A note about the DRAFT

** The only way to get the troop strength needed to continue the fantasy that we are needed in the Middle East is to re-institute the draft. The following details the scheme:

Mandatory draft bill for men and women (ages 18-26) There is pending legislation in the house and senate (companion bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin as early as spring, 2005. If this bill passes, it will include all men and all women from ages 18 - 26 in a draft for military action. In addition, college will no longer be an option for avoiding the draft, and an agreement will be made with Canada to no longer permit anyone attempting to dodge the draft by staying within Canadian borders.

This bill also includes the extension of military service for all those who are currently active. This legislation is called HR 163 and can be found in detail at this website: http://thomas.loc.gov/ Just enter in"HR 163" and click search, and the bill will come up for you to read. It is less than two pages long. If you go to the Selective Service website (www.sss.gov) and read their FY 2004 Goals you will see that the reason for this is to increase the size of the military in case of terrorism. There is this notice on the SSS home page:

• Notwithstanding recent stories in the news media and on the Internet, Selective Service is not getting ready to conduct a draft for the U.S. Armed Forces -- either with a special skills or regular draft. Rather, the Agency remains prepared to manage a draft if and when the President and the Congress so direct. This responsibility has been ongoing since 1980 and is nothing new. Further, both the President and the Secretary of Defense have stated on more than one occasion that there is no need for a draft for the War on Terrorism or any likely contingency, such as Iraq. Additionally, the Congress has not acted on any proposed legislation to reinstate a draft. Therefore, Selective Service continues to refine its plans to be prepared as is required by law, and to register young men who are ages 18 through 25.
  Despite this notice, it is entirely possible the bill could be enacted at any time.
  

Interestingly, HR 163 was introduced by Democrats in January 2003. Charlie Rangel's purpose, as noted in this blog, was to compel the children of members of Congress to be eligible for the draft in hopes of restraining the reflex to go to war - not the strongest of reasons.