Free Republic

Anyone know how Biden got out of the draft during the Vietnam War?

At a town-hall event in New Mexico today, John McCain was asked about veterans' care, but the questioner added a provocative point at the end of her question. Take a look: (YouTube link) For those of you who can't watch clips online, a woman in the audience told the presumptive Republican nominee, "Senator McCain I truly hope you get the opportunity to chase Bin Laden right to the gates of hell and push him in as you stated on your forum. I do have a question though. Disabled veterans, especially in this state, have horrible conditions... I think it is...

On January 8th of 2003, Congressman Charles Rangel [D—NY] began an extensive campaign to bring back the military draft. He repeatedly submitted legislative bills to begin a military draft and compel all American men and women up to the age of forty—two to serve two years of military service. Under the Republican—controlled Congress, such bills went down to defeat. One of the few notable supporters of the draft was Congressman John Murtha [D—PA]. Congressman Murtha reportedly is preparing to campaign to take over the highly influential position of House Majority Leader. Congressman Rangel is set to take over the House...

McCain says only World War III would justify draft 25 Jun 2008 00:47:58 GMT Source: Reuters - Only World War III would prompt Republican presidential candidate John McCain to bring back the military draft, McCain said on Tuesday. Many Americans are fearful the U.S. government will be forced to reinstitute the draft given the prolonged Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Asked about that possibility by a potential voter in Florida during a telephone "town hall meeting," McCain said: "I don't know what would make a draft happen unless we were in an all-out World War III." The United States ended its...

I suppose you can't fault a candidate for not volunteering for the military, particularly in the late 1970s when Obama came of military age. However, I do think it is important to know whether a male candidate for Commander-in-Chief registered for the draft. I remember doing it in 1981. Obama should have in 1979. I wonder if he did, given his foreign upbringing and foreign/lefty background. Anyone know how to check this? The Selective Service website required birthdate and social security number.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill, English economist & philosopher (1806-1873) The War, a documentary directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novich is the...

"So here’s the deal. First off, no exemptions. At 18, it’s off to the draft. If you’re not physically fit for military service, then it’s off to the Work Corps. More on that later. For now, suffice it to say that jobs can be found for all. Those mentally unfit for military service — to include those who don’t want to be in the military — also go to the Work Corps, where appropriate tasks will be found for all."

During the 2004 elections, liberals claimed over and over again that George Bush was going to institute a draft. They never provided any evidence that he intended to do that and moreover, George Bush and other Republicans said, over and over again, that they were absolutely opposed to a draft. In fact, the only people who ever seem to advocate a draft or for that matter, talk about a draft at all, are liberals. Now, we have the same thing happening in 2008. Over at the Huffington Post, Paul Abrams is suggesting that McCain is going to implement a draft,...

Bill Clinton registers for the draft on September 08, 1964, accepting all contractual conditions of registering for the draft. Selective Service Number 3 26 46 228. Bill Clinton classified 2-S on November 17, 1964. Bill Clinton reclassified 1-A on March 20, 1968. Bill Clinton ordered to report for induction on July 28, 1969. Bill Clinton refuses to report and is not inducted into the military. Bill Clinton reclassified 1-D after enlisting in the United States Army Reserves on August 07, 1969, under authority of Col. E. Holmes. Clinton signs enlistment paper s and takes oath of enlistment. Bill Clinton fails...

If the primary season reveals no decisive front-runner, and if conservative delegates head toward the GOP convention with the nagging feeling that our best candidate wasn't in the race, we urge them to consider acting on what so many Republicans and Reagan Democrats are thinking. Drafting Newt Gingrich is a real solution to the current leadership problem. Even as a vice presidential choice, Gingrich would solidify the ranks and reinforce the GOP's position as the party of bold ideas, but as a presidential choice he could bring about a truly needed Second Reagan Revolution.

