House Democrat Wants Draft Reinstated

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061120/ap_on_go_co/military_draft



WASHINGTON - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.

Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.



What brilliant logic. On the one hand, I sort of understand it. On the other hand, increasing the size of the military isn't exactly a deterrent for warfare.


What do you think?

[Daarkseid]

What brilliant logic. On the one hand, I sort of understand it. On the other hand, increasing the size of the military isn't exactly a deterrent for warfare.


What do you think?

Theres no correlation whatsoever between the size of a military and the probability of that military going to war.

However, I'd agree with the draft if it meant more rich asshole parents were at risk to send their worthless children out to be shot at and shown some humility for once in their shitty stuck up lives.

But who are we kidding, the same rich people are also affluent and influential, and they'll find ways to keep their children from serving anyway.

In the end, I oppose it not only because I believe people have the right not to serve, just as they have the right not to vote. And then you have the financial considerations. More troops = more money being flushed into the national debt which in turn means higher taxes towards interest payments.

[Rainman]

This idea is a supremely stupid way to achieve it's stated purpose. It's indirect and offers only a small chance of guarding against wars. It's not like politician couldn't launch wars anyway without the draft. (see: Iraq war) All this does is give them a way to force their citizens into military service.

Also, everything Daarkseid said.

[Dark Nation]

Now, if there were a way to ensure that those who vote for this end up being the first ones on the front lines in any war...

[Aegix Drakan]

I'm with Daarkseid on this one. I think it's wrong to force people into the military, and If I somehow got drafted (not likely, as I am Canadian), I'd rather go to jail than go to war.

Plus, there are some out there (like myself) who are pacifists, and will not attempt to take another human's life. If pacifists end up being sent to the front lines, what are they gona do? Act as shields?

[AtmaWeapon]

Proposing a bill != bill is law

Pretty much no one in America wants a draft and the politicians know this. Sure, party politics could fail us and help push it through, but the Democratic party has the advantage after a period of submission and I hardly think the first move they would make would be to stab themselves.

Remember, in 2 more Novembers we get to choose a President. Who'd vote for a man in the party that reinstated the draft?

[Beldaran]

The military draft option is continually brought up by Charlie Rangel, a leading democrat. In the 1960's during Vietnam, only the Democrats, who started the war, supported the draft.

[Modus Ponens]

Weren't the 60s about when the big switch happened, where the Democrat and Republican parties somehow became each other? I know that Lincoln was a Republican, though I doubt he'd be one today.

[Executioner of Deities]

Party ideas change with the times, that much is a given. But this is simply moronic. All throughout the campaign trail the democrats kept saying "Oh we've got a better way" "We're gonna bring our troops home" and other such tree hugger hippie fantasy bullshit and now it seems they're just trying to find a way to keep our army just as spread out as it is by forcing people into the military. What liars, I can't beleive you all voted for them, the bastards!

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Weren't the 60s about when the big switch happened, where the Democrat and Republican parties somehow became each other? I know that Lincoln was a Republican, though I doubt he'd be one today.

The big switch happened then, when the Republican party became the democratic party, and Lincoln started the new republican party. So, technically, you're correct. It was just the 1860's, and not the 1960's.

[Rainman]

Weren't the 60s about when the big switch happened, where the Democrat and Republican parties somehow became each other? I know that Lincoln was a Republican, though I doubt he'd be one today.

What makes you think that? Republicans still hold on to some traditional ideas which Lincoln no doubt would have identified with. I doubt he would support the Democrats as they exist today since most of their ideas were unheard of in his time.

[Beldaran]

1960's: John F. Kennedy was a democrat by old and new standards.
1960's: Richard Nixon was a republican by old and new standards.
1960's: Lyndon Johnson was a democrat by old and new standards. Responsible for massive escalation of Vietnam war.

There was a contingent of old school racist southern democrats that eventually became republicans, but it was not a global shift. The democrats started, escalated, and lost the Vietnam war. Republicans pulled us out. Does that mean that modern Republicans aren't completely full of shit? no, of course they are. So are the democrats.

I now quote the great Lewis Black: "Choosing between the democrats and the republicans is like choosing between two bowls of shit. ... On the one hand, you have the democrats, who are the party of No Ideas. On the other hand, you have the republicans, who are the party of Bad Ideas."

[erm2003]

I now quote the great Lewis Black: "Choosing between the democrats and the republicans is like choosing between two bowls of shit. ... On the one hand, you have the democrats, who are the party of No Ideas. On the other hand, you have the republicans, who are the party of Bad Ideas."

I love Lewis Black. He is completely right on. I may have voted along a party line this year, but it was based on education reform since NCLB is up for renewal. The decisions made by this new Congress can have some major effects on my job.