Submit Response is a weblog by Jack Mottram, a Draft Dodging
John Sutherland’s column in the Guardian on Monday was pretty disturbing stuff.
Tipped off by an American student, Sutherland reveals that two bills to resurrect the draft in the US are currently en route to becoming law:
There is pending legislation in the American House of Representatives and Senate in the form of twin bills - S89 and HR163. These measures (currently approved and sitting in the committee for armed services) project legislation for spring 2005, with the draft to become operational as early as June 15.
The Pentagon is discreetly recruiting for 10,350 draft board officers and 11,070 appeals board members nationwide.
And, before American readers reach for the ‘phone to book their one-way ticket to lovely Canada:
Draft-dodging will be harder than in the 1960s. In December 2001, Canada and the US signed a “smart border declaration”, which, among other things, will prevent conscientious objectors (and cowards) from finding sanctuary across the northern border.
Unsurprisingly, despite the fact that a press release on the subject has been available at Congress.org for some time, the news that the draft is to return next year hasn’t made it to the front pages and television screens of the US news media.
Presumably, they are much too busy self-flagellating over their failures in the run up to the invasion of Iraq (see the New York Times), or carrying on their fine tradition of unquestioning support for government (see Fox, et al).
I hope to goodness that this news does break, and soon; not only because I know a fair few Americans of drafting age, but also because it might just be the kick up the arse the US electorate needs to oust Bush.
(An aside: Many weblogs have picked up the story - whatever happened to the much-touted power of independent publishing on the web to prod the traditional media into action?)
Not, of course, that the draft story will have a fighting chance to influence the US electorate: the word, from reliable, national newspaper sources, is that an ‘October Surprise’ is in the offing. We’ve already seen the opening salvo - that scaremongering warning of imminent terrorist action on US soil - to soften folk up in advance of Bush using a terrorist attack (foiled or successful) as an excuse to declare a state of emergency prior to the forthcoming Presidential election, delaying the poll indefinitely.
thanks for that jack. it just started getting some coverage on radio free america yesterday (thanks to al franken) so hopefully that’ll make the conservative show hosts bash the liberal talk show hosts’ lack of patriotism, which should in turn ensure that the story, now sensationalized, will be picked up by the major US newspapers.
anyway, i’ve sent your link to all my friends here in the hope that those who can actually vote will do something about it.
Posted by nicky at 4pm on 02.06.04
god, that is scary - i remember my brother dreading turning 18 when we lived in south africa, purely because he would have had to do two years compulsory national service in the army - i see such drafts as an abuse of your basic human rights, no-one should ever be forced to fight for their corrupt, evil money grabbing government
i only hope americans are smart enough to get rid of monkey-boy and his evil administration before they find themselves ‘fighting for their country’
Posted by badgergirl at 3pm on 03.06.04
too late ladis and lasses
remember vietnam, the goverment in those days used the draft to clean the street,s(crimanal,s activist,s trade union member,s
)bassicly anyone with afree mind
and awill to fight back.
you can damb sure you will end up in iraq cannonfodder for their conquestof oil
Posted by jamanji at 7pm on 10.06.04
I have read (or maybe it was a plotline on The West Wing) that there are certain left-wing and/or black Democrats who favour the reintroduction of the draft as a means to render the make-up of the army more representative - i.e. to ensure that rich white kids are obliged to die for their country as well as poor black ones.
In Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore establishes that only one Congressman has a child out in Iraq. So he stands outside Congress with a petition asking all of them to back up their support for the war by signing up their children for the army.
They don’t. (Indeed, they run away, quite fast.)
Posted by hannah at 2pm on 12.06.04
an interesting (if bonkers) thoery on the october suprise i heard in nyc-
bush gets offed in some way; i dunno, let’s say terrorist assassination; next condoleeza rice goes for office and wins a landslide victory after getting the “womans’”, “blacks’” and conservative votes.
it must be pointed out that this came from a six foot, bleached haired lesbian, who didn’t stop talking at me from the minute i walked in her shop, ‘til the minute i ran away with tinitus.
other topics included her her upcoming date with a playboy centrefold(who was also an astrologer), and why virgan women should never be trusted.
Posted by teamy at 3pm on 13.06.04
What is it with lesbians and astrology? Just read a big article by Mad Jeanette Winterson in Vogue about astrology, the gist of which was, ‘It’s not like I’m one of those nutters who believes in astrology. It’s just that astrology is completely true and it works.’
Condi wouldn’t win. She’s got no personality. Plus she’s unmarried, thus evidently a slut, an inadequate, or an astrology-obsessed invert.
Posted by hannah at 10pm on 15.06.04