what would your reaction to it be?:@@:

"Im glad im already in."

There will be no draft anyways.

Technically, The Draft has never gone away.

The most recent Selective Service Act was passed in 1948 that required all men between 18 and 26 register (and which made men from 19 to 26 liable for induction for 21 months' service, which would be followed by 5 years of Reserve duty).

Though the United States put an end to actively conscripting at the tail-end of the Vietnam War in 1973, the Selective Service remains an active law as a vehicle to register American males upon reaching the age of 18. This registration serves as a contingency should the conscription measure be reintroduced.

The 'registering for the draft' requirement was even suspended in April 1975, but then reinstituted in 1980.

You have gone down to the Post Office and registered, right Dunkirk?

Charlie Rangel tried to bring the draft back in all it's glory.

He failed. (no I'm not a fan of the draft)......... (we might need it sometime, but not right now, things work better when your millitary consists of volunteers)


http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/07/rangel.draft/





what would your reaction to it be?:@@:

Technically, The Draft has never gone away.
You have gone down to the Post Office and registered, right Dunkirk?

Ronald Reagan made it a "requirement" that I did back in High School. I went straight in the Army right after Graduation anyway and did 6 straight years.

Back in 2000 when I registered with the Selective Service, I remember thinking to myself, "This is bullshit. They'd better not send me to war or anything."
Funny how things turned out.

However, I still think that the draft should only be used in times of serious national emergency. In all other cases, we will have to do what we can with what we have.

what would your reaction to it be?:@@:

I am conflicted about a draft. I have heard some compelling arguments for national service but on the other hand I completely understand the inherent problems with sending unwilling people to fight a war.

I think there is a lot of merit to a national service program that includes volunteering domesticly and overseas. There is a lot of good that could be done with a program like that, especially right now in the gulf coast.

I went straight in the Army right after Graduation anyway and did 6 straight years.And that was before "Don't ask, don't tell". :)

We don't need a draft at all. I see absolutely no need for it.

We don't need a draft at all. I see absolutely no need for it.
The American armed forces don't need a draft. That only brings in people who are unwilling or undesired. To attract the type of people the military needs, good pay and career prospects work better.

Technology is replacing the soldier just as much as it is replacing the factory worker or the farm hand.

As a 20 year-old male I'm fairly concerned about a draft. Recruitment goals are not being met, and probably won't be until we pull out of Iraq and ease tension with Iran and North Korea. The armed forces are already considering recruiting more non-citizens and using citizenship as an incentive to join; if that fails they might not have other options other than the draft.

We have over 2 million people in the armed forces. While it would take a lot to get them all battle ready, we don't need the draft.

I kind of chuckled at the idea of hiring mexicans into the army so they can get their citizenship.

The draft is for people who want to have a war but don't want to pay for it. Slave soldiers are cheap.

The original Jeffersonian idea of a "citizen army" is typical of Jeffersonian thinking: airheaded and unworkable in reality. A professional army is a danger in countries without strong democratic institutions, but any army is a danger to such a country.

Far more dangerous is not having a professional army.

Besides, I think talk of a draft is just political scaremongering by Democrats. I have yet to see anything from the Administration even hinting at such a thing.

I do think that someone who serves the army successfully and who is not a citizen should be given citizenship, but I see problems with recruiting such people--kinda a "American French Foreign Legion."

Unless it is preceeded by another terrorist attack there will be major rioting if a draft were instated.

The original Jeffersonian idea of a "citizen army" is typical of Jeffersonian thinking: airheaded and unworkable in reality.

I'd have to disagree with this statement Thislin. Our troops in both the World Wars were largely "citizen soldiers" and they served with distinction and got the job done nicely. The fact is that we don't need a draft unless we're involved in a very large conflict, and if we are, the draft is our only option.

I'd have to disagree with this statement Thislin. Our troops in both the World Wars were largely "citizen soldiers" and they served with distinction and got the job done nicely. The fact is that we don't need a draft unless we're involved in a very large conflict, and if we are, the draft is our only option.
WWII could not have been fought without the draft, but times have changed. What is needed now is an entirely different thing--highly trained, motivated specialists.

The Iraq problem comes from putting an army into a police situation. In hindsight it amazes me that the Administration did not see what would happen and did not make better plans for it (it didn't occur to me either, but I am not paid to think about these things).

As it is, we evolved into a situaiton of using soldiers to be police. Only locals can really do that. Bush needs to announce the error and inform us that he is working to pull the forces out as soon as it can be rationally achieved, but it will take awhile to fix things.

As it is, we evolved into a situaiton of using soldiers to be police. And Police to be soldiers...ironic huh...

