Rangel wants vote on reinstating draft before vote on Syria

[davidn3600]

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that before the United States takes additional steps toward military action in Syria, the country should reinstate the draft.

“I truly believe we should have a national draft act before the Congress acts,” Rangel said on “Weekends with Alex Witt” on MSNBC.

Rangel has long been a proponent of reinstating the draft so that every socioeconomic group is required to fight when military actions are undertaken. He has introduced several bills over the years to bring back conscription. In addition to reintroducing the National Universal Service Act in February, Rangel also proposed the All American Selective Service Act, which would require women in the 18-25 age demographic to join men of that age in registering with the Selective Service.

“We must question why and how we go to war, and who decides to send our men and women into harm's way," the 22–term representative and decorated Korean War veteran said earlier this year.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/15404045-rangel-wants-to-bring-back-the-draft-before-congress-votes-on-war-with-syria

[newfie11]

1. Bullshit!!!!!

The rich will always find a way so their sons and daughters don't have to go. They have done this in the past and now they RULE the country. It sure ain't gonna change now!

Look at the wars from Vietnam on and tell me why we were even in them. All the deaths on both sides and for what.

This is just to feed the mic more lives so they can keep building WMD!

[struggle4progress]

2. Or it may be a way of creating popular opposition to unnecessary war

[B Calm]

3. BINGO!

[pnwmom]

7. It didn't work for Vietnam. Vietnam dragged on for years and involved tens of thousands

of additional lives after the draft began. Our protests did very little to shorten the war. It finally ended because Nixon had his hands full with Watergate.

[struggle4progress]

9. Actually, it did. A majority of Americans opposed the war by the end of summer 1968.

And the tipping point was actually earlier: by 1967, more Americans opposed the war than supported it

Nixon, in fact, won the election partly because Johnson had tied the Democratic establishment to the war as part of a "clever" strategy to protect against Republican red-baiting, which hurt Humphrey. Nixon, you may recall, had a "secret plan" to end the war -- but was a pathological liar

It wasn't public support that kept us in Vietnam until 1975

[deutsey]

15. +1

[mountain grammy]

17. Actually, you're correct!

[JRLeft]

35. yep, ^ this is his agenda.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

10. Exactly! Even with the draft, it took 10 years to end the Viet Nam war. There will be chicken-hawks

who will never be required to go nor send their sons and daughters.

If Charlie Rangel sincerely wants opposition to more optional wars, he can have it now.

Some of the lyrics could be updated:

[Supersedeas]

16. skin in the game

[jberryhill]

38. Rangel always does this when a military action is proposed

You do not have the slightest understanding of why he does this every time.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. Charlie !!!! Your a Democrat !!! isn't that John McCains job .

Support the Troops, bring them home, don't send them away . And if the ploy is to piss off young people and their parents, they already are .

[idwiyo]

5. K&R Draft with two exeptions - one must be an coma or severely mentally disabled.

If they do recover from either state, they serve, regardless of age.

[pnwmom]

6. Right. Like having a draft cut the Vietnam war short. Rangel was there and he should know better.

If we had been dependent on a volunteer army for Vietnam, we never would have lost more than 50,000 lives over 10+ years. The draft was what allowed it to drag on and on and on.

That is why, very soon after the war finally ended, Congress moved to end the draft: to keep another Vietnam fiasco from occurring.

[newfie11]

8. Very true

We were lied into Vietnam and all those deaths on both sides.
I had friends killed over there while people like Bush stayed here with a cushy job in the military ensuring the imbecile would never see action.
My husband was a navy corpsman with the marines in Vietnam and Laos ( oh yeah we weren't in Laos) RIGHT!!
If anyone believes politicians about war I gotta a farm with an ocean view here in Nebraska to sell you.

[pnwmom]

22. I'm glad he got through that, newfie11. n/t

[morningfog]

12. His position, as stated, is not to cut a war short.

It is to ensure that "every socioeconomic group is required to fight when military actions are undertaken."

Recruiters prey on the oppressed and the poor. The burden is not shared across the socioeconomic divide.

[Erose999]

30. A draft would just make it worse. The rich will be able to loophole out of it as they always have.

[Carolina]

14. Kerry was there, too

so he should know better than promote this.

They are are all full of shit. No money for anything at home but rah, rah war or rah, rah war with a draft attached.

This whole thing sucks and now for sure there is proof there is no difference between Dems and repukes

[mountain grammy]

19. Now how did that work with Iraq? A long war fought with National Guard multiple deployments..

No draft didn't seem to matter. I think Americans in general have a disconnect with war as long as those fighting are "volunteers." The fallacy is, many of the "volunteers" are there because they need a job and health care.

[pnwmom]

23. We didn't lose anything close to 50,000 troops in Iraq. No comparison. n/t

[mountain grammy]

37. I've never liked the "body count" comparison..

My WWII vet father in law told my Vietnam vet husband that the 50,000 dead in 10 years couldn't compare to the South Pacific during WWII, where they lost that many in a few days. What is that supposed to mean?

