The "Sneaky DRAFT" already started - Draft Creep! Bush '04=DRAFT '05

[Dems Will Win]

DRAFT CREEP

http://www.duckdaotsu.org/draftcreep.html

by David Wiggins
Say hello to "draft creep." Remember "bracket creep(1)," AKA the "sneaky tax increase," whereby inflation and income growth forces people into progressively higher tax brackets? Bracket creep is a way for the government to raise taxes without seeming to be raising taxes. There is no congressional debate, and no new law is passed for the President to sign. Taxes just go up. Similarly, draft creep is a way for the government to initiate the draft without seeming to initiate the draft.

Draft creep is a sneaky draft. There is no congressional debate, and no new law is passed for the President to sign. Nonetheless, people are being forced into military service against their will. In other words, they are being drafted, conscripted, or whatever you care to call it. The government chooses to call it "Stop Loss," and it applies to members of the armed forces. After all, what better way is there to initiate a sneaky draft than to start with the group of people least likely to object to a draft, and at the same time, with the least legal rights to fight one?

<snip>

Over the past year, the Army alone has blocked the possible retirements and departures of more than 40,000 soldiers.(5) Hundreds more in the Air Force, Navy and Marines were blocked from retiring or departing the military. Under the latest Stop Loss iteration, announced in January 2004, seven thousand additional soldiers will be required to stay in the theater for the duration of their unit's deployment and up to a maximum of 90 days afterward, said Col. Elton Manske.(6) Because the stop-loss order begins 90 days before deployment and lasts for 90 days after a return home, those troops will be prohibited from retiring or leaving the Army at the expiration of their contracts until the spring of 2005, at the earliest.

Some Guard troops and reservists complain(7) their release dates have been extended several times and they no longer know when they will be allowed to leave. On their Army paychecks, the expiration date of their military service is now listed sometime after 2030 ­ the payroll computer's way of saying, "Who knows?" Chief Warrant Officer Ronald Eagle(8), a member of the West Virginia National Guard, was due to retire last February, but now, draft creep has caught up with him. "I'm furious. I'm aggravated. I feel violated. I feel used," said Eagle. Eagle said he fears his fledgling business in West Virginia may not survive his lengthy absence.

<snip>

BUSH '04 = DRAFT '05

[loudsue]

1. THIS is one big reason the military won't go for Bush in '04

Now....if we could only stop states from buying those damn black box voting machines, we'd have a leg up!

:kick:

[leftchick]

2. and if we could stop "SECURE" internet voting from the Pentagon...

Good Lord what a road we have to hoe....

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Yep. Shrub's already pocketed the military vote

Those people have zero representation now and are being forced to die for their country. (Well, assuming they are already citizens. Plenty are not.)

[gate of the sun]

3. kick!

a very important issue that we should not let slip by.Are the democratic candidates talking about this one at all? I wonder what their stand on this issue is, I guess I better do some investigating.

[leftchick]

4. kick

:kick: Thanks DWW!

[laylah]

5. Thanks for the link

Dems. I have passed this far and wide, to family, friends, journalists, reporters, politicians, college paper editors, et cetera. May I suggest everyone do the same?

Jenn

[supercrash]

6. What ?

How can there be a 'draft creep' when ...using your logic...the draft started under Clinton, Who did the very same thing ?

[Dems Will Win]

8. Comparing Apples and Oranges, I believe

Clinton had relatively few stop-loss orders and they were to maintain cohesion of the unit. Bush is using stop-loss because he has run out of troops and even had to send the Arlington Honor Guard over to the Mideast (Company B). Plus 60,000 pre-spproved stop-losses to bring the active-duty roster way above 480,000 makes this situation very different from Clinton's orders.

The only reason they are doing suge huge stop-loss orders and the heavy Reserve Guard use is that they can't start the military DRAFT this year but are spending $28 million in 2004 to be ready to hold the first DRAFT LOTTERY on June 15, 2005--if a re-selected Bush gets back in.

THis SSS document outlines the allocations to have the DRAFT oiled up and ready to conscript within 75 days of March 31, 2005. The Alternative Service would be ready within 96 days of March 31, 2005:

http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

[Dems Will Win]

18. Corrected link

http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

[BBradley]

7. Yeah, this happens all the time on smaller levels

During both Republican and Democratic presidencies. My brother was stop lossed before 9/11 because of his valuabe profession(Arabic linguist), and the order doesn't even have to come from the president...

[redqueen]

17. I think the 'smaller levels' makes all the difference.

It won't be special skills personnel only that are stop-lossed from now on. It'll be everyone.

[Mari333]

9. bookmarked

thanks. It took a lot to get my son his LEGAL discharge. I am sending this to all 3 of my sons to keep. They are all vulnerable.

[Dems Will Win]

10. The rest of this duckdaotsu Web site is very useful

Check out the rest. Tells the real deal on registration and the draft and gives links to all.

[trogdor]

19. Got teenagers?

My son is in the Class of '07. I can see it now; one beautiful day in June, he graduates high school, the next morning, he's off to the induction station.

Anybody care to do a variation of the "Child's Play" ad, where you have a bunch of ten year olds reciting the enlistment oath in front of a giant flag?

[redqueen]

12. One candidate is talking about it

that I know of.

Check the link below. The following statements from the dates in parenthesis speak directly about this topic.


Kucinich: More Troops Will Be Blocked From Leaving or Retiring (1/29/04)

Kucinich: What Troops? (1/23/04)

Kucinich: Refusal to Discharge Is an Involuntary Draft (12/31/03)

link

[Dems Will Win]

13. Kerry and Clark have also said they are opposed to the DRAFT

[redqueen]

14. Rhetoric

Kerry says we need more troops. Square that with his claim to be opposed to the draft.

Clark I'm not sure of. Assertions don't amount to much, though. Links, please.

[Dems Will Win]

15. Clark said it at Rock The Vote in the Fall, I agree that DK is

the best on this issue and out front on it. He even made an ad!

Kerry would presumably bring in foreign troops as DK and the others say and no draft needed. Dean has not addressed this issue other than saying he would bring in foreign troops. Dean also says we need more troops (yesterday Meet The Press).

We need to bring the other candidates up to the point where they are talking about it like DK!

[redqueen]

16. .

Kerry wants to add two divisions to our military forces. He can't bring in foreign troops for that.

I don't think we'll have much success in getting other candidates to address this issue the way Kucinich does. I can almost guarantee we won't.