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Hey, guys, feel a draft in your future? Monday, September 19, 2005 By Brett Archuletta TX. Northridge High
"Uncle Sam wants you to join the Army!" said a poster during the World War II era. This may also be a message for future teenagers in the United States.
Recently, the Pentagon raised the age limit to join the military, from 35 to 42, a sign that our military forces are approaching their capacity due to the war against terrorism and a cause for debate over the necessity for a draft. This is obviously and especially important for teens.
When the armed forces reported on the state of our troops at a national conference recently, some of the information was disturbing: Some 40 percent of our forces in Iraq were filled by the reserves and National Guard, according to a Lieter Reports blog.
Many soldiers have had to serve a longer term than they had signed on for. It's a testament to the fine print in government documents; even though you think you're going to Afghanistan for six months, you're there for as long as the feds say you are.
There is a lot of pride and honor in joining the military, and men and women who train and aspire for a career in that field are to be respected. Programs such as ROTC are great courses that teach discipline and self-respect. But to join the military is still the prerogative of every individual. And conscripted men and women are known to not perform as well as trained soldiers.
The government should not force people with careers into the military and certainly shouldn't put that pressure on teenagers. The Selective Service System selects young men, ages 18 to 25, to be put into military service. At age 18, young men must register for the draft. Women aren't subject to registering.
A draft may not affect older teenagers, but preteens and younger teenagers may have to deal with it, along with their children. George W. Bush and defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld have both stood on record against the draft many times. Numerous bills have come close to reinstating it, but there was fortunately not enough congressional support to have the bills passed.
The public must be aware of the draft and the possibility of its being reinstated. Our military forces are edging toward the margin where more and more of our troops in the field would be reserves. In past wars, men no older than 16 have had military experience, a scenario that our nation's government does not want to be in. Contrary to popular belief, young men who are only sons and the last male in a family to carry the family name would not be exempt from the draft.
The draft is a big red emergency button for our nation -- and let's hope we won't have to press it.
Brett Archuleta is a sophomore at Northridge High School. He likes baseball, basketball and swimming.
SEC. 9528. ARMED FORCES RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION.
(a) POLICY-
(1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION- Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and telephone listings.
(2) CONSENT- A secondary school student or the parent of the student may request that the student's name, address, and telephone listing described in paragraph (1) not be released without prior written parental consent, and the local educational agency or private school shall notify parents of the option to make a request and shall comply with any request.
(3) SAME ACCESS TO STUDENTS- Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students.
... (c) EXCEPTION- The requirements of this section do not apply to a private secondary school that maintains a religious objection to service in the Armed Forces if the objection is verifiable through the corporate or other organizational documents or materials of that school.
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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for the times are a changing. i hate to say it but everybody i feel must serve in some way there is nothing in the world that makes people get more involved in there country and its policies than the fact of life that your money should go where your mouth is. at my empolyment i work with a bunch of right wingers that are all for the war,none of them to a man ever served and are changing there politics as there sons are getting close to 18 yrs old and of military age. the idea that a small hand full of people should protect us on a volunteer statis to me is unthinkable in a free sociate but most kool aide drinkers feel that they are owed a free ride and let the blue collar kids die for them and thier fast food a draft is fair and keeps the poloticians accountable to the public and keeps most of the public involved. imho
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2 years active/two years active reserve MANDATORY for all able bodied citizens, 5 years active duty on green card for full citzenship?
problem? the priveleged will still make priveleged duty stations for themeselves....
the good thing? everybody will get some basic survival education/ formal credentials for police reserve/rescue/EMT?... i see a lot of non-survivor types all over the place....
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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glassman as i know the priveleged will still be priveleged but not as much as last time and last time was much more fair than the u.s.a. civil war draft see i think we are always in a state of refinement in this country. especially when there is a bitter pill to sawllow.
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do ya really want all those non-survivor types surviving,,,geez man, we're getting older and need every diabolical edge we can come up with.
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I think before the term of King George is over he should have a draft and then then he should gather all the conscripted people in the mideast and lead a bayonet charge against Iran. He can show everybody in the country how it is done. After all he said he lead by example
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quote:Originally posted by 4Art: I truly hope Bush pushes for the draft.
The only people pushing for the draft were Democrats. Rangle (D) of NY introduced the bill, Murtha (D) from PA and Stark (D) from CA voted for it. Give me a break and get a life 4Art.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example.
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quote:Originally posted by 4Art: Why are you so angry NaturalResources? Have the poll numbers got you down?
#1 I am not angry. Just tired of your BS spamming up the Off-Topic forum
#2 I could care less about polls. Polls are a propaganda tool of the media. The media polls ~3000 people, then tries to claim it represents the opinions of all 300 million Americans.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example.
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quote:Originally posted by 4Art: I don't feel I'm spamming. I post stories that, for one reason or another, interest me, and that I think might be of interest to others.
This is the correct forum for that pursuit, is it not?
The only stories that interest you are the ones that further your obsessive 24/7 Bush-Bashing agenda. The only people who care about them are Bdgee and a few others who swarm in like flies on $#!t, and spam to death anybody that posts something that doesn't fit with your warped liberal mindset.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example.
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the dems brought the draft up because the GOP policies are making the need for it more possible...
considering how wide the spread between the "haves" and "have nots" is getting, and growing faster? i don't think we'll need it unless we open another front somewhere else...
of course that is zackly what Iran is counting on right now (US not being able to open another front)
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: the dems brought the draft up because the GOP policies are making the need for it more possible...
considering how wide the spread between the "haves" and "have nots" is getting, and growing faster? i don't think we'll need it unless we open another front somewhere else...
of course that is zackly what Iran is counting on right now (US not being able to open another front)
The bill was introduced in Jan of 2003 and was pathetic attempt to prevent a unilateral strike against Iraq. It had nothing to do with Iran or current "GOP Policies".
The Republicans brought it up for vote in October of 2004 to show that the only people who supported a draft were the Democrats. This is because liberals like 4Art were running around shorty before the election claiming the president was going to bring back the draft. The idea was to scare the poor, blacks and youth into voting against Bush.
Maybe you should get YOUR facts straight.
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example.
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we were already in Iraq by the time the dems brought it up to vote tho... so there was no "pathetic attempt to prevent a unilateral strike against Iraq"
there is something pathetic around here tho....
[ October 18, 2005, 17:52: Message edited by: glassman ]
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: i do have my facts straight...
you basically repeated what i already said...
we were already in Iraq by the time the dems brought it up tho... so there was no "pathetic attempt to prevent a unilateral strike against Iraq"
there is something pathetic around here tho....
Sorry bud, we didn't liberate Iraq until March of 2003. What is pathetic around here is your attempt to re-write history. Why don't you read what Rep. Rangel(D) had to say when he introduced the bill in Jan of 2003.
[ October 18, 2005, 17:53: Message edited by: NaturalResources ]
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example.
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quote:Originally posted by glassman: LOL, don't have factual response???
it's fun to be right.....
Still having fun?
"we were already in Iraq by the time the dems brought it up tho... so there was no 'pathetic attempt to prevent a unilateral strike against Iraq'" -Glassman
The New York Democrat told reporters his goal is two-fold: to jolt Americans into realizing the import of a possible unilateral strike against Iraq, which he opposes, and.....
-------------------- One is never completely useless. One can always serve as a bad example.
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