The U.S. is Gearing Up for a Military Draft in 2005-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
The eRumor warns that there are two bills before Congress that, if passed, would bring back the military draft and make it mandatory for both boys and girls starting in June, 2005.
The Truth:
The bills, S.89 and H.R.163 are real.
But they are not new.
An eRumor started circulating in June, 2004 warning that the draft was only a year away.
In reality, these twin bills have existed since 2003 and have never gotten out of committees.
In other words, they are stagnant.
Nobody in Washington seriously expects a draft and certainly not by 2005.
It’s known as the “reinstate draft” bill or the “Universal National Service Act of 2003.”
The wording of the bill says it is “To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.”
It would require U.S. citizens and other residents, both male and female, between the ages of 18 and 26 to serve two years of “national service.”
The reason the bills have gotten attention in 2004 is the military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the war on terrorism.
There has been debate about troop strength in Iraq and the status of all the U.S. Armed Forces.
The U.S. Selective Service, however, says that despite the Internet stories, the agency is not getting ready to conduct a draft.
It says it is ready to do so should the President and Congress decide, but “that responsibility has been ongoing since 1980 and is nothing new.”
The Selective Service further says that “…both the President and the Secretary of Defense have stated on more than one occasion that there is no need for a draft for the War on Terrorism or any likely contingency, such as Iraq. Additionally, the Congress has not acted on any proposed legislation to reinstate a draft.”
Last updated 6/18/04
A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:
Subject: the new mandatory draft Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 09:20:30 -0700
Not a good sign…Mandatory drafting for boys and girls (age 18-26) starting June 15,2005, is something, I believe, everyone should know. This literally
affects EVERYONE since we all have or know children that will have to go if
this bill passes. If there are children in your family, READ this. There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program’s initiation so the draft can begin at early as Spring 2005 — just after the 2004 presidential election.
The administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public’s attention is on the elections, so our action on this is needed immediately. Details and links follow. Even those voters who currently support us.(sic) Actions abroad may still object to this move, knowing their own children or grandchildren will
not have a say about whether to fight. Not that it should make a difference,
but this plan, among! other things, eliminates higher education as a
shelter and includes women in the draft — Also, crossing into Canada has already been made very difficult.
Actions, actions, actions: Please send this on to all the parents and teachers you know, and all the aunts and uncles, grandparents, godparents…. And let your
children know — it’s their future, and they can be a powerful voice for
change! Please also write to your representatives to ask them why they aren’t telling their constituents about these bills — and write to
newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they’re not covering this mportant story.
The draft $28 million has been added to the 2004 selective service system (sss) budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as June 15, 2005. Selective Service must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that the system, which has lain dormant for decades, is ready for activation. Please see website: www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the sss annual performance plan – fiscal year 2004. The pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide.
Though this is an unpopular election year topic, military experts and influential members of congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld’s prediction of a “long,
hard slog” in Iraq and Afghanistan [and a permanent state of war on "terrorism”]
proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5146.htm
www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year,
http://www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/s89/default.asp
entitled the Universal National Service Act of 2003, “to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons [a[age 18–26] in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.” These active bills currently sit in the committee on armed services. Dodging the draft will be more difficult than those from the Vietnam era. College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a “smart border declaration,” which could be used to keep would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other things, a “pre-clearance agreement” of people entering and departing ea! ch country. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable along gender and class lines also eliminates higher education as a shelter.
Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service until the end of their current
semester. Seniors would have until the end of the academic year