(I would have started a thread on this but I was informed that I haven't posted on here long enough to do so (?!?) and can only reply to posts. Therefore, I hope the official poster does not mind I joined their thread with this effort. Thanks. AS)
Whatever the current story is on Draft Bills (HR 163 & S 89 or some variation thereof) with the Chickenhawks in control, and despite claims a draft is not necessary, the nightmare in Iraq, combined with the Bush administrations designs on Iran & N. Korea, strongly suggest that one is imminent. Further, unlike during the Viet Nam era, Canada (due to new agreements) is not the escape option it once was for those who refused to participate.
While the public may not be prepared for it, I think activists & antiwar support groups should be closely examining these issues and be ready with options as attempts are made to reinstitute a draft. With D.C. in the clutches of the Republicans, things could move swiftly in the coming year. In fact, it could be a matter of months at the most.
There is little relevant information on the 'do's & don'ts' or even campaigning against conscription on the net currently available that I am aware of.
There are three established organizations that I am familiar with...
The Center on Conscience & War:
http://www.nisbco.org/ Formerly the National Inter-religious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors. This organization keeps atop the latest information on the issue & offers draft counselor training. See their “CO affirmation".
The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors:
http://www.objector.org/ CCCO supports & promotes individual & collective resistance to war.
And, specifically for those already in the military, Conscientious Objector at:
http://www.geocities.com/conscientious_objectors/ A web page created by a U.S. soldier who calls military service "...Not Just a Job! It's a Crime Against Humanity!"
---
As far as explaining Pacifism, this link seems pretty informative (though I'm sure there are others) that I found at the University of Tennessee:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/pacifism.htm/---
As a legal point of reference, there is, of course, the government's Selective Service site:
http://www.sss.gov/sssyou/sssyou.htm Further interpretation on objector status by the Selective Service:
http://www.sss.gov/FSconsobj.htm and your (current) options according to the Selective Service at:
http://www.sss.gov/FSaltsvc.htm---
In addition, sites supporting our troops in Iraq and the predicament they find themselves in include:
Operation Truth:
http://optruth.com/main.cfmSoldiers for the Truth:
http://www.sftt.org/Military Families Speak Out:
http://www.mfso.org/and Iraq Veterans Against the War:
http://ivaw.net/---
And as far as any visible campaigns I've found offering antiwar bumper stickers and the like, an apparent tongue-in-cheek outfit on the web:
http://devillikeproductions.com/ seems to address the threat of a draft, and pacifism in general, with a series of 'Army of None' items offering slogans ranging from 'Don't Enlist' & 'Send the Bush Twins' to the more strongly worded 'They Profit & We Die?', 'Support Our Troops When They Arrest Bush' and, even reminiscent of the sixties, 'Don't Be a Babykiller'. They're the only ones I've located already prepared for the next planned invasion with 'Iran Next? Hell No!'
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Although there are numerous protest groups around, I don't know how many of them are up to speed presently as far as a draft looming in our future nor even what to do about it.
Of course, I don't think any of these links (or any further ones we come across in the near future) will matter much to the general public at present with the holidays upon us, etcetera. Nevertheless, I think, those of us with our ears to the ground, sense what's coming and should be prepared when the rest of America wakes up and wants to know what options our young people have in not becoming 'stormtroopers' for the Bush regime.
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