[QUOTE] Dear Mr. Youmanns, A draft will not ever include the chiildren of the rich who, like Cheney, can get any number of "legal" deferments. Please understand that the people who so love war are also remote from the dying and the poison of grief. These same priveleged few enjoy a malignant entitlement to have wars but not have anything at stake. Spike [QUOTE]

The response above to my last post "Not My Child" on behalf of Brother John Youmans from one of our readers opposed to the draft is expected and understood. He is probably in the majority. However, this is a bias of the “Vietnam experience”. It was exactly the Vietnam draft experience, which, caused reform of the Selective Service Act. It passed Congress in 1971 about the same time the Volunteer Armed Forces came to be.

Unfortunately, out of everything John was talking about in his article the only thing worthwhile commenting on was someone taking excepting to the draft. The entire point of Brother Youmans message was missed when one only focuses on his call for implementing the draft. When we turn our ears off and close our eyes to an entire message because it contains two words that either scare us to death or we disagree with. Then we are no different than the Neo-Cons that we want to rid the Congress and White House of.

John Youman's message was of the sacrifices of our Military Families and our troops in Iraq and this so-called War on Terror. Sacrifices by the way that only THEY are making! I believe he used the phrase "the draft" one time in closing.

The news you are not going to want to hear Spike is that the President can implement the Draft anytime he sees fit. He does not need a bill or act of Congress to do so. Bush already has the War Powers Act, which Congress gave him to invade and occupy Iraq, and he has not given it back. He also has the Selective Service infrastructure in place. Collection of data on young American men when they reach 18 has gone on non-stop since at least 1980.

Regardless thank you for your feedback. Since I posted the article on Brother Youman's behalf, I take the honor of responding on his behalf.

First and please, do not take this as being belligerent because as you can see by my heavy use of LINKS I'm into facts not rhetoric, so I do not mean to offend - OK!

Could you please point our readers to any legitimate sources that state the privileged would have access to all sorts of "deferments" under Selective Service as it is on the law books TODAY?
Please give us information with links to your data and not left or right wing rhetoric.

Methinks YOU and others are living the legacy of Vietnam based on a MYTH that the draft ended in 1971. The draft did not end with the creation of the Volunteer Military. If it did then why has Uncle Sam continued to collect information on America's young men at least since 1980? 

The FACT of the matter is that there are significant differences between the draft TODAY and the Vietnam draft. Both the privileged of the Democratic and Republican Party FEAR just those differences. Those differences make politicians of both parties desire not to debate THE DRAFT and want to keep discussion of it OFF THE TABLE.

Folks with nothing to lose in Iraq and no commitment, which is the majority of Americans, also do not want the draft debated. Because Selective Service just might touch them or someone close to them, then the War on Terror (regardless if one believes there is one or not) and by extension, the War in Iraq becomes intimate to more Americans.  That would be a distraction from prime time TV, the Grammies, Olympics, and the up coming Baseball season.

Well THE FACTS Spike. Given we cannot believe our government on most things. This one we can, because Vietnam Veterans and anti-war protestors made it happen by complaining to Congress about the inequities in the Vietnam War draft. Someone listened.

http://www.sss.gov/FSdiffer.htm

The Selective Service System Fast Facts: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SELECTIVE SERVICE TODAY AND DURING VIETNAM  (Printer Friendly Version)

The Agency has changed dramatically since the 1970s. A series of reforms during the latter part of the Vietnam conflict changed the way the draft operated. If a draft were held today, it would be the most equitable draft in history:

Before Congress reformed the draft in 1971, a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress in virtually any field of study. He could continue to go to school and be deferred from service until he was too old to be drafted. Under the new draft law, a college student could have his induction postponed only until the end of the current semester. A senior could be postponed until the end of the full academic year. 

If a draft were held today, local boards would better represent the communities they serve.

The changes in the new draft law made in 1971 included the provision that membership on the boards was required to be as representative as possible of the racial and ethnic background of the area served by the board.

Before 1971, state and local boards used a "quota system" under which they assigned a certain number of men to the draft. Because the boards determined who would be drafted, there were instances when personal relationships and favoritism played a part in deciding who would be drafted. Today, the Uniform National Call ensures that men will be treated the same, no matter which board they are assigned to.

A draft held today would use a lottery to determine the order of call.

Before the lottery was implemented in the latter part of the Vietnam conflict, there was no system in place to determine order of call besides the fact that men between the ages of 18 and 26 were vulnerable to being drafted. This lack of a system resulted in uncertainty for the potential draftees during the entire time they were within the draft-eligible age group. All throughout a young man’s early 20’s, he did not know if, he would be drafted. A draft held today would use a lottery system under which a man would spend only one year in first priority for the draft—either the calendar year he turned 20 or the year his deferment ended, whichever came first. If he was not drafted in his first priority year, he dropped into second priority. In this way, he would be spared the uncertainty of waiting until his 26th birthday to be certain he would not be drafted.

If a draft were held today, a registrant would be guaranteed a personal appearance before his board if he wanted to appeal his classification.

Before 1971, a draftee was not guaranteed this right, and so some decisions about whether a man would be drafted were made based on paperwork. Today, if a man wanted to appeal to his Local Board for an exemption or deferment, he could speak to them directly.

  END OF FAST FACT

Is this a foolproof, loophole proof system, that we can’t be sure of until it is implemented, but as stated earlier if seriously needed and a growing number of military families feel the need given the exploitation, use, and abuse we are being put through, how equitable the draft can be is up to those who care to monitor it.

Guarantee you implement Selective Service, the American people will monitor it with the passion they give primetime TV, the Grammies, Olympic Games, and the upcoming Baseball season.

To those who say Military Service to Our Country against your will or otherwise is for  “Slaves”, do not even insult the intelligence of “our Soldier” and the other troops both National Guard and Regular on “stop loss” (the back door draft)  in Iraq by going there with that rhetoric.

In closing if the majority of my fellow Veterans, Democrats and Republicans feel that serving our nation in military service against one’s will is for slaves regardless of the circumstances, and all political parties have no intention of implementing Selective Service then do the Libertarian, right, and common sense thing to do.

Maintaining an annual government bureaucracy to collect and maintain data on America’s youth for National Military Service when there is no intent to use it is the ultimate waste of taxpayer money and invasion of privacy. If the Democrats and Republicans in Congress have no intention of debating the use of Selective Service and President Bush does not deem the War on Terror to be a National Emergency of such proportions to need the draft. Then what defines a National Emergency that would require implemention of Selective Service?

The Bush administraton and its supporters have constantly tried selling the War on Terror on par with our national survival during World War II yet the sence of urgency, shared national sacrifice, and of course National Emergency are non-existent. If this is the post 9-11 National security environment then it is all Neo-Con smoke and mirrors to stay in power at a profit on the cheap. Even Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has gone on record stating that “volunteers” make better troops than “draftees” do.

If such is true then it is way past time to REPEAL the Selective Service Act.

Thoughts?

Think very hard before you respond to that loaded question. I volunteered for Vietnam, but I was surrounded by draftees that made far superior troops than I. Many of their names are listed on the Wall.

Bobby “Indy Thinker” Hanafin