If You Don't Want Your Children or Grandchildren Drafted, Vote Democratic

Why Neither College Nor Canada Would Offer Refuge from the Draft

A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
by Maureen Farrell

For those old enough to remember Vietnam, yet young enough to be parents to teenage sons, the war looming in the distance is especially menacing. Though we've often sympathized with Vietnam veterans, our empathy now lies with their parents, as well. What were their thoughts as they shipped their sons to war? Were there flashbacks to first steps and first Christmases and first heartbreaks, too?

We thought we had said good-bye to all that. We'd learned too much; we'd suffered too much; our leaders wouldn't do that to us, no, not again. But with each passing day, it seems lessons learned have come undone. We're living in an age of blowback and empire, and empires are costly. Enlistment is down, projections of urban warfare are grim, and it's difficult to imagine we can pursue protracted war and empire without forcing our young do old men's bidding. "I have recently learned from trusted sources on Capitol Hill that the Armed Services committees have quietly begun planning for a reinstitution of the draft," government whistleblower Mike Ruppert recently wrote. Can you imagine the outcry if he's right?

Unlike the Vietnam era, however, old loopholes aren't in place. This time, for example, college won't be a valid reason to avoid the draft. In the 1960s, a young man could procure a deferment, provided he was a full-time student and was making satisfactory progress towards earning a degree. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable, which were enacted in 1971, are still in effect -- and should the draft be reinstated, students would not be allowed to defer service for four or more years. Underclassmen would now only be able to postpone service until the end of their current semester, while seniors would have until the end of the academic year.

Another Vietnam-era means of resistance, draft dodging, would be more difficult this time around, too. In December, 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a "Smart Border Declaration," which, in addition to keeping terrorists out of America, could also be used to keep draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley and U.S. Homeland Security director Gov. Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other things, a "pre-clearance agreement" of people entering and departing each country.

So, while neither college nor Canada would offer refuge from the draft, it's hopeful that the unprecedented preemptive antiwar movement that's taken root will be enough to avert disaster. Given this administration's inability to see beyond their myopic interests, however, that might be wishful thinking. This timeline of recent developments shows why concerns over conscription, though not officially verified, are not unfounded either:

1997-2000: The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) compiles its report, Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces And Resources For a New Century. Including six of Bush's cabinet members within its ranks, PNAC says "America's 'core mission,' is to fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars." They also describe America's armed forces as "the cavalry on the new American frontier." Two years after being delivered to Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld, the group's findings are mirrored in President Bush's official military strategy.

August, 2000: Delaware becomes the first state to enact legislation linking drivers' license applications to Selective Service registration. By October, 2002, 27 states, 2 territories, and the District of Columbia follow suit. Commenting on this trend, Virginia's Gov. Mark Warner says, "In this time of war, we need to make sure that we have a full sign up Selective Service," while adding, "I think most boys would be proud to do it."

December, 2001: The Military Service And Training Act (HR 3598) is introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Nick Smith (R, MI) and Rep. Curt Weldon (R, PA). And though President Bush stated last spring that "the country shouldn't expect there to be a draft," if passed, this bill will require all young men to report for 6-12 months of military training and education.

December, 2001: Canada and the United States sign a "Smart Border Declaration." Designed to identify and manage security risks, this plan calls for the implementation of a Canada-US "pre-clearance agreement," the sharing of "advance passenger information" and the development of a jointly held immigration database and programs for "joint removals of deportees." Though designed to fight terrorism, the plan could make escaping to Canada more difficult.

August, 2002: A report by the National Research Council, commissioned by the Department of Defense, shows that despite a threefold increase in advertising, recruitment attempts by the US military aren't attracting enlistees. "Even with the instability in the economy and the loss of civilian jobs in many sectors in 2000-2001, interest in the military has not increased," the report declares.

September, 2002: As required by law, President Bush presents "the National Military Strategy Of the United States of America." Breaking from the traditional Cold War policy of determent and containment, the document clarifies America's first strike policy and quest for global dominance. "It is time to reaffirm the essential role of American military strength," the document warns, adding that America will also "require bases and stations within and beyond Western Europe and Northeast Asia, as well as temporary access arrangements for the long-distance deployment of U.S. troops."

October, 2002: Mike Ruppert publishes his essay "Across the Rubicon," and claims plans are underway for the reinstatement of the draft. Pointing out that reserve units, which have been called up for over a year, are near "the breaking point," he says "the eventual drafting of our youth is to me as much a certainty as anything else I have written about thus far."

October, 2002: The General Accounting Office (GAO) reports that Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve pilots and crews are leaving the military service, partly due to adverse reactions associated with the Pentagon's anthrax vaccine. Those leaving are among the most highly trained in the service and "are people not easily replaced," the GAO said.

November, 2002: The Journal News features an article regarding New York's Selective Service System need for draft board members in case "a military draft would ever become necessary." Other states have issued similar notices.

In Sept., 2001, one week following the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, ABC News reported that a military draft would be highly unlikely and listed reasons why. "It's very hard to imagine a military operation on the scale of Desert Storm," former deputy assistant secretary of defense Kurt Campbell said, adding that "the real challenge for us is to avoid situations where we would need to use large numbers of people in a large, on-the-ground effort."

One year later, as we face the prospect of door-too-door urban warfare in Baghdad, those reasons are no longer valid. And it's hard not to wonder if the draft might not be an unavoidable "situation" as well. Given the overwhelming majority of Republicans voting "yes" during House and Senate votes on the Iraq Resolution, and the Republican-sponsored Military Service and Training Act, Americans need to fully realize what's at stake. In order to put the brakes on this imperial president and his plans for forever war, they need to vote for Democrats this election. In fact, they need to vote as if their children's lives depend upon it. Because quite frankly, they do.

* * *