by September 2005 to training for combat (men only) and for the automatically activated Skills Draft and Medical Draft by the Fall of 2005--and that's the truth, not your cockeyed optimistic line of bull!

[leftchick]

4. Thank you for clarifying this DWW!

Even many Dems will be relieved with this vote.....until they know the truth!
Spread this around!

bush* 2004 = DRAFT 2005!!!!!

[Moderator]

19. Duplicate

add this to previous article if you wish

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=886984