Hello Sorors and board-frequenters,
I received this email from another soror and typed in the bill number as directed in the email and, sure enough, was directed to a bill for what seems to be draft. I haven't read it thoroughly, just skimmed it.
What do you all think of this?
Guess what is QUIETLY being put through the House and
Senate - a DRAFT starting 2005. If you are against
this, you need to pass this on IMMEDIATELY.
Mandatory draft for boys and girls (ages 18-26)
starting June 15, 2005, is something that everyone
should know about. This literally effects everyone
since we all have or know children that will have to
go if this bill passes. There is pending legislation
in the house and senate (companion bills: S89 and HR
163) which will time the program's initiation so the
draft can begin as early as spring, 2005, just after
the 2004 presidential election.
The administration is quietly trying to get these
bills passed now, while the publics attention is on
the elections, so our action on this is needed
immediately. Details and links follow. This plan,
among other things, eliminates higher education as a
shelter and includes women in the draft. Also,
crossing into Canada has already been made very
difficult.
Actions
Please send this on to all the parents and teachers
you know, and all the aunts and uncles, grandparents,
godparents. . . And let your children know - - it's
their future, and they can be a powerful voice for
change!
This legislation is called HR 163 and can be found in
detail at the
following website: <
http://thomas.loc.gov/>
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Just enter in "HR 163" and click search and will bring
up the bill for you to read. It is
less than two pages long. If this bill passes, it will
include all men and
ALL WOMEN from ages 18-26 in a draft for military
action. In addition, college will no longer be an
option for avoiding the draft and they will be signing
an agreement with the Canada which will no longer
permit anyone attempting to dodge the draft to stay
within it's borders. This bill also includes the
extension of military service for all those that are
currently active. If you go to the select service web
site and read their 2004 FYI Goals, you will see that
the reasoning for this is to increase the size of the
military in case of terrorism. This is a critical
piece of legislation, this will effect our
undergraduates, our children and our grandchildren.
Please take the time to write your congressman and let
them know how you feel about this legislation.
http://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/
Please also write to your representatives and ask them
why they aren't telling their constituents about these
bills and write to newspapers and other media outlets
to ask them why they're not covering this important
story. The draft $28 million has been added to the
2004 selective service system budget to prepare for a
military draft that could start as early as June 15,
2005. Selective service must report to Bush on March
31, 2005 that the system, which has lain dormant for
decades, is ready for activation. Please see
http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html
www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the
Selective Service System
annual performance plan, fiscal year 2004. The
pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill
all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals
board slots nationwide. Though this is an unpopular
election year topic, military experts and influential
members of congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld's
prediction of a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and
Afghanistan (and permanent state of war on terrorism)
proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to
draft.
http://www.hslda.org/legislation/nat...89/default.asp>
!
http://www.hslda.org/legislation/nat...89/default.asp
entitled the Universal National service Act of 2003,
"to provide for the common defense by requiring that
all young persons (age 18-26) in the United States,
including women, perform a period of military service
or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the
national defense and homeland security, and for other
purposes." These active bills
currently sit in the committee on armed services.
Dodging the draft will be more difficult than those
from the Vietnam era. College and Canada will not be
options.
In December 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a "smart
border declaration," which could be used to keep
would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada's minister
of foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland
Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves
a 30 point plan which implements, among other things,
a "pre-clearance agreement" of people entering and
departing each country. Reforms aimed at making the
draft more equitable along gender and class lines also
eliminates higher education as a shelter.
Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service
until the end of their current semester. Seniors would
have until the end of the academic year. What to do:
Tell your friends, Contact your legislators and ask
them to oppose these bills Just type "congress" into
the AOL search engine and input your zip code. A list
of your reps will pop up with a way to email them
directly.
We cannot just sit and pretend that by ignoring it, it
will go away. We must voice our concerns and create
the world we want to live in for our children and
grandchildren.
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