The Draft Essay -- essays research papers

The Draft 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. $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. Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year, 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... ...rs rather small at this point, and President Bush has stated that there will be no resumption of the draft during his presidency. Still, conditions and attitudes can change very quickly — another event of the magnitude of the September 11 attacks could prompt some rapid shifts in government policy and public opinion. Last updated: 6 October 2004 The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp Urban Legends Reference Pages  © 1995-2005 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson This material may not be reproduced without permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: Gross, Karen. "Feel the Draft." Philadelphia City Paper. 20 September 2001. Hulse Carl. "Bill to Restore the Draft Is Defeated in the House." The New York Times. 6 October 2004. Kelly, Jack. "Rumor Aside, Draft's Return Most Unlikely." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 24 May 2004. Lindorff, Dave. "Oiling up the Draft Machine?" Salon.com. 3 November 2003. Associated Press. "Selective Service Notice Creates Flurry of Press Reports Suggesting Return of Draft." USA Today. 10 November 2003.