Hey - Remember the Draft? American teens should be happy to live in the US.

Tough Vote Parliament approves the tough version of the alternative military service law

The Russian legislators in the lower house, the State Duma, voted yesterday for making alternative civil service a real punishment for pacifists and other young men who are conscientious objectors. Of the three bills on alternative service, the parliamentary deputies approved the government version in the first reading, which proved to be not much more liberal than the draft law initially submitted by the General Staff. Labor Minister Alexander Pochinok, who presented the bill, made assurances that it had been coordinated with all the parties concerned and that "the best of everything has been included" (evidently he had in mind a right to get paid, to have an annual leave and to distance education). At the same time, the longest term of service in the world has been proposed - four years for high school graduates and two years for university graduates.

And the procedure for getting permission for alternative service looks as if it was copied from court procedure regulations. First, a draftee has to submit a petition for his alternative service to the enlistment office and then collect papers certifying that he has religious or other convictions that do not allow him to bear arms. He will have to hand in an autobiography and written testimonials from a place of his work or study, and he will also have to go through a medical examination at the enlistment office. An induction commission will analyze these documents and summon the draftee, his parents and witnesses and decide whether his motives for replacing military with civil service are valid or not. "The induction commission should not be deprived the right to deny a request [for civil service]," Pochinok stressed. "The law should not be a loophole for draft dodgers."

"The only purpose of this project is to make boys lose interest in alternative service," Yuly Rybakov of the Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) commented. The bill presented by the Union's faction in the State Duma, which was rejected by the parliamentary majority, proposes giving equal status to military and civil service and to fix a term of two years if social service is far away from home and three years if this service is where the draftee lives. The right-wingers are also categorically against proving one's religious or civil convictions that prevent a draftee from serving in the army "as if they were in court."

SPS member Vladimir Semyonov presented another right-wing version yesterday. He suggested giving the draftees the right to serve where they live and to deprive enlistment offices of the right to question their religious or other beliefs. The young deputy's speech was far removed from reality, though, and it only increased the number of supporters for the government version.

Legislation Committee Chairman Pavel Krasheninnikov called collecting certificates about religious beliefs and convictions "a loophole for corruption." The parliamentary committees on legislation and defense supported none of the right-wingers' drafts. Legislation Committee Chairman Pavel Krasheninnikov urged the deputies to vote for the government version of the law, although he was critical about the alternative service term. He also called collecting certificates about religious beliefs and convictions "a loophole for corruption." General Andrei Nikolayev's speech brought no joy to the supporters of alternative service and left many draftees without a hope. The general complained that only one-third of young men of the call-up age come to serve in the armed forces in due time, while others use any and all means to postpone [serving]. The main thing for the alternative service law is that it should not take the last one-third of draftees from the enlistment offices, which would ruin the army completely.

The parliament deputies with a different view promised that they would do all they could to push through "softening amendments" to the government bill in the second reading. This will hardly be possible, considering that the "mild" bills have failed completely. Draftees have to pin their hopes on the president. Presidential Envoy to the State Duma Alexander Kotenkov already spoke yesterday for a differentiated approach to alternative service. "If a man lives at home and goes to alternative service as he would go to work, he can serve even four years," Kotenkov said. "And if a draftee is sent to a weather forecasting station in a Siberian taiga forest, the term of service should be shorter."

Alternative service at a weather forecasting station in a Siberian taiga forest will most likely will be the first to be offered. Labor Minister Pochinok said that requests from the Russian Weather Forecasting Center to include alternative service draftees in a list of candidates had already come to the Labor Ministry - it is practically impossible to find people willing to work in the weather forecasting service in the Far North.

The next time you encounter a whining, demanding teenager who would be old enough to be drafted, show them this. This is a damn good example of why our youth is so screwed up - no responsibilities, no reason to not expect the world delivered to them on a silver platter.

Likewise, you think we have nationalism? Imagine as a parent how it would be in Russia to have to go through this process with your "conscientious objector" child. This system of drafting is something that we should maybe start looking at again. "For the children", of course.

Slavery to the government...great idea.

It's not really slavery, just being forced to do work you don't want to do on pain of imprisonment or death. You know.

The draft, like taxes, is a neccessary evil of governemnt. But, like taxes, it should only be on a needed basis (no superflous taxes). If a voluntary army can be maintained, then it should be. But when faced with a threat to the extinction of our way of life, then conscription is not something to be shunned. But, politicians should be kept from "producing" crises, like Kosova and other "peace keeping" missions to jusitfy a large army. We should have a large army that trains to kill, for REAL war, and not UN directed stupidity. Deterrance is a proper function for a large army, but a large army is often an attractive tool for power-hungry pols.

...when faced with a threat to the extinction of our way of life, then conscription is not something to be shunned.

I seem to remember there having been a fair rush to sign up in the immediate wake of 11 September, and thus refuting any lingering argument in favour of conscription. Threaten the United States and you don't need a draft to repel that threat. A society purporting to be a free society has neither the need nor the call for conscription.

Incidentally, in 1812 a militia composed of volunteers & free slaves routed the most powerful military on earth.

I'm sorry, but in the war of 1812 a militia composed of volunteers & free slaves got its ass severely kicked on a consistent basis by the most powerful military on earth. We won because privateers with Letters of Marque bled England's commerce white, and our militias defeated our enemies' "irregular" allies (Tecumseh). But professional British troops were defeated at ONE battle (New Orleans, but that was after the treaty of Ghent was already signed.)

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