Posted on 05/12/2005 10:47:27 PM PDT by neverdem
I won't be surprised if this is eventually offered to the Marines and Navy Corpmen(sp?) as well, i.e. folks on the ground.
The Army and Marines, both active and reserve components, have not been making their quotas for the last three months, IIRC.
Check comment# 1.
Great incentives..but I KNOW what the Libs will say.."
"What good are incentives like that when you won't be ALIVE to use them??"
Anyone have a counter to that lilly-livered argument?
Well, I will just say that the dems and the MSM have a lot to do with this---
Why would young people want to join the military to go to an "illegal war" and "kill innocent people"? They are filled in with so much anti-America propaganda in high school and college nowdays that it would seem almost impossible to get a "patriotic" emotion from a lot of them these days....
I would think that if they could see the pride of what American troops have accomplished in Afghanistan and Iraq, it might help, but where would they see that---even Fox isn't showing it as much as they used to...
This is worrisome, but at least they're doing something. It's set up so that they can do one tour in Afghanistan or Iraq with an Active duty unit and another tour with an Army Reserve or National Guard unit.
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IMHO it's a lot simpler than that. Most potential recruits know that there's a good chance they'll end up in Iraq within a year. We're going on our fourth year of active warfare, and it's tough sledding, recruitingwise. Even in WWII, a "popular" war, most people didn't volunteer, they waited to get drafted.
I think it will eventually come to a draft this time around, too, unless Iraq quiets down dramatically in the next six months or so. The numbers just aren't there. The trick will be in getting it through Congress, and in selling it to the public in a way that won't result in a major bloodletting at the polls. If Rove can pull that off, he'll deserve every nickel of his salary.
Right on about Fox. Lately I've been really turned off by FNC. I don't know but recently, to me, it seems like they are mainly concerned with more tabloid-like crap such as in depth coverage about what Michael Jackson had for breakfast rather than actual news. I mean come on, with everything going on in the world there is no reason why FNC needs to saturate us with coverage about Michael Jackson, the runaway bride, or whatever other garbage turns up. Nobody cares!
And if Korea or Iran blow up....all bets are off.
AR and ANG are geopraphically located. People aren't assigned or deployed the same way as Active Duty. They likely won't go unless their AR or ANG unit is sent and only a fraction of AR and ANG units are deployed at a time.
They are being sent as units and as individuals, depending on circumstances. The last that I heard and read, about 40 percent of the personel in Iraq are from the reserves, including almost all of the 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard.
And this time around it is time for women to step up to the plate and be required to register with the SS since they want equality.
Fem groups argued for years about women on ships and combat areas.
There is no reason for them to be exempt from national service or the draft.
A guy years ago was more to the point. He would go all out for women and equality WHEN he saw them join in mass protests for the right to be drafted.
The wusses in Congress after years of hand wringing finally allowed them to participate in current realities.
I posted comments earlier elsewhere about FNC's ratings running circles around the other news channels. They have been my news channel source for obvious reasons.
But, I pointed out they lately have regressed and seem to be using a National Enquirer mentality by sensationalizing lead-ins to upcoming segments..."See the shocking videos...blah, blah," "You won't believe what so and so said...blah, blah."
Yesterday, I emailed Greta's show, which is amounting to Son of Court TV about the above.
Where in the heck have you been? I've felt like the Lone Ranger around here for a long time.
Welcome to FreeRepublic.
A few months ago a thread like this would have already been loaded up with the, "What,-are-you-crazy? We-don't-need-no-stinking-draft!" crowd.
The authority to draft and the registration of women should have gone through congress and signed by the President before the end of September 2001. Now, it's going to be a wee bit tougher to "get 'r done."
Ten Million+ of what some refer to as "The Greatest Generation" were drafted.
The trick will be in getting it through Congress, and in selling it to the public in a way that won't result in a major bloodletting at the polls.
If the Bolton matter and the Filibuster issue were settled today, it would still take many months for Congress to even focus on the issue of manning the force.
Imo we need to pay the soldiers fighting on the ground much much more then they are making now. And get away from this promising of benefits crap.. make it real cash, aka increasing salary.
And we need to get away from the whole reserve idea of sending them overseas for a continuing mission.
After congress is done shelling out money to the unions, pork barrel contracts, and every other special interest.. I doubt there will be any money left over for troops.
I'm not sure more pay is the answer. Don't get me wrong, the troops can't be paid enough but big incentives are being offered right now.
I do believe, under conscription, we'd have be a little more creative than in the past. Of course, when the draft ended in 73, E1 thru E5 weren't highly paid anyway. So, it didn't much matter that a US (draftee) made the same as an RA (enlistee).
One way would be to create a two-tier pay scale for the grades effected (E1-E4 or 5). If a draftee chooses to stay longer at any point in the process, they would immediately jump to the higher scale. People forget that, even under the old draft, many draftees re-enlisted.
A few months ago a thread like this would have already been loaded up with the, "What,-are-you-crazy? We-don't-need-no-stinking-draft!" crowd.
If Iraq is not worthy of a Draft, then we shouldn't be there. I guess I agree with you. I also agree that it may take another major attack on US interests to make it happen. Make no mistake, something will have to change in the recruiting department before too long in any case, however.
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