Mandatory Draft Coming-Soon

From: Sophie Lapaire
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/mandatorydraftcoming19mar04.shtml
March 19, 2004

I rarely send a mail to a large audience, but the possibility of
mandatory drafting for boys and girls (age 18-26) starting June 15
2005, is something, I
believe, everyone should know. This litteraly affects EVERYONE since
we all have or know children that will have to go if this bill passes.

If there are children in your family, READ this.

There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89
and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can
begin at early as Spring 2005 -- just after the 2004 presidential
election. The administration is quietly trying to get these bills
passed now, while the public's attention is on the elections, so our
action on this is needed immediately. Details and links follow.

Even those voters who currently support us. Actions abroad may still
object to this move, knowing their own children or grandchildren will
not have a say about whether to fight. Not that it should make a
difference, but this plan, among other things, eliminates higher
education as a shelter and includes women in the draft
--
Also, crossing into canada has already been made very difficult.

Actions, actions, actions:
Please send this on to all the parents and teachers you know, and all
the aunts and uncles, grandparents, godparents.... And let your
children know -- it's their future, and theycan be a powerful voice
for change!

Please also write to your representatives to ask them why they aren't
telling their constituents about these bills -- and write to
newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they're not
covering this important story.

The draft

$28 million has been added to the 2004 selective service system (sss)
budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as
June

15, 2005. Selective Service must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that
the system, which has lain dormant for decades, is ready for
activation. Please see website: www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to
view the sss annual performance plan - fiscal year 2004.

The pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350
draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide..
Though this is an unpopular election year topic, military experts and
influential members of congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld's
prediction of a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan [and a
permanent state of war on "terrorism"] proves accurate, the U.S. may
have no choice but to draft.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5146.htm
www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year,
http://www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/s89/default.asp
entitled
the Universal National Service Act of 2003, "to provide for the common
defense by requiring that all young persons [age 18--26] in the United
States,
including women, perform a period of military service or a period of
civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland
security, and for other purposes." These active bills currently sit in
the committee on armed services.

Dodging the draft will be more difficult than those from the Vietnam
era. College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada
and the U.S. signed a "smart border declaration," which could be used
to keep would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada's minister of
foreign
affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge,
the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other
things, a "pre-clearance agreement" of people entering and departing
each country. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable along
gender and class lines also eliminates higher education as a shelter.
Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service until the end of
their current semester.
Seniors would have until the end of the academic year.

WHAT TO DO:

- Tell all your friends

- Call the Mercury News (Newsdesk) 408-920-5000

-E-mail the SF Chronicle at: