Should women be required to register for the draft? Commission likely to recommend big changes

[DonViejo]

Gregory Korte, USA TODAY Published 6:54 a.m. ET Jan. 23, 2019 | Updated 8:58 a.m. ET Jan. 23, 2019

ARLINGTON, Va. – Three years ago, Congress created a commission to help it answer a pair of questions: Is the Selective Service System, which requires 18-year-old men to register for a potential military draft, working?

If so, should it be expanded to include women?

The panel, more than halfway through its work, is asking even bigger questions.

Should draft registration be mandatory, voluntary or eliminated?

Should it target people with specific technical, medical or language skills, in addition to combat capability?

And should compulsory service be limited to the military, or should it include other forms of community service?

more
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/23/national-commission-military-public-service-congress-selective-draft-women-combat-voluntary/2619455002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomwashington-topstories

[underpants]

1. Funny, when the Virginia House voted in favor of the ERA

a local reporter who has a big Facebook following posted on it. There were at least three people who immediately chimes in with "Good! They can register with Selective Service!" This is apparently a "thing" with that crowd. I found that NOW and other feminist groups have been pushing for this for a loooong time. The USA Today article is fen had a link to Obama saying the process and policies should be reviewed. I got no responses on that Facebook post.

[greymattermom]

2. So everyone EXCEPT

trans folks will have to register for the draft?

[FSogol]

3. We should probably just scrap the selective service program and save whatever it costs.

A draft could be re-instituted by using school records or tax records if an emergency came up.

[DURHAM D]

4. Not before they pass the ERA. nt

[Freddie]

5. Exactly

Why should we when we still don’t have equal rights guaranteed by the Constitution?

[ismnotwasm]

8. Yup.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. No one should have to register for the draft.

[haele]

7. My thoughts - Selective Service should apply to more than just the Department of Defense.

Drafting at the age of 18 for the military or drafting/volunteering for six years service standby as a reservist to provide some sort of disaster recovery/critical needs federal or state specific service, i.e., -

- some form of medical, dental, or veterinary work, to include rehabilitative, hospice or child/elder care support services) in remote, inner city, or other poor or marginally served communities as part of the VA, the Department of Health and Human services or the Surgeon General's Office;

- CCC/Army corps of Engineering type rebuilding of infrastructure or long-term ecological restoration or mitigation work for the EPA, Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, Department of Transportation;

- or to be on some sort of "Natural Disaster strike team" to provide logistics or manpower resources for both the initial disaster recovery and community rebuilding as part of FEMA in conjunction with the various state agencies.

In return, if either called up or if volunteering to continue to do the work under the Selective Service full time for a modest stipend at least two years after the appropriate assessment boot camp/basic training for the service they would apply to, members of the Selective Service can get something similar to VA benefits - say, an additional two years paid academic or certified vocational education and continuance/access to of health care on Uncle Sam(or Aunt Nancy's) dime while they're going to school, and ability to get low-cost mortgage lending through HUD or the VA (if they chose military or VA service) - so long as they swear (on whatever they want) to uphold the Constitution of the United States for that two years active service.

This is an investment in all sorts of people (not just the physically "fit" people who could make it through military boot camp), as well as a civic duty. And we all know how most citizens try to get out of Jury Duty, which is pretty much the only civic duty any citizen has; this will just be a civic duty you can't get out of.
And it's cheaper in the long run than dealing those who do not otherwise have opportunities after high school through social services or the criminal justice system.

That's my idea of selective service.

Haele