Rep. Rangel will seek to reinstate draft

AP via Yahoo! ^ | November 19, 2006 | AP

[GSlob]

"Yes, a draft could bring in numbers but also a whole lot more headaches."
In the broader picture , a draft [without loopholes, or with very few of them] can also bring in increased social cohesion. This ought to be considered as a valuable societal benefit regardless of all the rest.

[freedomdefender]

Too many young people today have it way too easy

MAny of them are working several jobs to pay college bills. Many are saddled with college debt that will take a decade or more to pay off. With housing prices the way they are these days, few can afford a home (at least on the West or East coasts). So, they have a few electronic gadgets. Why does that earn your contempt?

What do you do with your time to be able to say that young people have it "too easy"? Do you work more than one job? Or are you retired?

[cripplecreek]

I signed up with the selective service when I turned 18 under Reagan.

[A_perfect_lady]

Oh, so now Rangel is a hawk who wants to go kick butt in Iran and North Korea, eh? But... but... THEY didn't attack us on 9/11!! And that's our only criteria for war now, far as I can tell...

[HarleyLady27]

The more they act and open their mouths, the better chances we have of getting the Senate, House and WH back and keeping it for a while longer...

Go ahead, rat patrol.....get those jaws a movin......

[freedomdefender]

a draft [without loopholes, or with very few of them] can also bring in increased social cohesion.

Social cohesion is the goal of totalitarian states. Freedom is the goal of the United States.

[bws53]

Let's put it this way: people with responsibilities do not have time to stand in line at Best Buy for 3 days.

Idle time is best spent reading. I read about 20 books a year. I am currently reading Grant's Memoirs. Besides history, I am a big fan of American and Russian literature.

[Popman]

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.

It has ???

This is not in quotes, so I assume it is the opinion of, John Heilprin, the writer of the article.

Nice subtle way of injecting an opinion, not a fact.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Rangel's had this in mind for years. Its his way of sharing the misery.

[television is just wrong]

wait, I thought they wanted to pull out of Iraq not immerse more soldiers into it.

[freedomdefender]

I actually agree with Rangel on this

So you want a return of the draft? How old are you? Would you be subject to the draft? If not, would you enlist to show solidarity with the young men you want to have drafted?

[popdonnelly]

Bring it on, Charlie. It'll be the Democrats' kids who protest and go to Canada.

[AVNevis]

Nancy Pelosi, please support this on the House floor

[leadpenny]

We should have had the draft reinstated in Sept 01, and it should have included women.

[leadpenny]

If the draft were reinstated only 21-year-olds would be drafted in any given year. If more were needed in that year they would go to the 22-year-olds for that year.

[I see my hands]

"First to go should be all those late teen to late 20-somethings who seem to have time and money to stand outside of Best Buy for 3-4 days waiting to spend $500 on a PS3. So many idle hands, so many needs. If so many young people have time to waste standing in line for a toy that allows one to spend hours at a time doing nothing, then, perhaps, we do need a draft."

Perfecto! If bws53 doesn't approve of the way someone spends his or her life then make them do as they are told or off to prison with them!

[PzLdr]

Excuse me. The draft furnished the bulk of the U.S military in WW I, WW II,Korea and Viet Nam. I wouldn't call any of them "military failures". I would call the last two "political failures", caused by no stones on, and no patience in, the body politic.

I have always believed in the draft. One thing sadly missing in this country is a sense of civic duty. the draft provided that. Only good conclusion [albeit for the wrong reason] Rangel's ever had.

[napscoordinator]

A BAD idea. As a military member, I only want people who want to stand next to me during war. It is too dangerous to have people who are forced to be in the military. It would be a disaster if this is implemented. Graham is getting more and more of my contempt. I have tried to keep an open mind to his craziness especially since I have no say in his state, but he seems to be getting worse. Please don't allow this to happen!!!!

[GOPJ]

Funny how the Dems did not mention during the campaign that reinstating the draft would be a number one priority.

Odd, isn't it? /sarcasm off

[freedomdefender]

You need to re-read you post and think about what you're saying and the mindset it suggests. It's always been the mindset of dictators to look at other people and say, "he or she isn't spending his time the way I think he should be spending his time. I can plan his life better than he is spending his life. Therefore I will order him to spend his time and his life in a way that I consider useful, and will order him to stop spending his time and life in ways that I consider wasteful and frivolous."

If we had a national emergency, a draft might be necessary, but to institute a draft because you want to force young people to spend their time in ways that YOU want them to spend it, smacks of a dictator's mentality.