Posted on 09/22/2004 1:54:46 PM PDT by Enduring Freedom
McDermott Co-Sponsors Legislation to Reinstate the Draft
January 7, 2003 - For Immediate Release
Washington, DC-- Congressman Jim McDermott (Democrat) has announced his co-sponsorship of Congressman Charles Rangel's (Democrat) legislation to reinstate the military draft and other forms of national service. The bill would require Americans between 18 and 26 to serve two years in the military or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security.
The bill, HR 163, is intended to ensure that the burden of military service is not borne disproportionately by the poor and numbers of minority groups.
Congressman McDermott commented that "I believe that if those who are pushing for war knew that their children might be required to share the burden of that war, there might be a greater willingness to work toward peace and a diplomatic solution. If, despite our best efforts, we end up in armed conflict, then fairness dictates that the sons and daughters of all classes participate."
" I am pleased to be an original co-sponsor of Congressman Rangel's bill, McDermott continued. " If we need to re-instate the draft in order to make the Administration consider the chilling consequences of war, so be it. I hope this will make them realize how important a diplomatic solution really is. "
In underscoring the need for broad public discussion about committing troops to conflict, McDermott reiterated his view that it is time to consider a period of compulsory service for every young person in our country. "The draft ended thirty years ago, and since then the sense of obligation as the price of citizenship has faded," he said. I agree with Congressman Rangel that we need to find ways to share the sacrifices associated with committing our country to war, whether it's a campaign against illiteracy, poverty, hunger, or terrorism."
Congressman McDermott served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps at the Long Beach Naval Station in California from 1968 to 1970. Congressman Rangel served in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1948 to 1952.
Absolutely. I've been pleading for ads even before the Democrats started acting up lately accusing Republicans.
All these kids have to hear is the question: "Who would serve under a commander-in-chief John Kerry by choice?"
Oh they would love to blame Republicans for the need but make no mistake, they know that they would need a draft to have an army during a Kerry Presidency.
NO excuse for him to ignore it then!! *wink*
Explore this a little further. Democrats NEED to have a pool of disgruntled draftee GIs to be moaning and griping about their hopeless lot in life, and the inherent unfairness of being drafted while the kids they went to school with, are running around and exploiting all the opportunities they didn't get.
In a shooting engagement, the draftees are pushed out there as the "cannon fodder", the bodies that fall in such numbers the opponents can't even climb over them. This picture of warfare went out with the Korean War, and wasn't even much used in Viet Nam, where the enemy stepped out from between civilians, sniped off a shot, then faded back into the crowd surrounding them. This is almost entirely the type of warfare our soldiers now face.
Drafts will be totally ineffective in filling the ranks of the specialities needed for this new kind of warfare. What is needed is the technical support and the infrastructure to make these special forces operative, not ranks and ranks of obedient automatons.
The email was intended to scare all the college kids. It claimed that "the administration" has secret plans to "reinstate the draft in June 2005, just after the November elections." Perhaps the professor's plan was to scare the students into voting for Kerry or to at least stay home and not vote for Bush (my daughter's plan). Prof's plan worked. They were scared.
My husband clarified the situation for the girls and also sent an email to Rush and Sean. This episode sounds very much like the "Cheat Factor" Sean mentioned on his show last Friday.
Other parents of college kids BEWARE!
Is it just me or does this amount to...
"To keep kids from indoctination we'll indoctrinate them."
See my post #46.
And yet, John kerry and the DNC are saying the draft will be re-instated if Bush is re-elected.
I guess we now know which party will have the draft re-instated if their leader is elected. Today, the democrats have already called for the draft.
McDermott represents a liberal mecca in Seattle peopled by druggies, hiv spreaders, and professional protestors, none of whom is eligible for the draft by reason of insanity. He has nothing to lose, at least in his own district.
You know when Susan Estrich was exhorting the Democrats to dirty and mean/ Wellll.........
Anybody still remember Pat Tilman? He gave up a multi-million dollar a year contract. He also gave up his life.
Now he was a hero. Not that piece of sheite John F'n Kerry
The Bushies need to slap that notion down hard and fast. Take a page from the Clintonistas and turn it around. Point to the bill sponsored by Democrats and then spend a couple of days worth of surrogates on TV telling the public "George Bush doesn't want to reinstate the draft - the DEMOCRATS are trying to reinstate the draft RIGHT NOW and here's proof".
I'd love to see that all over the airwaves tomorrow morning. If they let that charge go unrebutted and forcefully so, it'll kill us with the newly dubbed "Security Moms".
Make them region specific, so in Florida, for example, change it to "14 Democrats including Corrine Brown and Alcie Hastings have co-sponsored a bill to ..."
Maybe end it with - "Call John Kerry and urge him that we don't need a draft. Ask John Kerry to convince his democrat friends who co-sponsored this bill that we don't need a draft."
We should be on the offensive and not the defensive on this issue. If they frame it, which they are doing, it may be too late. Spend a few million on radio and tv ads that is targeted to college students and their parents."
I agree... This is Kerry's dilema. The President will not institute a draft because the military has solid end strength. Kerry is despised by a majority of active duty personell and if he did get elected these people will get out at their EAOS or submit for retirement earlier then they normally would have. Kerry will lose the Military vote. Kerry will be forced to implement a draft in order to keep military end strength. This needs some serious non-CBS investigative reporting so that the American people can see that Kerry is trying to trump the President on an issue that his party is supporting. Guaranteed to lose Kerry the Young votes...
Gee, I thought Bush was the culprit.
Bump to the top!!!
Bttt
No, that isn't true. I know Joe Biden has a son in the military.
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