Little word of advice for any draft age voters out there

[NNN0LHI]

I know a lot of parents with draft age kids right now who would like nothing better than to see the warmongering rapture loving Teapublicans get us into another war(s?), that would require reinstating the draft. They may not come right out and say it but if you watch and listen to them you can see this is what they want.

They sit in the taverns around here drinking their kids future away and singing Karaoke. And they are getting really tired of being bothered by their older kids who are living at home and/or bothering them for money and can't find a job. Many have tried to get their kids to enlist but the kids have been too smart for them. Many of these parents have two imported cars in their driveway and can't figure out why their sons can't find a decent job. These people are not the sharpest tools in the shed.

And let me tell you something else. If things did blow up and you were to get drafted and be killed these same parents would play the grieving parents of a veteran role real well. They would play it to the hilt. Even though it was their actions that got you killed. I have witnessed this before.

And if you are a little older and think you don't have to worry about this the cutoff age for the draft during WW II was 45 years old.

So keep this in mind when going to the polls next week. Your life may depend on it.

Peace.

Don

[stray cat]

1. The draft would probably promote more peace and less overseas wars

If people share the risk they are likely to look before they leap.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Got a couple of draft age kids who can't find jobs by any chance?

World peace my ass.

Don

[stevenleser]

25. See response #3 for someone who gets it. n/t

[Scuba]

3. Unfortunately, the draft will NOT be back. The reason Nixon ended....

...the draft has become very obvious. When young adult are at risk of being unwillinglingly sent to war, they wake up, as do their parents. When I served (early 70's) nearly all America was at war, and the American people put a stop to it.

Now only the poor serve. Risk dying on the battlefield, or you and your family starve, or die without healthcare. Nice choices.


Simply put, if we had the draft, we would be in fewer wars.

[HereSince1628]

6. 2/3 of Irag/Afganistan era recruits come from homes with incomes less than $43K

that leaves another 1/3 who come from families with incomes at or above the national median.

Low income and the poor are over-represented among recruits, but saying "only the poor" serve is off by 33%.

[Scuba]

13. How many come from families with incomes over $1 million?

[HereSince1628]

21. Doesn't matter to my point. I concede it is a small proportion

I even concede it's probably disproportionate to their presence in the population. The available published data is from conservative think tanks and I'm not going to cite any of that here on DU.

I'm just trying to promote a modicum of accuracy. A 33% error is pretty large.

[Donnachaidh]

22. two times the amount of poor enlist than wealthier income kids

I'd say the poor outnumber the wealthier kids two to one.

Anyone with REAL math skills knows that means the POOR are over-represented. :eyes:

[HereSince1628]

23. I responded to "Now only the poor serve."

And I even mentioned that recruits from lower than median income homes are disproportionately represented.

:shrug:


I love this place.

[Scuba]

26. And being above the poverty level hardly makes you wealthy. Again, how....

...many servicemembers are from truly wealthy families? None? Close to none? That'd be my guess.

[Greyhound]

29. There is a huge difference between making more than $43K and being rich.

A family with an income of $60K ain't sending Suzie to MIT or financing Johnny's new modeling career.

[Scuba]

30. Bingo.

[gmoney]

4. Plus, a draft would not fit in with the teabagger/libertarian dogma

If for some reason Obama even hinted at reinstating the draft, you'd hear how he's "making YOUR CHILDREN SLAVES of the US GUMMINT to promote OBAMA'S ILLEGAL AGENDAS by sending them AGAINST THEIR WILL to DIE!!!" Blah, blah, blah...

Or maybe Frank Luntz would find some Newspeak term for it -- "Liberty Patrol" or something.

[depakid]

5. One problem with that line of reasoning

The leading voice for a return to the draft is a Democrat.

Congressman Rangel Reintroduces Bill To Reinstate Military Draft

- Congressman Charles Rangel on Thursday introduced H.R. 5741, a bill that would reinstate a compulsory military draft, or alternative national service, during times of war, for men and women, aged 18 to 42, who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

"What troubles me most about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is the total indifference to the suffering and loss of life among our brave young soldiers on the battlefield," Congressman Rangel said. "The reason is that so few families have a stake in the war which is being fought by other people's children.

