Posted on 10/05/2004 5:16:32 PM PDT by demlosers
WASHINGTON — Hoping to eliminate an issue they believe is being used unfairly against President Bush, House Republicans led a successful effort Tuesday to kill a proposal to bring back the draft and institute mandatory public service.
The 402-2 vote was, to a large degree, symbolic. The bill was introduced last year by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., as was a companion measure in the Senate by South Carolina Democrat Ernest Hollings. Both were effectively dead already.
Rangel's bill was brought to a vote by Republicans who oppose it. Administration officials have said repeatedly that there is no plan for a draft.
"The reason we're doing this is to expose the biggest hoax in show business," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "The hoax has been carried out through the Internet where millions of young people are being scared by some anonymous tipster who is claiming that somehow there's a secret plan to reinstate the draft."
Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif. voted for the measure. Rangel had urged Democrats to vote against the bill
Fueled by Web sites and e-mail, the topic refuses to disappear. The question of bringing back conscription has become part of the presidential race and seems likely to be raised again when the two candidates meet Friday in a town hall format.
Rangel, a decorated Korean War Army veteran who enlisted, introduced the Universal National Service Act, which would differ from previous drafts in that it would require public service for those not chosen for the military.
He and his supporters have said they believe fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is being done disproportionately by lower-income Americans. "This is a rich man's war, and it's a poor man's fight," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.
Rangel also criticized the procedure the GOP used to put the bill before the House, bypassing committee hearings and permitting only 20 minutes of debate for each side. "It's a disgrace," he said on the House floor.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas said the Democratic Party had engaged in a "baseless and malevolent concoction ... to spread fear among an unsuspecting public, to undermine the war on terror, to undermine our troops, to undermine our cause and, most of all, to undermine our commander-in-chief in an election year."
Belief that the draft will come back is widespread among some groups.
In its 2004 annual "State of Our Nation's Youth" survey, for example, the Horatio Alger Association telephone poll of 1,007 students in May found 55 percent expected that they would be required to serve in the military, and 70 percent were opposed to conscription.
Some Republicans feel Bush is being unfairly targeted as most likely to bring back the draft. A number of polls have shown more respondents believe Bush would be more apt to revive conscription than would Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., his challenger.
This is despite frequent strong statements from the president and his Cabinet officers, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell. Kerry has said he, if elected, would not bring back the draft.
The vote Tuesday will provide concrete evidence for lawmakers to cite in replying to the seemingly countless inquires they receive on the topic, often from constituents whose source is an e-mail or Web site.
And it is not only the Internet dealing with the issue. National media outlets, from Newsweek and the New York Times to CBS News and the Wall Street Journal have run stories recently addressing the topic.
Even the Web page for the Selective Service System has a disclaimer at the top: "Notwithstanding recent stories in the news media and on the Internet, Selective Service is not getting ready to conduct a draft for the U.S. Armed Forces ..."
The agency maintains the database of registrations — required for males when they turn 18 — should a draft be brought back.
Dan Amon, spokesman for the system, compared it to an insurance policy.
"Try to picture a fire department where you haven't had a fire in 10 years or something like that. But are you going to really do away with it? No, I don't think so," Amon said. "The prudent thing would be to keep in in place, keep those tankers and pumpers all polished and drill the guys."
Thank GOD! BUT...will this matter? There are enough people soooo ill informed they ONLY believe rumors and conspiracy talk.
And the surprise is that either one/both of these losers will still bring it up in the next 4 weeks! LOL
These cowardly politicians will get a chance to revisit the same issue within two years.
SPREAD THE WORD: The ONLY House members in favor of a draft are Demonrats!!!
That is true, the rumor will still float around even though the bill is defeated and it was proposed by Democrats in the first place.
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 1/7/2003
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - 1/28/2003
Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI] - 5/19/2004
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 1/28/2003
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] - 1/7/2003
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 1/28/2003
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] - 1/28/2003
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] - 7/21/2004
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 1/28/2003
Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] - 1/7/2003
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 1/7/2003
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 1/28/2003
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 1/7/2003
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] - 1/28/2003
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - 1/28/2003(withdrawn
The two no votes were Flake (r-az) and Paul (r-tx)--Not voting were...Boehlert
Brown (OH)
Brown, Corrine
Cannon
Cox
DeMint
Dooley (CA)
Forbes
Gephardt
Greenwood
Hoeffel
John Jones (OH)
Kaptur
Kleczka
Kucinich
Lampson
Majette
McIntyre
Meeks (NY)
Millender-McDonald
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Napolitano
Nethercutt
Norwood
Portman
Pryce (OH)
Rangel
Renzi
Sandlin
Sherman
Slaughter
Tauzin
Dan Rather either really does have the IQ of a six year old maroon or is a world class actor.
Rangel voted against! LOL
Thanks for posting this list- am c/p it for future reference:)
Whoops - now I see that Rangel WAS there but didn't vote - Coward.
What was great was that not only was the hoax exposed, but so were the hoaxters. And to boot, dumbass hoaxter Rangel voted against his own hoaxie bill!
...Thank GOD! BUT...will this matter? There are enough people soooo ill informed they ONLY believe rumors and conspiracy talk....
It won't matter. Hopefully some of them will check into it a bit further out of fear.
Charlie Rangel. Ain't you got something better to do?
The old numbers don't apply anymore. You don't need 3 times as many troops as your enemy has to win. That's a good thing. But, it wouldnt be that way if we didn't spend the money on the technology we now have.
Anybody looked at Kerry's senate record lately?
First gay marriage now the draft. Any other "sure losers" Congress would like to waste the taxpayer's money on, $1 trillion for government research into alchemy perhaps?
Now how is Kerry going to add two more Army divisions and more special forces without a draft?
Ping for draft hoax
We be lacking diversity, looking these lists over.
So he WAS serious. hahaha
BUMP!
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