US military draft coming

[supercrash]

This was written a couple months after 9-11, Pretty good planning, Bush knew he would be looking for troops, This is on the shelf for now, but for how long ?

[Porcupine]

1. They can barely hold their lines with volunteers......

We have already had hundreds of thousands of people marching in protest. Imagine what would happen if the hordes of apathetic frat boys realize that they have to actually work for a living the flit will hit the shan.

Not a chance. They'll promise citizenship to foreigners first. Oh yeah, they already do that.

[oasis]

2. PNAC and endless war. Bush needs a massive army for his second term.

[roughsatori]

3. If they start the Draft before the election * is out

Unless they steal it again.

[Patriot_Spear]

5. You're under estimating; every repuke in Congress would be out

This country would turn on a dime.

[Eloriel]

6. Not if there's another terror attack

And haven't they been singing that song TODAY, of all days?? (I haven't had the TV on all damn day -- sick of the 9-11 stuff).

Eloriel

[Kathy in Cambridge]

4. Reinstatement of the Draft

may be the only thing that wakes Americans out of their stupor. That will not be accepted by most Americans.

[Cat Atomic]

7. I agree. For many, war is more like a sports event than anything

else. A Draft would drop the realities of war right in the laps of the average person, and I do think it'd change the mood alot.

It's also why a Draft would be the last thing Bush's administration would want to do.

[DemBones DemBones]

8. I thought they'd push the bill through after the 2002 election but

perhaps they prefer to hold off until Bush* is re-selected.

[cliss]

9. I read recently that Rumsfeld

requested a list of all eligible young men between the ages of 18 and 26. He denied any interest in reinstating the draft. Sorry, no reference but I've read it in several places now. Will try to relocate the link. Have also read that they're thinking about drafting young women.

I would say that a country with a population of 330,000,000 which only has a volunteer army with only 200,000 troops (help me out here). This represents only 0.015%. That's WAY too low.

North Korea has the world's largest military with 1,000,000 troops.

If I were a young man between 18 and 26, I would start looking at travel brochures to Sunny, Scenic Canada.

[carrowsboy]

10. Close call

Glad I just turned 27 recently...would hate to be thrown in jail for refusing to risk my neck for those scumbags.

[bluestateguy]

11. Draft will return if Bunnypants is elected in 2004

The standard spin in the campaign will be that the draft is not needed and the "all volunteer" army is satisafactory. That will change on 1/21/05. As for drafting women, that little trial balloon will not get off the ground. After Pat Roberstson, Jerry Falwell, James Dobson and Dr. Laura have a little chat with the White House that idea will be junked. The religious right never much liked the idea of women in the military and they sure as hell don't want a whole generation of women with military experience in the population. They religious right still gets wet dreams with their idyllic fantasies of demure young dames seeing "our boys" off to war on the decks of aircraft carriers. I turned 27 this year, so I'm home free. But I warn my 18-22 year old students every semester that the draft is a very real possibility someday.

[neebob]

12. Ack!

As the mother of a 14-year-old boy, I've been worrying about this and wondering when someone was going to say it. I was not aware of this bill. I actually felt better when they started saying they have enough troops. Damn, just when I thought I couldn't get any more paranoid. Bluestateguy is right, they'll wait until after the election. I'm praying (in my non-man-god-believing, hoping-it-doesn't-really-just-go-black, shooting-vibes-out-into-the-universe way) that Dean and Clark will hook up and that Bush & Co. are really not not as evil as I believe they are and will not allow another terrorist attack to save their own asses. Unfortunately, I think they're channeling Hitler and his henchmen.

[paulsbc]

14. according to the DoD

the US has over 1.3mil, with 1.2mil reserves.

AD strength: 1,381,497 (active duty strength)

Civ employees: 654,147 (civilians)

Reserves: 1,197,776 (Sel Res= 875,024, IR= 322,752)

Retired: 1,954,973


Now, of those 1.3mil active duty + 1.2mil reserves, the actual fighting, troops on the ground capability is far less, because those total numbers include navy, air force, coast guard, support personnel (like my buddy in Atlanta in charge of medical supplies to the guys in Iraq), etc.

==
btw, China has the worlds' largest manned military, not North Korea...

[maggrwaggr]

19. Maybe Britney Spears would be drafted.

which would be great with her, right? Since she's all for supporting her president.

Or maybe she could get off by giving him a blowjob

[beanball]

13. Troops for shrubs army

"Hessians for hire,have gun will travel" Americans will pay the bill for Bush's jackbooted goosestepping elite troops.

[friendofbenn]

15. this is tinfoil

he doesnt need the troops

[maggrwaggr]

20. au contraire. He needs nine more divisions, just for Iraq

they said they'd bring in foreign troops but the foreign troops are giving him the big ol' middle finger.

So what're they gonna do? You know if it wasn't political suicide they'd have the draft back lickety split.

We need to start letting it be known that they need and want a draft. Because they do! They just don't want to admit it

[Downeast]

21. Nine more divisions???

Where did you get this number? There are only four or five divisions in Iraq now. Nine sounds just a tad high in my opinion.

[cliss]

16. Thanks Paulsbc

I knew someone would have the right figures.

[BushHasGotToGo]

17. Until Charlie PNAC Rangel came along

Theyre all part of the game

[SmileyBoy]

18. Assuming they wait until after the election, I'll be 22, so I'll be out.

I just turned 21 on Monday. If this type of bill would be the thing they'd pass, then I'd be OK, because they said in the bill that anyone who celebrated their 18th birthday but have not celebrated their 22nd birthday would be considered.