AL FRANKEN really messed up the issue of the DRAFT today! (must read!)

[Dems Will Win]

How do we educate this guy? He made a new draft sound like Rangel's idea. What an idiot, when Bush has just spent $28 million to get the time needed to reinstate conscription from 8 months to just 75 days. And they have gone from "planning" to "groundwork" on the Special Skills DRAFT for programmers, linguists and engineers and then many others.

They acted like Congress would have to pass a law when the DRAFT is already here and getting closer every day! If Bush is reselected he will ask for it and get it.

Everyone call Al Franken and tell him and his guests were wrong, that they must read the following document: http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

THis doc says that Alternative Service for COs must be ready within 96 days of March 31, 2005 and that the Medical and Regular DRAFTS ready within 75 days of March 31, 2005. Right now, the DRAFT is 8 months from full activation. Bush is spending the $28 mil to get that down to 2 or three months and filling all 10,000 empty DRAFT BOARD seats.

Plus without foreign troops in Iraq, we need a DRAFT by 2005 just to cover security there! They just sent the Arlington Honor Guard Company B to the Mideast--there are no more active-duty troops!

Let's besiege Franken with this issue, it could be our big chance to get our message through if we all combine like a laser on the above simple facts. The Congress just needs to pass a trigger mechanism and Bush is planning to do it--Rangel has nothing to do with it. Franken made a huge mistake today and must be corrected!!

BUSH '04 = DRAFT' 05

[hedda_foil]

1. Sorry but it WAS Rangel's idea.

[trumad]

2. oooppps

LOL...Rangel's been asking for the draft for over a year...You'ssssa be wrong on this, not Al....

[Dems Will Win]

3. WRONG! There already is a DRAFT, Rangel's bill would expand that to women

and the GOP will never even allow it on the floor for a vote.

That's my point see. Despite all my work on this, even people on DU get mixed up...

FRANKEN should be talking about the DRAFT that exists and is getting geared up for BUSH's SECOND TERM. Then Bush CAN take over the world (with 2 to 3 million drafted).

Go over the www.sss.gov site and see for yourself. Rangel's bill is real yes but it will never have anything to do with the DRAFT we already have for men 20 to 26 and Medical people 20 to 44.

[bedtimeforbonzo]

7. Please explain

how there already is a draft. I thought they had to be approved by congress.

[Dems Will Win]

11. The Selective Service exists and is registering, the Congress

must re-authorize it but that is just a simple trigger resolution. The law has been in place for decades.

Rangel's bill for drafting women too, is a non-starter and would require months of legislative wrangling.

Rangel's bill is a red herring--unfortunately from a Democrat! He himself said he would not vote for it!

[Killarney]

22. There is already a draft because

if you are male, when you turn 18 you have to register for it.

Girls, don't.

[Failure]

5. I concur

I remember Frogboy croaking about the draft a long time ago

[Kanary]

4. How do we know there won't be a draft with Kerry?

He wants more troops.

One can only hope he wouldn't go this route, but...... there's no way to know he wouldn't.

Kanary

[Dems Will Win]

6. Kerry has explained several times how he would bring in the UN and NATO

to Iraq and restructure the Armed Services to get 40,000 new ACTIVE-DUTY troops. He would also raise pay and benes. The re-up rate would also hold under Kerry as the soldiers will trust him way more than that SON OF A BUSH.

KERRY '04 = NO DRAFT '05

[incrediculous]

8. Rengel

Isn't Rengel the congressman who wants to impose a universal draft to ensure that any war would involve the children of aristocrats and politicians?

Yeah, that's bogus. His intentions are good - but I'll be danged if that's a solution to the problem.

You're right, Bush will start a draft if he's re-elected. But, for entirely despicable reasons.

[goclark]

9. Bush will figure a way

for the neocon kids to not go.
I don't trust him one bit.

Am I wrong in my belief that the real reason that Rangel is calling for a draft is that he wants EVERYBODY to understand that all children are equal? If the Hispanic kids go, so do the Bush Twins.

Rangel, to my knowledge, has never been a war lord.

[latebloomer]

15. Bush twins? never gonna happen

The rich and powerful will ALWAYS find a way to avoid spilling their precious children's blood.

That's reserved for the rest of us peons.

[girl gone mad]

17. From what I understand..

Rangel's bill was a ploy to draw attention to the issue of the draft. It looks like it worked, since people were not speaking seriously about the draft until he made it an issue.

He was making a point - the point that pooor people and minorities serve in unequitable numbers in the army, and children of privelege are rarely the ones making tough sacrifices. It was never to be under serious consideration, and everybody knew it would go nowhere, so to say that he was attempting to re-instate the draft is more than a little bit disingenuous.

[Sterling]

10. Bush or Kerry= Draft 2005-06

Sad to say it, but it is true.

[Dems Will Win]

12. Even if you are right, Kerry might conscript 20,000 if Iraq turned sour

but Bush would DRAFT several hundred thousand to over 2 million to invade Syria, Iran, and hold onto Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian Republics as well as fill 90% of the body bags in Iraq.

Big Difference. Little or no draft under Kerry and MASSIVE DRAFT UNDER BUSH

[Kanary]

13. You're right. Lesser of two evils.

[Dems Will Win]

14. Kerry is not the Lesser of 2 Evils if he is forced by Bush's mistakes to

DRAFT 20,000. That's still Bush's fault for no planning and just wanting the oil--come on!

BUSH IS THUS THE INCARNATION OF EVIL AND KERRY HAS COME TO SAVE US FROM THE TRUE NIGHTMARE THAT A BUSH SECOND TERM WOULD BRING.

[Kanary]

16. Forced?

[PaDUer]

19. In no uncertain terms...

they both can go to blazes!

[0rganism]

18. He also stumbled on the "rich liberal tax hypocrite" thing

This is a trivial argument, and someone with a radio show ought to be able to refute it handily.

[robertpaulsen]

20. Hey Dems Will Win, I bookmarked your earlier thread on the draft.

This is the info we need to send to Franken and everyone at Air America so that the word can be spread.

Bush '04 = Draft '05!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1263938

Hope someone close to Al can enlighten him!

[Dems Will Win]

21. Thanks, Robert!