http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/19/191951/450

Only 13 days away now.

On March 31st, the Director of the Selective Service System (the SSS) is due to report to the Pentagon that the agency is ready to open 1,980 draft board offices around the country and be ready to operate lotteries by June 15th.

The next several weeks I believe will be crucial on the draft question. The generals have all gone before the nation and the press and said the recruitment is down and things look grim.

The only thing holding back the draft at this point appears to be Bush's losing fight on Social Security. He must wait until that vote is won or lost before he can take the unpopular and long-planned step of reinstating the draft.

The Pentagon has been getting ready for a draft since Feb. 11, 2003, when the head of the SSS met with Deputy Undersecretaries of the DoD on the plans for a medical and special skills draft to be called with a combat draft.

It took the SSS 2 years and now they must be nearly ready to issue compliance cards--to be filled out by ALL under the age of 35, man or woman, for a non-combat skills and medical draft.

The week after Social Security is voted up or down, expect legislation for the Skills Draft and Updated Medical Draft to appear on the Republican side. As soon as that goes through in the dead of some night, the draft will be reinstated soon after.

Hmmm..............? :( Like in the movie "Independence Day"???

I've been sayin it for years............ :dripple: !

Happy SPRINGTIME............Andrew Paul

Can you say?


HELL NO!

Go for it, Georgie. You'll have rioting in the streets.

LOL!!! :D ErinB. :) And, seeing how ALL THE NATIONAL GUARD are over in IRAQ??? :?:

This will be interesting.................Andrew Paul

And why on AL'S birthday, March 31??? :?:

Hmmm......AGIML........it must Karma???

Have a beautifull SPRING.............Andrew Paul

People should relax. There won't be a draft... atleast not this soon, anyway.

If there is though, I don't care who calls me a draft dodger; I'm going overseas to live my family in Eastern Europe.

Where's the honor in fighting in a war that's cause lied about?

LOL..........greyfox. Your "youth" is showing :D Of course there will be a draft!!! :angry:

It is "destiny" in a way. But, it's also an AMERICAN tradition.

The DAY I REGISTERED for SSS on my BIRTHDAY I was prepared to go to CANADA. The lady in FLORIDA told me that the WAR WAS OVER and that the DRAFT WAS OVER.

WOW!!!! I was a happy camper :clap:

Don't leave the country! If and when the DRAFT occurs? Stay and "let the chips fall where they will"!

Have a happy SUNDAY...............Andrew Paul

If he leaves the country, atleast he will be able to get away from Bush.

Been there and done that!!! :( :( :(


There's no place like home..............Andrew Paul

If it we were fighting for a legitimate reason (like in WW2), it'd be different. But to fight to boost some idiot's oil profit? NO.

I understand perfectly where your coming from...greyfox. :) The FACT IS? George W. Bush is PRESIDENT! :angry:

IF (and I say that with caps) he should APPROVE the draft for all males under the age of 35??? Well, that is LAW! Understand, that if you should decide to avoid the draft? Well, then you are breaking the law!

Do ya have the BALLS for that?

Just wondered. :)

Have a happy sunday..............Andrew Paul

Well I have flat feet so i cant be on the ground anyway! But I would try to get into the National Guard to avoid the war, like Georgie Boy.

I know during a draft you can't go to Canada or England, but I think it's perfectly legal to go to Eastern Europe.

Even if that's illegal, I'd rather break the law than potentially get killed fighting to increase a rich war mongerers oil profit.

And I hate when republithugs call Kerry a wimp in Vietnam and a traitor. While he was putting his ass on the line, Bush was flying his daddy's f*ckin planes around Texas.

I don't seeing the republicans going along with Bush on this.

I am totally against the draft, but so is alot of America, who does not want this to happen, nor wants the cost of it all.

Nov.06 are the midterm elections.
After that, Bush is a lameduck president, nothing more will happen.

Figure the only window would be until Oct. or Nov. of this year.

The republicans have to run for re-election and it would be such a divisive issue, could alone cause a massive loss in 06 for them. So I just don't see it being easy for bush to do, even if an event happens.
Plus, Bush don't want an army of people who don't want to be there and are not reliable. They are harder to control than the current ones who all volunteered.

Will be interesting though...hang on to your seatbelts...

Actually, the only thing holding back the draft at this point is that the bills haven't passed in either the House or Senate. The Pentagon can't increase troop strength without Congress first raising the ceiling on the number of troops we can have. And everyone I've heard talking from the Pentagon has said they prefer a volunteer army. Now, that may change as it becomes increasingly clear that we can't win this war (and possibly fight another one?) without increased troop strength. I also wonder how the draft would really play in Congress. Midterm elections are not that far away. As with the Iraq resolution (although the election was much closer at hand then), Senators and Congresspeople aren't going to be eager to vote for something that's highly unpopular, and I believe a draft would be highly HIGHLY unpopular. Have there been any national polls about this? With the majority of people opposing the war at this point, do the majority also oppose a draft?

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if we will have some type of "compulsory national service" (not technically a draft). Remember when Shrub Sr. promised, "Read my lips: no new taxes," and then one of the first things he did in office was raise taxes? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Shrub Jr. broke his campaign promise of not reinstating the draft. The military is running thin, their tours of duty are extended... and I assume that the new era of American global dominance that we suddently live in will require citizens to do something for the cause.

Yes, there's nothing stopping him from going back on that promise. All he has to do is say that things have changed since then. Campaign promises are worth nothing, especially not from an administration that's crooked to begin with. He will ride this stupid media blitz of his bold success in bringing democracy to the Middle East, and he will ask Americans if we want to stop before the job is all done, and I'm afraid Americans, out of fear, will say of course we don't want to stop before the job is all done, of course we need to continue so that we and the rest of the world are safe from terrorists.

The subject of the draft makes my blood curdle. My son is turning 18 this May. We have spent his senior year focusing on him going off to college in the fall. When I think that we could instead be focusing on him going off to Iraq, I get sick.

I don't think they would send anybody into combat who didn't want to be there - they would probably just require him to perform some type of national service, ie with Homeland Security. Anyways, that's great your son is headed off to college soon... I'm sure it's an exciting time for both of you! Good luck!