Draft

[peaches2003]

How soon do you think it will be before Bush has to call for a DRAFT to accomplish is world domination plan? My grandson is 13 1/2 and I think all thought of going to college at 18 is now a dream.

[skylarmae]

1. 4 1/2 years isn't that far away.

Old georgie porgie could get us into a whole lotta messes in the next 4, so we better work hard to make sure things start getting turned around here beginning with the verifiable paper trail 2006 elections.

[Zensea]

2. 4 1/2 years is plenty of time to confirm c.o. status

Conscientious objector status that is.

[legalcoffee]

3. I wouldn't be too concerned.

There are so many young men and women 18-28 that are finding themselves enlisting for one reason or another. The Air Force Reshaping program just allowed thousands of members to leave prior to the end of thier term. You hear a lot of horror stories about members being forced to stay in service longer than they had originally signed for because they are already deployed. You also hear of men and women having to take tours consequtivily, and having to stay overseas for longer periods than what was originally planned. I think all of these problems are a matter of transporting the soldiers, the hazardous pay isn't a modest one from what friends have told me. There are a lot of people that have wanted to be soldiers from a very young age, there are a lot of people that just want to break away from "home". Like I said I wouldn't be too concerned.

[peaches2003]

4. Don't agree, sorry

Thanks for your opinion, but I can't agree. Most of those in the military now and in Iraq enlisted when there was little chance of being deployed to a shooting war.

With the King's announced plan we will be in shooting wars all over the Middle East for starters and enlistment is going to drop like a lead balloon, probably started to do so today. There will have to be a draft and with no election ahead of him ever again KG will not hesitate to demand it.

[legalcoffee]

16. Soilder Boys and Girls

No one can really account for the majority. All I can do is speak from experiance and the base that I was at is known for the bad moral, yet there were young men and women that wouldn't trade thier jobs for anything but another job with in the mil and plan on advancing their career in the mil. I think that what some fail to understand is that for many in the mil it was a last resort, or an escape from the life that they knew. That will not change anytime soon. There's always going to be a recruiting office in a bad neighborhood. Also you can't get laid off in the mil. your job will most definately not be outsourced, and you can retire in 20years with full benifits. There are a lot of selling points and reasons to view it as a good opportunity. That isn't going to change anytime soon. I'm not saying that I'm getting in line to sign up but that's how it is. While there are tens of thousands of reasons not to sign there are equal reasons to sign. The question isn't who is going to sign, it's how to market the military to the right people.
So many that I know in the military after having served the maximum enlistment for enlisted members (6 years) most of them have the mind set that they are already almost a 1/3 of the way to their retirement and they are only in their early 20's. I'm sure there's also a lot of folks that have had enough but, I doubt that they have the majority and the recruiters are out there.
I'm not saying that your concerns are unfounded but, I personally wouldn't be too concerned.

[katinmn]

5. Not concerned?? Are you mad???

people are maiming themselves and choosing jail or moving to Canada instead of going back for a second tour in a war that * has no intention of stopping unless forced.

Yes, I've "heard the stories." But they are not just stories. They are facts. Recruitment levels are not being met.

[legalcoffee]

17. What?

They aren't just stories but how many stories have you heard and how many have you yet to hear? I didn't say it was crimson and clover what I said was there's a side to it that I don't know if you've seen... maybe on your local news commending the soldiers that your state has out there. Or the stories of happily married military couples wishing friends and family happy holidays? Those stories may not be full of goose flesh but they do however equal the number of stories that show the other side of things. there was one just recently about a couple on Dateline or 60 min. The young wife had post dramatic stress syndrom and being the only female in her squad or flight she was ostrasized and called a sissy basically, 1:19. It's not right but it's also a matter of numbers. No I'm not mad, I'm practical. You have to have an honest assesment (as close as possible) before you can truly form an oppinion.........

I don't think that recruitment levels have ever been met, it's called insentive.

[katinmn]

22. the only thing we see on TV are the heart-warming, war glorifying

accounts showing how noble a thing this war is.

That stuff is being spoon-fed to you.

The major news channels have not shown the daily atrocities, nor do they portray Iraqis as human beings exactly like you and me.

[legalcoffee]

25. What Channel are you Watching by the way

Everytime I turn on the news there was a car bomb explosion killing people in places I never would have dreamed I'd be tied to in any fasion. This war has not been glorified it's a matter of perception and while I can't argue your personal take on things I can tell you that complaining gets no one, no where. I'm not spoon fed anything and it's insulting for you to imply that I am. I don't feel that you're listening to anything that I have to say. I have my own mind and I'm not a drone just because I have a tendancy to veiw things from as many possible perspectives. As mentioned post war syndrom stories are on a rise, why? because they get ratings. Local spouses and thier families praying for the safe return of a husband, brother, or friend, why? because they get the ratings. I don't lie to myself about the hazards of war and what I see on television is anything but noble. It's war and war is a monster that can not be controled, it should be a last resort always. GWB is the pres. and although I'm sure that he must symbolize war, death, and destruction in your head, that's not the most logical case. For the next 4 years as an American I will vote and voice at every turn. While GWB is commander and chief our troops are out there and the majority of them probably don't know why. What that has to do with recruiting and a draft? I would say that the majority of young persons that walk into a recruiting office DO NOT watch CNN, that's why "heart-warming, war-glorifying" just isn't good enough for me. It's the people that are in the stories that I feel for, and I do my best not to see things through rose colored glasses.

