Free Republic

Army Reserve recruiting is in a "precipitous decline" that, if not slowed, could provoke new debate over a draft, the Reserve's top general said Monday. Lt. Gen. James R. "Ron" Helmly – saying he opposes reinstituting a draft – blamed the bureaucracy for dragging its feet in implementing new bonuses for recruits and re-enlistments that Congress included in this year's defense bill. .... President Bush has vowed that there will be no return to a draft while he is president, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and top military officers have also opposed conscription. .... The Army Reserve and other arms...

While covering the hearing of 26-year-old Jeremy Hinzman, who is seeking refugee status in Canada after deserting from the U.S. army when his unit was scheduled to go to Iraq, the Star’s Tracey Tyler left out any facts that were negative to Hinzman. Her report on the proceedings contained only the facts that Hinzman felt that the Iraq war was not justified because no weapons of mass destruction were found and there were no links to terrorism and therefore, in his opinion, he had no justification for killing people. Tyler also threw in the fact that the poor little trained...

The Pentagon is implementing new military plans that will make the concept of women in combat a reality.

We’ll soon have 150,000 U.S. troops stuck in the ever-expanding Iraqi quagmire, a number that will probably grow even larger before Iraq holds elections presently scheduled for the end of January ’05. Maintaining such a force is a logistical and personnel nightmare for every grunt in Iraq. And according to several Pentagon number crunchers, it’s also driving the top brass bonkers. Meanwhile the insurgents continue cutting our supply lines and whacking our fighting platoons and supporters, who attrit daily as soldiers and Marines fall to enemy shots, sickness or accidents. Empty platoons lose fights, so these casualties have to be...

Retired Col. David H. Hackworth, still shooting from the sidelines at Soldiers for the Truth, says the recruiting numbers are far worse than anyone is hearing. Hack's talking to the recruiters first-hand and the problem, no surprise, is in all branches of the military -- Regular Army, Reserves and Guard. Recruiting is at half of expectations. They've lowered standards for recruits and have resulted to throwing LAN parties to garner interest from potential recruits. Hack says a draft is imminent, as there is no way to replace the estimated 50,000 KIA, WIA and non-battle casualties from Iraq that have been...

By David H. Hackworth We’ll soon have 150,000 U.S. troops stuck in the ever-expanding Iraqi quagmire, a number that will probably grow even larger before Iraq holds elections presently scheduled for the end of January ’05. Maintaining such a force is a logistical and personnel nightmare for every grunt in Iraq. And according to several Pentagon number crunchers, it’s also driving the top brass bonkers. Meanwhile the insurgents continue cutting our supply lines and whacking our fighting platoons and supporters, who attrit daily as soldiers and Marines fall to enemy shots, sickness or accidents. Empty platoons lose fights, so these...

We'll soon have 150,000 U.S. troops stuck in the ever-expanding Iraqi quagmire, a number that will probably grow even larger before Iraq holds elections presently scheduled for the end of January '05. Maintaining such a force is a logistical and personnel nightmare for every grunt in Iraq. And according to several Pentagon number crunchers, it's also driving the top brass bonkers. Meanwhile the insurgents continue cutting our supply lines and whacking our fighting platoons and supporters, who attrit daily as soldiers and Marines fall to enemy shots, sickness or accidents. Empty platoons lose fights, so these casualties have to be...

With the current intense battle for Fallujah in Iraq, as well as the security concerns there; as well as the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and the rest of the World-Wide war on terror, the time has come to ponder an American Foreign Legion. Our country seems to have three clear choices: 1. Abandon Iraq and Afghanistan (unacceptable for many reasons), 2. institute a draft to increase the size of a military that is currently stretched too thin, or 3. form a foreign legion, made up of volunteers from other countries, with American Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and Officers. Volunteers would be...

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 18 - After two years of polling, market testing and up-close demographic scrutiny of American voters, the manager of President Bush's re-election campaign, Ken Mehlman, offered another way Thursday to view the divide between the American electorate. "If you drive a Volvo and you do yoga, you are pretty much a Democrat," Mr. Mehlman told an assembly of the nation's Republican governors here. "If you drive a Lincoln or a BMW and you own a gun, you're voting for George Bush." This very bottom-line characterization by Mr. Mehlman, who is in line to become the new chairman...

