I can’t find any mainstream media confirming this, and the links go to a 404 at a homeschooling network rather than to a government site, but perhaps someone more skilled in US politics can confirm this or expose it as make believe: apparently the US congress is trying to get two bills through, quietly, that would reinstate the draft so men and women between 18 and 26, even if in college, could be sent to war against their will. Starting June 2005.
If true, surely the mainstream media would be reporting it, though? Google news doesn’t have much on it. A regular google search for US draft June 2005 brings up lots of blogs and alternative media discussing it, but I couldn’t find any official sources referenced.
[Update: Metafilterists dug up links of course. Snopes reckons it’s an urban legend, though who knows? Anyway, Norway has the draft already. Yay.]
Collin
J, I don’t know about official sources, either, but I can confirm that the idea of reinstating the draft here is buzzing around. Seems like it’s being picked up by the political “Left” here as some sort of reverse-psychological bluff. The reasoning seems to go something like “Congress will be a lot more cautious about going to war if that means that their own children and grandchildren will be a part of the ground force.” So while the legislation predates the whole Iraq mess, the issue itself seems to be gaining some steam…
cgb
Captain Sunshine
Mornin’ –
I enjoy your site. I’ve sent a couple of people here for info on blogging software.
As for the draft:
If you go to http://www.sss.gov – the Selective Service homepage – there’s quite a bit of information on the infrastructure of the draft. For example:
–They’re restaffing all the county-based draft boards, with a target date of March or April of 2005. It’s this date that gives a lot of people on the Left the willies. The official explanation is that the draft board terms were for twenty years and everybody’s time is up.
–There is no more fleeing to Canada, since they’re “signed an agreement of return” if draftees hop it North.
–Conscientious objectors will now have to join the Army anyway, go through boot camp, and serve their enlistment in a “non-combat” role.
Other stories have uncovered the following possible changes to a new draft:
–The general draft will be for ages of 18 to 26, with a “special skills” draft for those ages 26 to 42 (or 44 – I forget).
–A draftee will make one-third the pay of a volunteer. Since an E-1 makes about $US 15000 per year, a drafted private won’t be living on much.
–A college deferment might only last until the end of a student’s currently enrolled semester, after which s/he would have to leave school and enlist.
One name you might want to look for is Charles Rangel, a Democratic congressman who introduced a bill to reinstate a draft with a focus specifically to draw from “all” youth and not just skewed to the lower- and middle-class youth for whom the armed forces are often a more appealing option financially. There was a second bill introduced by Republican congressmen, but I don’t remember who did it.
One comment on your new format – if you could make the comment entry text box larger, that would be great. On my machine it’s about four lines tall, and scrolling up and down is getting inconvenient for this (longer than I thought) post.
CS
Peter Drucker
My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.