Salon: Oiling Up the Draft Machine?

[kskiska]

The Pentagon is quietly moving to fill draft board vacancies nationwide. While officials say there's no cause to worry, some experts aren't so sure.

The community draft boards that became notorious for sending reluctant young men off to Vietnam have languished since the early 1970s, their membership ebbing and their purpose all but lost when the draft was ended. But a few weeks ago, on an obscure federal Web site devoted to the war on terrorism, the Bush administration quietly began a public campaign to bring the draft boards back to life.

"Serve Your Community and the Nation," the announcement urges. "If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men ... receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service."

Local draft board volunteers, meanwhile, report that at training sessions last summer, they were unexpectedly asked to recommend people to fill some of the estimated 16 percent of board seats that are vacant nationwide.

(snip)

Not since the early days of the Reagan administration in 1981 has the Defense Department made a push to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots. Recognizing that even the mention of a draft in the months before an election might be politically explosive, the Pentagon last week was adamant that the drive to staff up the draft boards is not a portent of things to come. There is "no contingency plan" to ask Congress to reinstate the draft, John Winkler, the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary for reserve affairs, told Salon last week.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2003/11/03/draft/index.html

[La_Serpiente]

1. SHIT!!!???!!!

i JUST TURNED 19!!!

Do they give exemptions for college?

I don't want to be a part of an illegitamate war.

[kskiska]

3. Sorry.

…In the last war fought by a conscript army, draft deferments for students meant that nobody who was in college had to worry about being called up until after graduation, and until late in that war, it was even possible, by going to grad school (like Vice President Dick Cheney), to avoid getting drafted altogether. In the Vietnam War era, college boys could also duck combat, as George W. Bush did, by joining the National Guard.

But that's all been changed. In a new draft, college students whose lottery number was selected would only be permitted to finish their current semester; seniors could finish their final year. After that, they'd have to answer the call. Meanwhile, National Guardsmen, as we've seen in the current war, are now likely to face overseas combat duty, too.

[depakid]

11. that'll light up the college campuses

And the one's who'll be yelling the loudest will be the young Republicans.

[Boom_cha]

4. Didn't you say you were gay?

Isn't that grounds for exemption? Kind of like the inverse of "don't ask, don't tell"

[La_Serpiente]

6. I guess that's my insurance policy

I bet you everyone is going to say that, even the straight kids.

[Boom_cha]

8. Yup

If I were draft age, I'd be practicing sashaying right now ;)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

14. Queering out has a long and proud tradition.

Just ask Iggy Pop and Steven Tyler. Try and get wood during the medical. That's gotta do it.

[hlthe2b]

7. One word... CANADA!

Bless our northern colleagues, who sheltered Americans during the last government-imposed nightmare.

[michaelbmoore]

2. Whoa this is bad. . .

. . .but the best way to keep us out of wars of empire is to allow no exemptions except for real medical problem, and have national service for the rest. That way the disadvantaged are not exploited. Bet Vietnam may never had happened with a draft army that no-one could have been exempted from.

:shrug:

[raysr]

5. Draft

http://www.defendamerica.mil/ When I first saw this site it was all about selective service recruiting.

[bluestateguy]

9. This will be entertaining

Watching overprivileged, conservtaive white chickenhawk Republicans come up with all kinds of bullshit excuses (Boil on their butt, too fat, cross eyes, Daddy gave a lot of money to the Bush campaign, etc.).

Those legitimately opposed to this war will have the responsibility of standing up for their convictions.

[kurtyboy]

10. I just recieved my application for board membership

In the mail on Friday. It's true, they're recruiting.

Restrictions include:

Cannot be a member of the armed services or reserves.
Cannot be a member of the law-enforcement community (Judge, prosecutor, cop, etc.).
Cannot have served more than tweenty years on a draft board previously.
Must be willing to attend training and board meetings (Initial training 12 hours, plus 4 hours of updates per year).

I will send in my application--this is a position that demands a reasonable voice.

To sign up for a position, go to the Selective Service Website.

[beyurslf]

13. Why don't we all sign up for the Boards

and then grant exemptions for everyone who requests one.

I don't really know how they work (born after Vietnam) since I have never seen them functioning. What is the cut off age for the Draft?

[Cush]

12. Hmm, can't see this happening right now

The staffing could a precautionary move (and haven't they been doing this good while now...remember reading about this a yar or so ago).

I think there would have to something major, like Korea, for there to be a draft.