Can anyone help me in these "research areas"

[wadestock]

#1 - Heard that the Hatch Act has been rewritten to put new emphasis on how people have to avoid ANY political involvement...especially at work?

#2 - Military can now directly run for office?!%%$#
Seems directly counter to above...but now that we have become a militarist nation under W....perhaps the plan is to actually have military run for office directly in the future.

#3 - Has there been any moves to block someone from going to Canada and gaining residency, especially if this involves a person of the family being of draft age.

I can't seem to get to anything good on net searching on these....any help greatly appreciated.

I hope that every single one of these are simply bad rumors....but they are coming through what I would normally consider good sources...thus my concern.

[BQueen]

1. I know that just recently a union filed a complaint

alleging a Hatch Act violation because base personnel were 'invited' to appear at a w gathering, military were 'encouraged' NOT to be in uniform....I know I read it on DU -- the location was maybe AZ --Flagstaff,. maybe. So it's doubtful it's been rewritten YET. I think the way you heard it is a rumor to scare liberals, while they recruit political props in the military in blatant violation---diversionary tactics.

Another poster speculated that this may have been the way that they obtained that massive 50K+ croud at w's Cinti, Ohio rally -- conscripts from Wright-Pat AFB.

Run a google for "Hatch Act violation" and "military" and that should turn up easily. -- find out which union, check their website for a news release, and it should be more detailed as to what is alleged and where to find current law.

Don't know on 2 and 3, but agree with your disbelief of 2 based on cognitive dissonance.

If there are moves in the Canada vein, not effective yet, but I seem to have heard similar stuff. Wouldn't put anything past 'em, but I don't know that Canada is the compliant ally they see through their rose colored glasses on that one.

Again- I think it's a rumor to panic liberals. Canada just defeated a neocon w wanna-be (there's a pretty pathetic individual) in their election. They have to disagree with what's going on at least as much as they did with Vietnam. So a moral impediment is doubtful. Understandably, they would be concerned about a drain on health care and their immigration has always been geared to adding people with valuable and diverse skills to their country/economy. But I imagine some compromise could be reached where Americans going there could continue old insurance, carry higher copays/premiums (sort of like out-of-state tuition at state colleges)

Besides, it's gonna be Kerry in a Landslide, so you have a much better chance at no draft--but you never know how bad it will have gotten by Jan 20, 2005 -- so doing the research is the right thing.

[wadestock]

2. Great input.....

What troubles me is the frequency with which I hear these things as "absolute fact"...
I'm always cautionary....don't believe a dam thing till I see it for real.

Factoid - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040929/wl_canada_nm/canada_life_draftdodgers_col&e=2

"It has been estimated that 125,000 Americans fled to Canada to avoid Vietnam and prosecution under U.S. law, although about half returned home after President Jimmy Carter granted amnesty in 1997."

Also - On 2 US Soldiers that have gone to Canada http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3867481.stm

"The lawyer acting for the two deserters reportedly gets calls every day from US soldiers looking for a way out of serving in Iraq.

And some US politicians have recently floated the notion of bringing back the draft, a move Mr Hinzman warns would send a wave of deserters across the border to join him.

'I think if that happens they might as well build housing developments here" for draft dodgers, he said. '"

Hard to imagine how people here would take to a draft now. I would expect an equivalent resistance as Vietnam...possibly more...although many might rationalize that the odds of getting wacked are pretty low.