The Kerry plan to strengthen the Volunteer Army will prevent a DRAFT

[Dems Will Win]

Joe Lockhart just brought up Kerry's No-Draft Plan on Inside Politics, his plan to strengthen the military by adding 40,000 active-duty troops. These troops would be added without the draft--in fact, they would strengthen the Volunteer system and so make a draft UNNEEDED.

Bush meanwhile, seems hell-bent on wrecking the Volunteer Army and making a draft inevitable.

BUSH WANTS A DRAFT, BECAUSE THEN HE'LL HAVE MILLIONS TO INVADE OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE NEO-CON PLAN. BESIDES GETTING HIM THROUGH THE ELECTION BY STRETCHING THE ARMY TO ITS BREAKING POINT, HE ALSO MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE PENTAGON TO REQUEST A REINSTATEMENT OF THE DRAFT.

The major media cover hardly anything that John Kerry says, especially if it is about the draft.

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. By turning reconstruction over to international companies and not just coalition members, we will get some kind of help.

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”.

[MSgt213]

1. rasing the troops levels is a good idea and you can do that without

lowering standards. A lot of people don't have a clue about this but there are a lot of people who want to stay in the service and are qualified to do so but can't because of strength levels. Letting these people stay on and get promoted would help a great deal and there is absolutely nothing wrong with these except there is not enough space at the top for them. The problem with them staying in the first place is simply a money issue. It costs to keep them around and no one wants to pay.

[dksbook]

2. DRAFT "RUMORS"

Our daughter posted this after I told her that her Daddy is
still subject
> >to active duty recall.  She got a few of the facts
wrong  -  
> > about his ass, which is still
> >quite nice, and he does cuss, but only chickenhawks.
> >
> >[e-mail]
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message ----- 
> >From: 
> >To: [e-mail]
> >Sent: 10/8/2004 11:01:10 AM 
> >Subject: Meet My Dad
> >
> >
> >Meet my dad.
> >
> >He turns 57 next week.
> >
> >He has bad eyesight, bad ankles, and knees so wrecked
by a career of
> >military service that he is on the V.A. disability
list.
> >
> >He has served in the Marines, the Air Force, and the
Army. His life was
> >devoted to military service.
> >
> >Meet my dad.
> >
> >He has served in two wars. Kuwait (Operation: Just
Cause) and Iraq (the
> >first time).
> >
> >He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq.
> >
> >He quite literally wrote the book on wartime medical
logisticsl operations.
> >
> >Although he hates to admit it, he is another one of
the Gulf War
> >Syndrome casualties. When they were passing out all
of the un-approved drugs
> >to help protect soldiers from bio-chemical weapons
and Anthrax, he was first in line to
> >get a shot in his arm. So what if they were untested
and unknown? He had a
> >wife, a teenage daughter, and a baby son he wanted to
go home to.
> >
> >He was working and travelling and living among
civillians... all over the Gulf, and in Southern Iraq after
the  
> >invasion, opening field hospitals so they could
receive medical attention.
> >
> >So my father, attending to the medical needs of
others, was taking untested
> >medications to protect himself. These medications
made him so ill and
> >overly sensitive to common household products, that
the deodorant that you
> >use everday will make his body break out into
enormous welting rashes.
> >
> >My father retired a few years ago. He is now a mild
mannered Catholic
> >deacon who rarely even cusses anymore. Besides being
a deacon, he also
> >works two jobs. He is the business administrator at
his church, and works
> >nights as a telemarketer to make ends meet and pay
for my baby brother's sport.   Such is the nature of military
> >retirement pay.
> >
> >He won't complain about that. You couldn't PAY him to
complain about that.
> >On a particularly exhausting evening you might get
him to admit that he is
> >"a little tired this week". But that's all.
> >
> >Meet my dad.
> >
> >He would be embarrassed to know I was writing this.
> >
> >We now know he is 57 years old and has bad eyes, bad
ankles, bad knees,
> >weird gulf war syndrome skin conditions, and, my mom
would add, a bad case
> >of saggy old man butt.
> >
> >He is also forgetful, crabby, and prone to falling
asleep in front of the
> >Weather Channel. He can't remember where he left his
reading glasses or what he ate
> >for lunch.
> >
> >He is old, he is tired, he has one kid left to get
off to college. He spent
> >his life in service of his country, and now he just
wants to fall asleep
> >watching the Weather Channel.
> >
> >Meet my dad.
> >
> >He could be recalled back into active service and
sent to Iraq at any time.
> >
> >This may sound silly, and unlikely.
> >
> >And it used to be silly and unlikely. 
> >
> >People like my dad, with prior Iraq service, and
highly valued
> >specialties like logistical command, can be called up
until they are 60.
> >
> >Especially particularly since the "draw
down" of 2 entire Army
> >divisions that was planned and begun under Bush Sr.
has left the "boots on
> >the ground" Army scandalously
undermanned-and-womanned.
> >
> >
> >Have you heard about the "Stop Loss"
program currently in place? It is
> >being used to hold over our nation's servicemen and
sericewomen well
> >beyond their contractually agreed upon terms of
service. Not just the
> >active duty, but their reserve counterparts that are
even more ill-trained
> >and un-ready. 
> >
> >And now retirees. People like my dad, who are old and
tired, and spent the
> >best years of their life serving their country. Who
want to spend the
> >remaining years serving their God and their families.
> >
> >But he may not be able to.
> >
> >And here is why.
> >
> >Bush insists that our military will stay
"volunteer only". That we will not
> >have to reinstate the draft.
> >
> >Except this is bullshit.
> >
> >David H. Hackworth from Soldiers For The Truth says
"Right now - with both
> >our regular and Reserve soldiers stretched beyond the
breaking point - our
> >all-volunteer force is tapping out. If our overseas
troop commitments
> >continue at the present rate or climb higher, there
won't be enough Army
> >and Marine grunts to do the job."
> >
> >Military recruiters are not making quota. At this
rate, a draft that
> >incorporates both sexes will be in place by 2005 or
2006.
> >
> >And a behind the scenes draft is taking place right
now. People whose
> >service is up are being called back in. People who
have a contract with the
> >goverment that say one thing, but are being held into
service by
> >"stop-loss" policies that say another, are
NOT volunteer soldiers.
> >
> >Even while our goverment says over, and over, and
over, and over that this
> >isn't so and will remain "not so".
> >
> >George Bush Jr. King of De-nial.
> >
> >This is a man who isn't know for forthrightedness and
honesty to the people
> >he purports to serve. I don't believe him anymore. To
be honest I probably
> >never did. 
> >
> >But now I am not just mad. I am really, truly scared.
> >
> >I want to know what his plans are.
> >
> >For my brother and for my old, tired Dad.
> >
> >I bet you do to.
> >
>
>http://petition.democracyforamerica.com/page/p/nodraft/265915
> >
> >
> >--Faith Harper, Daughter of Larry Stallings, Retired
Military Hero Who I 
> >Would Like To Stay Retired

[newyawker99]

3. Hi dksbook!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Dems Will Win]

4. Bush: FORGET ABOUT ALL THE TALK ABOUT THE DRAFT!