"Saying you are patriotic is like saying you have a big cock. If you have to say it, it probably isn't true. - Bill Maher (http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Download/15615/2/RealTime-Patriotism.mov)"

Actually, my experience is that men who have big cocks tend to let it be known and those who don't are the ones who are silent.

the draft will be a moot point because the 1st of the draftees will never finish boot camp. That's how fast the people will take to the streets and how fast Bush and Cheney will be impeached and how fast the students (and old timers like me) will fill a univerisity campus in a neighborhood near you, protesting like we did in the 60's.

America and the world will not stand for another pre-emptive strike resulting in the deaths of millions of innocent civilians. Believe it or not, most americans have a conscience.

The good news ... it would be the end of the republican party forever.

If the US ends up going to war with Iran, then reinstates the Draft....
what would your reaction to it be?

A complete lack of surprise.

The extreme Right powers-that-be have at least 57 million of the sheep in this country brainwashed to the extent that they would probably march off a fucking cliff if told to do so by the propaganda ministers.

"Saying you are patriotic is like saying you have a big cock. If you have to say it, it probably isn't true. - Bill Maher (http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Download/15615/2/RealTime-Patriotism.mov)"

Actually, my experience is that men who have big cocks tend to let it be known and those who don't are the ones who are silent.

Don't take his quote literally, its just another pathetic attempt to insult conservatives.

Don't take his quote literally, its just another pathetic attempt to insult conservatives.

Is that because conservatives like to talk about how patriotic they are, and how unpatriotic the liberals are?

are you reffering to me? I can not recall ever saying I was more patriotic then anyone else. I dont recall any conservative on this board claiming to be some super patriot. Its just another liberal thing where tehy take one incident and beat it to death even though they probably cant ever point out a specific incident where a conservative bragged about how patriotic he was.

If a draft was imposed... it would be a direct break of promise by bush, who promised that a draft would not take place.

The only way Bush could get away with a draft would be to open up a spur of the moment vote. He was voted in on the principle that there would be no draft, so if he wants to change his stance, the people should vote.

are you reffering to me? I can not recall ever saying I was more patriotic then anyone else. I dont recall any conservative on this board claiming to be some super patriot. Its just another liberal thing where tehy take one incident and beat it to death even though they probably cant ever point out a specific incident where a conservative bragged about how patriotic he was.

Well, when the Vice President basically says, "critics of the war are unpatriotic", that tends to stick out in people's minds as he's the #2 guy.

a dumb quote by someone who has image consultants and make-up artists.. i thought these guys were coached?

Oh, conservatives never call certain types of liberals anti-American?

Is that because conservatives like to talk about how patriotic they are, and how unpatriotic the liberals are?
The liberal cannot have it both ways--first be a "patriot," and then in the next breath downgrade patriotism as a silly or even dangerous emotion.

If a draft was imposed... it would be a direct break of promise by bush, who promised that a draft would not take place.

The only way Bush could get away with a draft would be to open up a spur of the moment vote. He was voted in on the principle that there would be no draft, so if he wants to change his stance, the people should vote.
This talk about reinstating the draft is coming entirely from the political left, as a cheap political scare tactic. No conservative and no one in the Administration is in favor of it.

Ronald Reagan made it a "requirement" that I did back in High School. I went straight in the Army right after Graduation anyway and did 6 straight years.

Thank you for your service to our Country, and for all that you contributed to the Army.
:thumbs:

WWII could not have been fought without the draft, but times have changed. What is needed now is an entirely different thing--highly trained, motivated specialists.

.
when i grow up, im going 2 b like my dad. he was a marine sniper.he died in iraq n im willing 2 die 2. im trainging my body.im fit n i need 2 target pratice. i am going 2 join the marines an fight 4 our country.i dont no y any1 wuldnt.i wuld join now if they wuld let me.

The liberal cannot have it both ways--first be a "patriot," and then in the next breath downgrade patriotism as a silly or even dangerous emotion.

good good call

We need to stop Bush & Cheney! The bloodshed must end. Impeach both of them.

The draft is possible if Bush & Cheney stay on this course.

If a draft was imposed... it would be a direct break of promise by bush, who promised that a draft would not take place.

The only way Bush could get away with a draft would be to open up a spur of the moment vote. He was voted in on the principle that there would be no draft, so if he wants to change his stance, the people should vote.
the only way anyone could get away with a draft is if NYC was nuked, and there was a country to blame it on.

We need to stop Bush & Cheney! The bloodshed must end. Impeach both of them.

The draft is possible if Bush & Cheney stay on this course.
find a high crime or misdemeanor.

when i grow up, im going 2 b like my dad. he was a marine sniper.he died in iraq n im willing 2 die 2. im trainging my body.im fit n i need 2 target pratice. i am going 2 join the marines an fight 4 our country.i dont no y any1 wuldnt.i wuld join now if they wuld let me.
I did some time in the Air Force. The feeling of being a part of something much greater than you are is a great feeling, but it can often wear down in the face of just how selfish and unpatriotic others can be, and how people warp the ideas and the principles to line their own pockets.