[legalcoffee]

26. not as many are as informed as you may think

they are. that's why we have the capacity to go to war and we did not however have the capacity to win the election. I'd like to change that.

[Kota]

6. Is this sarcasim?

[legalcoffee]

18. I just try to differentiate

[ebayfool]

21. Sounds like a recruitment commercial. n/t

[legalcoffee]

24. I don't recomend, to anyone, signing

[welshTerrier2]

7. "wanted to be soldiers"

ahhh, i can hear it now ...

mommy, when i grow up, i want to go to Iraq and kill Muslims ... i want to flatten Fallujah and destroy everything that moves and everything that doesn't move too ... i want to kill livestock, destroy farms and food supplies and oh yes, i want to help build a bunch of military bases so i can have a place to stay until i'm old enough to get my pension, just like dad ...

and, i know it's asking for a lot, but i'd like to pollute all the water supplies and contaminate the whole country with depleted uranium to give all those bad people cancer ... and i want to make sure that they only have an hour or two of electricity everyday ... and i want to steal their oil so that Americans can keep driving their SUV's ... those people will learn to fear the great power of America ... that's the kind of American I want to be, mommy ...

i want to be all that i can be ...

and then mommy says "i'm so proud of my little soldier" ...

[legalcoffee]

20. I know!

I can't imagine wanting to be a soldier as a child but some folks born of veterans or service members wouldn't have it any other way. It's a matter of perspective. I didn't say that I knew why, I just said it's true. For a few *cough years now it's been an all volunteer service.

[pstans]

8. Bush will be gone in 4 1/2 years

Bush will be gone when your son turns 18. If he and the Rethugs start a draft then there will be a Democrat elected president in 2008 and I think a draft will end if that is the case.

I do think that a draft could happen in the next 2 years when the US invades Iran (or somewhere else).

[Eurobabe]

9. Uh, May soon enough?

[Clark2008]

19. Lookit that!

What a nice pic of the General in your avatar!

:)

[ThorsHammer]

10. What is the proposed age cutoff?

I think I'm safe if it's the old rules, but have seen some people say it will be raised to 35. I don't have a problem with defending the U.S. if we were attacked, but want no part of empire building and shananigans in the Middle East.

[Jackie97]

11. Bush promised not to have a draft.

However, I still think it's possible that he'll break that promise.

When it happens all probably falls on whether we do stuff like invade/occupy Iran. Iran has a much better army than Iraq does from what I understand. We'll need a lot more troops for that.

The bill itself was rumored to get passed by this summer.

[Hippo_Tron]

13. I can't wait to hear the excuse for this

"Well, we said that there would be no draft, but our intelligence at the time showed us that we didn't need one. Hey it's better to vote for somebody who changes their mind on a draft than somebody who sympathizes with the French, right? right?"

[Been Fishing]

14. Don't need a draft.

* will open the immigration floodgates to up the military staffing levels. The immigrant marine/soldier/swab/airman will be given citizenship if killed in action; maimed for life will get them a green card; if they survive re-enlistment/extensions they will 1 year knocked off the INS waiting queue.

However, the military will have to come up with about 30 different language instructors for each training company.

This country is outsourcing everything else, why not its military? The homegrown can remain in country to protect within the USofA borders.

[katinmn]

23. we're already doing that! And it's still not enough.

[pstans]

15. Bush promised a lot of things

That he would be a Uniter and not a Divider.
There were WMD's.
That he didn't own a logging company.
And many many more.

Bu$h uses words to obscure his actions. He hopes that if he says something enough times then it will come true.

[seabeyond]

12. march 2005 is the prediction, we will see n/t

[Il_Coniglietto]

27. Well, I'll be 18 in June

but luckily I have family in Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala that I can turn to should I need to hightail it. Maybe they'll just keep it to the guys and I won't need to worry.

Hell, I might be able to get CO status in any other event, but I'm not counting on it. All I know is that this draft is not a matter of 'if', but 'when.' If they still allow college deferments then that will be taken care of. I'd just hate to see so many of my generation off to be slaughtered because they aren't enrolled in a so-called "institution of higher learning."

It's like Vietnam with sand. *sigh* Best of luck to your grandson.