[pnwmom]

39. Simple. It means that a lot more deaths affects that many more troops and their families.

If we were losing the numbers of troops in Iraq that we had in Vietnam or WW2, the war would never have been sustainable with a volunteer force. It took a draft to keep those wars going.

[treestar]

11. this has nothing to do with it

No one is going, drafted or not. Whatever is going to be done can be done with people already in the military.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. I understand what Rangell is doing and I support him.

I also support a mandatory period of national service for EVERY citizen.

[Puzzledtraveller]

25. do old people get grandfathered in? What's the age limit and length of service?

[Stinky The Clown]

28. You can have a serious conversation or you can be snarky. Your choice.

[Puzzledtraveller]

41. Have at it.

[Stinky The Clown]

42. No, I don't think so. The chip on your shoulder is obvious.

Read my comments immediately below to see where I'm coming from. If you have an actual question, and not a bad attitude induced "have at it" maybe we can talk. If not, you have a swell rest of your day.

[KansDem]

32. That's what is done in Switzerland...

I visited a friend in a town near Zurich from 1983-84 and learned that every male citizen serves in the Swiss military. It's like our National Guard.

It was unusual for me to see young men with long hair and beards at the train stations wearing full military fatigues, and carrying a packback and rifle. They were traveling to the installation required in their orders.

But by "mandatory period of national service," I assume you mean more than military service?

[Stinky The Clown]

40. Yes, I do mean more than military service

That's part of how I see things, but not what Rangell is asking for.

Charlie does this at every hint of war. As we all know, minorities and the poor are inordinately affected by war, even with today's volunteer military. For many, the military is the only way out of poverty. This is his way of reminding the country of this fact.

As to my own view, I think, as citizens, we have an obligation to give in order to get. The military is one way, but, in my view, hardly the only way. I think there are things each and every one of us can do for our country for some period of time, probably, but not necessarily, while we're young. Even the physically challenged can participate to the extent they're able. Service can be any job you can imagine. Painting schools, fighting forest fires, nursing or doctoring the poor, designing public buildings and then building them, serving in Americorps or the Peace Corps. Et cetera. You get the idea. It can be anything. Look to Roosevelt's CC and WPA programs for hints as to how this might be done.

[David Krout]

18. I am confident that hawks in this websites will accept and join the draft

They're a very courageous bunch.

[warrant46]

31. The War Hawks here are actually chickenhawk key board commandos

They should be lining up in droves to enlist, get trained and revel in the idea of personally killing a bunch of infidels.

They could even get a purple heart if they really think that would impress people.

But some how I don't think they will do that--Maybe they can get their kids to join up and fulfill their fantasies--Nope Never Happen

[hack89]

20. We cannot afford a military large enough to make a draft fair.

the US military is half the size it was during Vietnam while the number of draft eligible men and woman has significantly increased.

Considering that there will still be many volunteers, the demand for draftees is not high enough to make a draft fair - too few will actually serve.

[mountain grammy]

21. My Mom and Dad both served in the Marines during WWII..

my Dad re-enlisted after the war and served 14 more years until he died. He and mom were both against an all volunteer military which they both thought would become a mercenary army. Dad used to say he wanted men who want to do their service and get out because they kept the enlisted men (like himself) and the brass honest.
My Mom and I had many arguments during the 1960's about the draft. She was against the Vietnam War, but was adamantly opposed to ending the draft.
Hey Mom, if you're listening somewhere, I finally see the wisdom of your argument and I agree.

[Puzzledtraveller]

24. I get Rangels angle but a draft never was a detterent from engaging in wars.

[polichick]

26. Exactly, because children of the elite are excused.

[Baitball Blogger]

27. Why is Rangel still in office?

Has he learned nothing? I don't think the military industrial complex will blink at this suggestion. Since the whole process of government is gamed at the local level, expect the children of the rich and well-connected to find a way around it.

[Erose999]

29. "every socio-economic group" - that will not work. The 1% will send their kids out of the country if

necessary, just as they do with their money. And the children of the "almost 1%" will be able to bend the system to their advantage. The working class and the poor will be the ones actually stopping bullets.

If Rangel thinks a draft would put the sons and daughters of Senators and Reps on the front lines, he's full of crap.

[1-Old-Man]

33. Outstanding! The counter to perpetual war is a Draft. Get some of your Kid's skin into the game.

Once everybody's little Billy and Suzy start getting blow to bits I'll guarantee you there will be people in the streets demanding a stop to our perpetual war against the world.

[HappyMe]

34. I think it's a goofy idea.

People leaving the country and protests hasn't worked before.

[sarisataka]

36. I think it doesn't go far enough...

members of Congress should also be subject to the draft. Then we will see serious consideration on sending our people into harm's way.