There are many ways to serve the country. Commerce made this nation what it is, and getting rich is the most quintessentially American thing you can do.

I did some time in the Air Force. The feeling of being a part of something much greater than you are is a great feeling, but it can often wear down in the face of just how selfish and unpatriotic others can be, and how people warp the ideas and the principles to line their own pockets.


thats y its the few, the proud, the marines. any1 fighting 4 there country shuld b proud 2. if some1 is unpatriotic then they shuldnt fight.

(´･ω･`)

(´･ω･`)
can u say it in english?

The liberal cannot have it both ways--first be a "patriot," and then in the next breath downgrade patriotism as a silly or even dangerous emotion.

What you and "the liberal" refer to is the common mistake by conservatives in taking Patriotism too far until it becomes Nationalism.

can u say it in english?

Plain English please.
Are you from Japan?
Trying beyond your English skill looks something ugly.

Maybe you wouldn't understand what I saying.

the only way anyone could get away with a draft is if NYC was nuked, and there was a country to blame it on.

I just don't recall NYC being nuked when they started that draft in 1970.

I did some time in the Air Force. The feeling of being a part of something much greater than you are is a great feeling.

A lot like being in a precision marching band, or a well-trained football team, except with much more serious purpose.

[b]ut it can often wear down in the face of just how selfish and unpatriotic others can be, and how people warp the ideas and the principles to line their own pockets.

Ah, but the behavior of others is their business. It is hard, but the ideal is to do what is right and not judge what others are doing.

There are many ways to serve the country. Commerce made this nation what it is, and getting rich is the most quintessentially American thing you can do.

Getting rich should happen only as a side-effect of providing something people need or want at a lower cost or higher quality. Only then is it patriotic. In other words, there is no sin in wealth, but there is no virtue in it either.

Plain English please.
Are you from Japan?
Trying beyond your English skill looks something ugly.

Maybe you wouldn't understand what I saying.
it was english. duh
no. if i was from japan i wuld no what it ment n wuldnt have asked u. duh
ur the ugly 1. i was being nice when i asked. now i dont care what it means.
:upyours:

Getting rich should happen only as a side-effect of providing something people need or want at a lower cost or higher quality. Only then is it patriotic. In other words, there is no sin in wealth, but there is no virtue in it either.
I've read the stories of many, many rich people, and I have found that there is no other way to get rich. Inheriting it's one thing, but to actually get rich, you have to provide a service that will convince people that you deserve wealth.

Ah, but the behavior of others is their business. It is hard, but the ideal is to do what is right and not judge what others are doing.
Such idealistic bullshit.

Such idealistic bullshit.

I don't know why I try to be civil with you.

Because if you don't, I get even worse.

it was english. duh
no. if i was from japan i wuld no what it ment n wuldnt have asked u. duh
ur the ugly 1. i was being nice when i asked. now i dont care what it means.
:upyours:
He didn't call you ugly, littlejoe. He doesn't speak English very well. The post you didn't understand was just a complicated smiley, and then he misunderstood what you meant when you asked him to explain.

The liberal cannot have it both ways--first be a "patriot," and then in the next breath downgrade patriotism as a silly or even dangerous emotion.ummm...please define "patriot'...


"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it."
— Malcolm X

"Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity. ''Patriotism'' is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say, that by ''patriotism'' I mean that attitude which puts the own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one's own nation, which is the concern with the nation's spiritual as much as with its material welfare /never with its power over other nations. Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one's country which is not part of one's love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship.”
-- Erich Fromm

“Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, "the greatest," but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.”
-- Sydney J. Harris

“(Nationalism is) a set of beliefs taught to each generation in which the Motherland or the Fatherland is an object of veneration and becomes a burning cause for which one becomes willing to kill the children of other Motherlands or Fatherlands”
- Howard Zinn

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does NOT mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country." --Teddy Roosevelt

"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government."
--Thomas Paine

The original Jeffersonian idea of a "citizen army" is typical of Jeffersonian thinking: airheaded and unworkable in reality.

That sounds like you think the entire Declaration of Independance is "airheaded and unworkable in reality", since it was written by Jefferson.

And that the concept of a nation founded on the principle of inalienable rights to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" is "airheaded and unworkable in reality".

Is that what you are trying to say Thislin?

I take it you keep a library of quotes handy. I also take it you are not a "nationalist." (To me a nationalism is just that flavor of patriotism that pertains to nation states.)

As with many human inventions, nations become something larger than what we may define them to be, once they have a history and a culture and ideals and so on. They becomes self-perpetuating entities with theoretical immortality (although of course nothing lasts forever). Some people appreciate this, others are lacking in this way (I suspect it's another flavor of arrogance).

Please do not equate patriotism with jingoism or national chauvinism. That many patriotic people go too far is not patriotism's fault.

I just don't recall NYC being nuked when they started that draft in 1970.
that was a draft lottery that started in '70...the draft itself never went away after WWII.