"When he turned 18, Michael B. Elgin Jr. was a homeless father of a toddler, trying to get himself through high school while living with friends, relatives and, sometimes, in his car. Elgin did not know at the time, his lawyer says, but by failing to register for selective military service within 30 days of his 18th birthday, he broke the law."Last year, Elgin's employer of 18 years, the Internal Revenue Service, fired him, citing a ban on federal employment of men who have not registered, despite his exemplary record and appeals from his supervisors and co-workers. Last week, Elgin,...

Washington, January 11, 2008— Whatta FReep! While Metro Police "observed" our regular Friday night rally in support of the wounded, a soldier strolled out of the Walter Reed gates in a hospital gown and skimpy robe — in January. Battle fatigued? Not at all. This guy is all muscle and grit, had just had major surgery that morning, and his missions were twofold: first, to shake hands with the DC Chapter FReepers outside the gates, and second, to "go tell the lefties that I want to go back to Iraq!" He had heard about the anti-war protesters down the street,...

Monday, November 12, 2007 By Martin Frost One of my recent columns discussed the role of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith in his campaign. My column pointed out that some people could not vote for Romney because of his religion and I asked readers who felt this way to explain their position. I received more than 400 emails in response to this column and have now read all of them. Let me start by saying that a majority of the people responding to my column took the position that a candidate’s religion should not be a factor in...

LINCOLN — Sen. Chuck Hagel, speaking to an audience of Lincoln High School students, warned Tuesday that the nation may need to turn to compulsory military service "or some kind of draft" to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Questioned after his speech, Hagel, R-Neb., said he is not calling for reinstatement of the military draft. But he said the growing difficulty of maintaining an adequate volunteer military force is "a reality." "I'm just stating the obvious. At some point we're going to have to make a decision on how to attract a quality force," he said. Hagel, a...

Gen. Abizaid: No draft please By Mike Wereschagin TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, October 31, 2007 The military is stretched thin and the tangle of problems in the Middle East will take generations to unravel, but the former top U.S. commander in that region said this morning he still thinks a draft is the wrong way to go. "Young people need to figure out how to serve the country," said retired four-star Gen. John P. Abizaid, who spoke to the Trib this morning before a speech at Carnegie Mellon University.

http://i22.tinypic.com/2lmxef6.jpg

The proportion of black Marine Corps recruits jumped by 40 percent over the last 12 months, halting a seven-year slide that has worried service leaders. In fiscal 2007, which ended Sept. 30, blacks were 10.9 percent of Marine recruits, up from 7.8 percent in 2006, the smallest proportion of black recruits for the Corps since the all-volunteer force began 33 years ago. The increase is timely, given a Marine Corps plan to expand its active force by 27,000 over the next five years in response to protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other worldwide commitments. All active services met...

A bill expected to come before the Senate next month would give illegal immigrants who came into the country as children a chance to become legal residents by serving two years in the military. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the Dream Act, was conceived six years ago as a way of giving young illegal immigrants a vehicle to legalize their status by attending college. The bill, which is on hold in Congress, faces stiff opposition and an uphill road. It has gone through several changes and had been carried by different sponsors in the...

California Draft Gore Poised to Put Gore's Name on BallotWed Sep 26, 3:56 PM ET To: POLITICAL EDITORS Contact: Roy Gayhart, +1-858-581-1024, roy@california4gore.org, or Patrick McGovern, +1-812-219-0180, LA@california4gore.org, or Chris Vallone, +1-415-336-0796, all for California Draft Gore SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Organizers of California Draft Gore, a grassroots campaign to put Al Gore's name on the California presidential primary ballot, announced today that the campaign has volunteers located in or assigned to all of the state's 53 congressional districts. Originally convening on websites like algore.org, meetup.com, savethewhitehouse.com and draftgore.com, California Gore supporters quickly built the infrastructure necessary to...

An excellent research article on Clinton's extensive efforts to avoid the draft in 1964-1970 and his activities during those years.