Posted on 11/19/2006 10:30:36 AM PST by Brilliant
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 (news, bio, voting record), 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 (news, bio, voting record), 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.
Very weak response, excuse.
I can't disupute your first-hand experience....I guess I was looking for some "redemptive" discipline. I guess it doesn't work that way, from your experience.
Oh, Klinger would have and would have done it the most fashionable style, lol!
In the WW2 era, the media was not openly rooting for the enemy.
The rest of their life.
So are we to assume you've served? If not, what's your excuse?
Here's his out. He's not interested in building the military, but in creating new socialist program.
Not all the line-sitters took their games home and opened the box. Some of them, and no one knows which ones, put them on ebay and made a ton of money.
Which makes those line-sitters investors/capitalists.
I served with draftees during Vietnam era. They were really very bright, angry, funny and loyal Americans. The MDs drafted were irreverent, bawdy and talented. They objected in a loud voice and swore often. They cared for the wounded like they were their own children. They gave, they cried and they spoke ill of Democrats, President Johnson and any visiting political big wig passing through our compound. The complained and moaned but were far superior to any of these liberal idiots serving in todays congress or senate. My hat is off to the draftees. Manure to the disloyal panty waist creeps in government today. I may mention that idiot Ted Kennedy visited and wore light wgt. fatigues. We had yet to be issued them and wondered how that creep got them ahead of the troops.
Ace...step down!! NOW!!! Look at the woman's page...then get back to me.
Vietnam?
That's a good question. If you asked that of every grunt who spent a year there you'd probably find no agreement. I think for most it really was hours and days of boredom interrupted my moments of stark terror. Those moments could turn into hours and days as in the Ia Drang, Khe San, many battles during Tet68, Hill 875 in Dak To, Hamburger Hill, etc.
For myself, I had two tours as a slick driver. Probably two hands would be enough to count the fleeting moments when I had the living crap scared out of me.
Yes? I see her son's in the military. I'm grateful for his service. But that's not what I asked.
You may assume what you may and afterwards ask the same question of yourself.
I have noticed your attitude since you joined this thread, and personally it is not at all interesting, informative, nor enlightening.
But now he's in power.
Thanks paulat, but not necessary.
"You may assume what you may and afterwards ask the same question of yourself."
You're absolutely right, I haven't served. And I wouldn't have the nerve to tell others they should be forced to serve. That is rank hypocrisy.
I believe today's equipment takes a little more training to use than did equipment in 1940 or 1952. We're not in need of millions of bodies of cannon fodder - we need smart dedicated people who are committed to the mission. That's a volunteer military, and it's the way this country was founded. We didn't draft men in the Revolutionary war.
With a draftee there's always the tendency of Congress to fail to pay him ~
I lost many tens of thousands of dollars in civilian income while in the military, and when I returned to my job I found promotion approximately 10 times as hard to get as my leftwing compatriots who seemed to have had no difficulty evading the draft. I lost more tens of thousands of dollars paying "catch up" and when I retired, I had to pay another thousand just to get my service time counted ~ although when I was first employed and when I went into the military that service time was automatically counted.
I see no reason to ressurrect a system that allowes politicians like Charles Rangal to screw young men.
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