I'm back from vacation. With a vengence, and I'm pissed off. Some people don't know it yet, but there's a war on. Oh, not that little dust-up in Iraq. That's hardly worthy of the name. No, it's a war for the heart, soul, and future of America. It's a war being waged by the media against the War on Terror--against our survival-- and they will stop at nothing, stoop as low as needed, tell any lie, twist any truth beyond recognition. The total bullshit about the so-called war crime committed by a Marine was bad enough. This morning on a...

Here is an opportunity for an enterprising Freeper out there---Set up a travel service to facilitate the EXIT of demoralized DUmmies out of the country. Perhaps call it DUmmies In Despair Travel Service. I would recommend that you give the DUmmies extremely low rates to leave the country but with one important catch---they must NEVER return. As you can see by this thread you would have PLENTY of customers. Apparently even the DUmmies are beginning to see that the Randi Rhodes’ Black Box Voting Conspiracy is going NOWHERE. The fascist Bush Regime along with the enhanced Republican strength in Congress...

Louisiana 15-year-olds register for draftState requires boys to fill out form to get driver's license08:28 PM CST on Saturday, November 13, 2004Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, La. – To get a driver's license, 16-year-old Nathan Chevalier had to preregister for a nonexistent military draft. "I just can't believe it," said Larry Chevalier, Nathan's father. Even though his father had questions, Nathan filled out the form to register with the Selective Service so he could get his license. "They wouldn't let him get it otherwise," Mr. Chevalier said Saturday. Even a 15-year-old boy who wants a learner's permit in Louisiana must provide information...

WE ARE ALL DOOMED!!

Columbia, Missouri: Questions about a potential military or national service draft drew about 140 Hickman High School students to a "Speak Your Mind" forum last night. Panelists agreed that the draft question has lost some heat since the presidential election, but students, some of whom are very close to Selective Service registration age of 18, still had concerns. Draft rumors stirred before the election even though both President George W. Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry denied supporting such a move. The Universal National Service Act of 2003, sponsored by three Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, proposed a...

Now that the presidential election is over, it is time to consider reinstating the military draft. Both President Bush and Sen. Kerry said emphatically that they would not institute a military draft to shore up our troops, but that was yesterday. This is today. Times change. Situations change. You might have noticed that neither candidate said what he would do if the United States needs to bring back mandatory conscription. No one got around to asking the candidates that question. That's a shame because it's easy to imagine situations where the United States will need more troops than we currently...

The White House--President Bush has issued Executive Order 2004-01D, ordering the Selective Service System to immediately begin a plan to draft male youths between the ages of 18 and 22 for military conscription."I believe Charlie Rangel was right a few weeks back," the newly re-elected President said, as he addressed stunned reporters in the Oval Office. "I want to get about fifteen to twenty thousand high school kids into boot camp." When one reporter tried to remind President Bush of his campaign pledge to not instate a draft, the Commander in Chief waved a finger at him and said, "No...

I seldom use the words, “moral imperative,” and, when I do, they carry behind them an urgent necessity for rational individuals to respond to an imminent threat to the inalienable rights of man. In this Presidential election, however, I see a clear moral imperative to defeat the power grab of a man who would endanger the sacred liberties of every man dwelling in America, but especially of the most autonomous and industrious among us. I shall enumerate, in brief, a horrid threefold menace that a would-be Kerry administration poses to our freedoms across the board. - Kerry’s national health insurance...

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly against legislation to reinstate the use of the draft to fill its military ranks. The vote was, of course, nothing more than an interesting bit of political maneuvering, orchestrated to embarrass a handful of liberal Democrats who were making off-the-wall political statements that Bush had a "secret plan" to reinstitute the draft. The bill never should have been taken seriously; the possibility of reinstating the military draft, as a necessary response to problems in filling the ranks of our armed forces, should be. The doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against terrorists has taken root...

Why is it that we never see footage of the World Trade Center collapsing? All kinds of other videos are run over and over again, but not that one. It's an agreement among all the networks. They don't want to run that footage because it would "inflame emotions." However, some networks have no problem with other footage meant to inflame emotions. For instance, HBO is running a program called "Last Letters Home." The idea is for us to get to know the servicemen who have died in Iraq -- so that we can feel their loss far more poignantly than...

Under normal circumstances, I would post my blog entry in its entirety here. But since I already posted it to my blog, and it's somewhat long, I ask that you point your browser to unknownblogger.blogspot.com. There are a few reasons that you should read this: 1. It shows how John Kerry could impose a "draft without a draft." 2. The argument is shocking, but all of my sources for it are documented. Don't agree? Decide for yourself. 3. If you agree with it, I ask that you send a link to everyone in your address book. I only wish I...