Some tough questions about the draft that would have to be resolved

[bluestateguy]

If there is a draft, a lot of thorny issues would have to be resolved, which might make policymakers in Washington feel uncomfortable. If they bring back the draft in a second Bush term they will have a major load on their hands.

1. Should women be drafted?
2. What about the military's policies on gays? How will draft boards judge the veracity of people's claims that they cannot serve because they are gay?
3. What will they do about people who flee the country, or who burn their draft cards in protest? They can only punish so many people.
4. How much will conscripts be paid?
5. Will there be any loopholes that allow those from privileged backgrounds to evade service? How will they be justified?

[Semi_subversive]

1. Bluestatesguy

I don't have the answers to all your questions, but I'll be God damned if my sons (21 and 16) are going to fight in this f*ing idiot's war, draft or not. And God help the SOB that tries to haul them away! I have a shotgun and know how to use it!

[murielm99]

3. My son is 22. His blood is not going for shrub's oil war, either.

I will do whatever I have to do to get him out of the country.

I don't see how they can draft women, at least at first. They make the boys register for selective service when they are 18. But they would have to get all the girls to register, too, and that would take some time. So, it will probably be just men at first.

I think you do have to have some kind of outside verification that you are gay. Someone else has to confirm it. Weird, huh?

As far as the draft goes, I wonder....Morale is low. Re-enlistment will be low. People will stop signing up for the guard. So, even if shrub does not find a way to steal the election, we may still "need" a draft. Kerry will have to do something to clean up the mess. Will he start a draft? Has he said anything about this? Has anyone asked him?

[rockymountaindem]

2. Here's my opinion...

1. Women will not be drafted (although they should be). The conservatives will go on and on about the virtues of womanhood and how they can't be asked to do a man's job. This means that all the women who don't subscribe to the "barefoot and pregnant" shtick will have a 2 or 3 year advantage in the workforce over men who are drafted. But hey, the Repubs. have never let a little inequality bother them.

2. Policies on gays. Perhaps they will ask to see evidence of a homosexual relationship (love letters between two guys, for example). This of course could easliy be fabricated, so here's my idea. Make all the supposed homosexuals look at photos of both naked men and women and see which ones they respond to (blood pressure, brain waves, visual evidence etc.)

3. People who flee the country will be viewed as people we're better off without. Besides, if they're moving away from America they're only hurting themselves, right? Others will be punished to the limit of our capacity. Then they will increase our capacity to punish them.

4. Conscripts will be paid the same as voulnteers, just as in every previous war.

5. Loopholes: they will allow anyone persuing an MBA or other business degree to get out of the draft. After all, these are the *only* people who drive our country forward, right? History and poli sci majors like me will be up the creek without a paddle.

That's just what I think. I will go if I am drafted, although I will do what I can to complete my college degree first (delayed entry, perhaps). I believe that no matter how bad things get there are better days ahead. America has gone through many crises and has come out better than before. I believe that the emergeing Democratic majority is real and that Republicans are going to become very unpopular, very soon and for a very long time. I don't want to let Bush* interfere with my love for America. Better days are ahead.

On edit: I can't believe I just said that last stuff aloud, given my total disdain for Bush*, but I really do feel that way.

[nonkultur]

4. The Bills say yes on Women

Sen. Fritz Hollings bill S.89

Rep. Charles B. Rangels bill HR.163

To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons 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.

I also assume the fact that is states ALL young persons, it would not exclude gays.

[kera]

5. a question "how about those are more than 34 year old and never

have never perform any military service > is there an age limit for the draft?

[mulethree]

7. Bogus

It reads like a compulsary service, e.g. everybody has to serve 2 years. But also like a draft, e.g. will only have to serve if selected and inducted.

18-26
Can finish high school, unless you flunk out or turn 20
females must register with Selective Service
2 years, but they can extend it by the amount of time they spend training you.
Military service or civilian e.g. Homeland security

Pretty much everything else is left to the President, He could decide that postponing college is extreme hardship.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Hold on! About women being drafted,

rockymountain dem wrote:

1. Women will not be drafted (although they should be). The conservatives will go on and on about the virtues of womanhood and how they can't be asked to do a man's job. This means that all the women who don't subscribe to the "barefoot and pregnant" shtick will have a 2 or 3 year advantage in the workforce over men who are drafted. But hey, the Repubs. have never let a little inequality bother them.


I think women may very well be drafted, but what I really take issue with is your assertion that, because of the delay caused by women not having been registered all along, women "will have a 2 or 3 year advantage in the workforce over men who are drafted."

Considering that women still make something like 70 cents for every dollar a man earns doing the same work, I don't think you'd have to worry much about inequality if women did get a head start in the workforce. Maybe it would even allow women to finally achieve equal pay, though I expect someone would find a way to "correct" that if it happened.

[rockymountaindem]

10. Hey, that's not my fault.

It's gonna be kind of bad for us guys if women are two years ahead on the college career path than we are.

[American Renaissance]

8. I'm Fucked!

I came of age living in Canada, I am now much too old to register for selective service.

My father never said a word about registering for selective service, I didn't even know it still existed until all the recent talk about restoring the draft began.

My only option will be to take Canadian citizenship, because I have to travel to the US on business frequently and I don't fancy being arrested at US Customs infront of my boss.

[rockymountaindem]

9. I hardly think you'll be arrested at the border.

You'll be unable to get a government job or a college loan, but I can't think of any other problems.

[American Renaissance]

11. I'm not looking to test that theroy,

I'm not going to risk prison or worse for the passport of a country I have few remaining ties to.

[rockymountaindem]

12. You can call the American consulate or embassy

from a pay phone if you like and ask them. You could also hire a lawyer for one hour and see what he/she says. I really don't think they have these kind of things on file. A couple of my relatives got out of the draft for medical reasons (trust me, the asthma with some of these people is *really* bad), but it's not like they check that at the border. If you have a passport they just look at it and let you through. I go to the University of Toronto and have crossed the border both in a car and at the airport several times and nobody asks questions like that. They just want to know if I have any goods I'm taking out of Canada and if I've been to a farm. Nobody asks me if I'm registered for the draft (I'm only 17, but they don't even bother to check anything like that).