Congress to hear on draft next year...

[Zimzum]

Taken from Foxnews.com Was released by the AP.



Rangel Calls for Reinstating Military Draft

Sunday , November 19, 2006




WASHINGTON â?? A senior House Democrat said Sunday he will introduce legislation to reinstate the military draft, asserting that current troop levels are insufficient to sustain possible challenges against Iran, North Korea and Iraq.

"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way," said Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.

Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription in the past, said he will propose the measure early next year.

At a time when some lawmakers are urging the military to send more troops to Iraq, "I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Standby Reserve, said he agreed that the U.S. does not have enough people in the military.

"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Graham, who is assigned as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Rangel, incoming chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he worried the military was being strained by its overseas commitments.

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," Rangel said.

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

Graham said he believes the all-voluntary military "represents the country pretty well in terms of ethnic makeup, economic background."

Repeated polls have shown that about seven in 10 Americans oppose reinstatement of the draft and officials say they do not expect to restart conscription.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress in June 2005 that "there isn't a chance in the world that the draft will be brought back."

Yet the prospect of the long global fight against terrorism and the continuing U.S. commitment to stabilizing Iraq have kept the idea in the public's mind.

The military drafted conscripts during the Civil War, both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. An agency independent of the Defense Department, the Selective Service System trains, keeps an updated registry of men age 18-25 -- now about 16 million -- from which to supply untrained draftees that would supplement the professional all-volunteer armed forces.

Rangel and Graham appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS.

Zimzum Reviewed by Zimzum on 11-19-2006. Congress to hear on draft next year... Taken from Foxnews.com Was released by the AP. Rangel Calls for Reinstating Military Draft Sunday , November 19, 2006 Rating: 5

[Dutch Pimp]

...the very last thing you want is draftee soldiers....trust me..I know...I was the leader of the pack....get drunk...smoke weed soldiers...You need professional soldiers...their heart is in it...trust me...

[Dutch Pimp]

...an American Foreign Legion...would be better...we can get use to other people doing our dirty work for us..for a price...

[Great Spirit]

Fuck the draft. I would never go off to war to fight.

Lets see how well this new "liberal" Congress will do. It's a big fucking joke. :thumbsup:

Republicrats!!!

[Dutch Pimp]

Fuck the draft. I would never go off to war to fight.

Lets see how well this new "liberal" Congress will do. It's a big fucking joke. :thumbsup:

Republicrats!!!

...yea..I said that too...in 1967...but when the country says.. go..I go..I am a loyal American citizen...

.."the needs of the many...outweigh the needs of the few"..

[Great Spirit]

...yea..I said that too...in 1967...but when the country says.. go..I go..I am a loyal American citizen...

.."the needs of the many...outweigh the needs of the few"..

Sounds more like the blind leading the blind.

[Dutch Pimp]

..my weed must be wearing off...I don't have a smart come-back to that...

[Myth1184]

Hail ammuntion for america electing a republican for president. Thank you Mr Rangal...thank you

[Hamlet]

..my weed must be wearing off...I don't have a smart come-back to that...

You don't need one. Your country called...you disagreed, but you went. You've got big, bad coconutballs and don't need to defend your actions or your viewpoints. There's not one opinion here that even comes close to being more valid, or even on par with your opiniion about war.

[jamstigator]

The reason why the Democrats are sponsoring this is simple: they don't think it's fair that the families of the wealthy rarely end up in combat, and instead that burden is heaped onto the backs of the poor and middle class. With a draft, the wealthy aren't so well-insulated from doing the dirty work (that they're so good at making necessary in the first place).

So, all-in-all, I guess I'm in favor of registering for a draft, and if we really NEED more soldiers, okay...but don't let the wealthy slack off; they need to do their share too, and see what it's like for the common man. There'll be a lot fewer wars and conflicts if the rich folks' children are in danger too. It's just too easy to vote for war or use of military force when you know YOUR children won't be involved.