"The test for Congress, particularly for those members who support the war, is to require all who enjoy the benefits of our democracy to contribute to the defense of the country. All of America's children should share the risk of being placed in harm's way.

"In other words, if you support the war, you should support a compulsory military draft," Congressman Rangel said.

http://rangel.house.gov/2010/07/rangeldraft0716.html

[w8liftinglady]

7. i spoke to my son about this very thing yesterday.

asked him if he would have considered drafted soldiers a positive thing,versus voluntary enlistment.he emphatically stated...no.
We talked about multiple deployments,ptsd(which he is finally getting treatment for) and so many people having NO CLUE we are even at war.he said-"they aren't going to quit sending us,mom.They are making too much money.They'll find ways out for the rich ones.you HAVE to be there for each other.They'll see 80,000 killed,like they did in Vietnam."

[HereSince1628]

8. I'm confused, what did your son mean by this?

"you HAVE to be there for each other."

[SoCalDem]

10. Probably that the drafted soldier is not as skilled/committed

to the mission and may not be able to or try hard enough to protect anyone but himself.:shrug:

[Gaedel]

11. In Vietnam, I never noticed

The draftee and the enlistee not "being there for each other". Units never divided between draftees and enlistees. Both first term guys were vocally complaining about "lifers" as they called the career guys.

[w8liftinglady]

12. meaning..the soldiers he served with,as volunteers,were generally in favor of being there...

at least at first.They all enlisted after 09/11...and saw the REALLY bad shit in fallujah."If we hadn't been there for each other in Fallujah,there would have been no survivors"
after Fallujah,most began experiencing PTSD.many re-enlisted as a result of the "backroom draft" because there are no jobs here.That is the one thing no one seems to mention.

[bahrbearian]

17. There were no survivors in Fallujah.

Oh you were talking about, Occupiers.

[w8liftinglady]

18. yes.I was talking about "occupiers" I should know.My kid was one of them.

[HereSince1628]

19. The soldiers I served with during Vietnam were all volunteers

Regular Army as we were called. I was in a branch of military intelligence and draftees weren't admitted because many of us, including me, had extensive periods of training and the military need a 4 year enlistment to get back its investment.

I don't know of a single guy who I served with who 'wanted to be there.' I knew both good and poor soldiers, but I never met one who didn't expect and intend to be loyal to his comrades.

Things could be different now, there is now no real way for me to know. But when I was in the military was big on using self-assuring myths to build esprit de corps. Based on my experience, during Vietnam, and now at the VA, I can't see any difference in the loyalty to each other or the sense of shared purpose in their service between US's and RA's.

I appreciate your son's willingness to serve, even if the cause has become dubious. I hope that the nation proves equally loyal to him in return.

[Scuba]

24. Good for Charlie. n/t

[pintobean]

9. My life may depend on

your pseudo-psychoanalysis of your fellow bar patrons? I learn something new every day.

[Angry Dragon]

14. Everyone serves for two years

that would be fair

[deaniac21]

15. The chance of draft reinstatment is ZERO. No matter who is in

charge.

[cherokeeprogressive]

27. +1

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

16. Any draft would have to include women

so those who only have draft-age daughters should be worried, too. One more reason it ain't gonna happen.

And as the mother of an Army officer I really hope I am right.

[Lurks Often]

20. There will be NO draft

The military doesn't want a draft, the government does not want a draft and the American people do not want a draft.

The only people who want a draft are the people who naively believe that a draft will prevent a war or end the current wars.

[Greyhound]

28. Not going to happen, the lesson was learned. The draft was the glue that held the

protests together last time. You can't carry on with the looting if people start paying attention, and nothing gets the sheeple's attention faster than pressing little Johnnie & Suzie into service as bullet-catchers.

The economic draft combined with the mercenary boom is doing well enough.