Posted on 08/27/2004 2:35:28 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
Washington -- Despite repeated assurances by the Bush administration that there are no plans to reinstitute conscription, a national survey released Wednesday found nearly six in 10 adults -- 58 percent -- are concerned the country "could be headed for a draft in the near future."
Among those of draft age, 32 percent of those questioned said they would not serve if they were drafted, and another 20 percent said they would actively seek deferment.
The telephone survey of 1,028 adults was conducted Aug. 2-8 for the Alliance for Security, a project of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, a humanitarian organization that was a leader in normalizing U.S. relations with Vietnam. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Bobby Muller, president of the foundation, said he believed the number of those unwilling to serve would surprise many people if the draft were brought back.
"We have come so far from any sense of citizen obligation, citizen army type of thinking." Muller said. "I think it's going to shock America" to find so many unwilling to serve if a draft is reinstituted.
Majorities of poll respondents said they anticipated a new draft would use a lottery system like that employed in the last years of the previous system, would permit student deferments, and unlike previous drafts, would include women.
The U.S. draft ended in 1973, though the government maintains a Selective Service System and requires registration for men 18 to 25 years old should Congress approve a new draft. Numerous Internet postings, fueled by concerns raised over the adequacy of troop levels in Iraq and large National Guard and Reserve deployments, continue to raise the prospect. Many members of Congress said they had gotten many queries about it from constituents.
Thirty-one percent of those polled described themselves as Republicans, 38 percent as Democrats and 25 percent as independents or members of another party. Forty-five percent of those questioned said they believed a return to the draft was more likely if President Bush won re-election, three times the percentage who said that about Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry.
According to the alliance, women questioned were more concerned than men, 67 percent to 48 percent, about the possibility of the draft being brought back. Among those 18 to 24 -- considered draft age -- 71 percent of women questioned were concerned about the prospect, while 48 percent of men felt that way, the alliance said.
Majorities of those polled did not believe a draft would change U.S. policies on using the military.
Sounds like a Dem "dirty trick" to plant rumor and fear in order to get votes.
When I read freepers who say that we should follow up the Iraq invasion with invasions of at least several other countries, I too fear a draft coming. If those hawkish freepers get their wish, we'll need a lot more troops - -
The Rat lie takes hold.
If Kerry gets elected it could be possible.
Who would volunteer to have him be your Commander in Chief??
I can also see a lot of resignations.
This is so much drivel. Look at who is leading the charge to avoid the draft. The military. The reorganization required to accommodate the draft is costly and detrimental to the needs of the future.
And the problem with that is.......?
Now all the Bush team needs to do is attach all the draft talk to the dems. Something like "If John Kerry is elected he will re-institute the draft." Then play the video clips of Rangle and others promoting it.
We should not FEAR the draft. It is the mechanism to insure that we have the means to defend our country. DRAFT is not a dirty word. I don't think that we will have to reinstitute the draft, because there are so many of us who will enlist. IMO.
There'd be no need for a draft if we were to demonstrate to our young men (and you KNOW we'd never draft women) that we had more regard for their lives and safety than we do for the odd mosque...
Exactly what it is.
It appears that people were asked the question "Are you concerned that there will be a draft?", or something similar. Heck, in the right mental state I might answer yes to such a question (even though I don't actually think a draft is on the horizon). I'm also "concerned" about what would happen if I get struck by lightning.... How "concerned" people are about this or that potential event is not very indicative of anything.
The poll was constructed to maximize "yes" votes, tailored to get the outcome they wanted to get, so they could write this story. It is flat-out propaganda.
???
"Now all the Bush team needs to do is attach all the draft talk to the dems. Something like "If John Kerry is elected he will re-institute the draft." Then play the video clips of Rangle and others promoting it."
Excellent idea. After all, the Dems are the ones who keep talking about it.
You see, they KNEW in their hearts, without having to have someone to tell them, that we WOULD strike back and that it WOULD be a long war. Because of their indoctrination by aging hippies, they assumed they all might be drafted.
I rememeber very clearly. This was the overwhelming theme of the reactions of a thousand 17 and 18 year-olds on 9/11/01.
The wisdom of youth. Shame the dihonesty of their elders makes it so short lived.
Because Freepers control our public policy? ;-)
There will not be a draft. It is a non-starter. Nobody has seriously proposed a draft. (A couple congressmen have non-seriously proposed a draft.) We do not even need a draft. We are not even failing to meet recruiting goals in the first place. Meanwhile, Congress could increase our armed forces anytime they felt like, by funding for such an increase.
The whole thing is a crock of s**t designed to scare and intimidate you out of supporting the President.
If those hawkish freepers get their wish [invasions of at least several other countries], we'll need a lot more troops - -
They will not get their wish. You have taken the most crazy extreme position and extrapolated it to stand for that of "hawkish freepers". Nobody is seriously proposing "invasions of at least several other countries". (Some may be un-seriously proposing it.) But let's give the benefit of the doubt and stipulate that there are people who have a list of countries they'd like to see us fight (let's say the list includes Syria, Iran, North Korea... um, actually that's probably about it).
Even THAT needn't require a draft. You seem to be assuming that the typical person who wants us to invade N countries wants us to invade them all simultaneously. But that would be moronic. It is in our interests to serialize these things as much as possible.
So even the "extreme" position you seem to think would require a draft, wouldn't require a draft. The whole thing is just such a joke of an issue.
Wish they would take me back. I talked with a Recruiter in Charlotte (I think) the other day and asked him if they would be interested in a retired Marine who is on a medical disability.
He said no :(
I might not be able to get out and run with the young fire eaters, but I can still work and do something.
I want a 50/0 victory for Bush. I'm busting my hump trying to get Kerry supporters in my personal area to switch. I've gotten a few but there is still more work. The key seems to be finding what motivates the individual then appeal to their emotion. I've not found a logical thinking democrat in years. Many dems think they are logical but it always leads back to emotion driving their voting positions.
Well put Redbob. The entire concept of the Neccessity for a Draft, as a non-starter. The Senate and House need only to increase the troop numbers in the Defense Appropriations, and possibly add some new small incentive to sign-up and re-up, say lowering the number of days in a year one has to be in a combat zone to have tax free income, the slots will be filled easily.
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