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Senior Democrat renews call for military draft
Hugo Chavez:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061119/pl_nm/usa_politics_draft_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An influential Democratic lawmaker on Sunday called for reinstatement of the draft as a way to boost U.S. troop levels and draw a broader section of the population into the military or public service.
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U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), the incoming chairman of the House of Representatives' tax-writing committee, said he would introduce legislation to reinstate the draft as soon as the new, Democratic-controlled Congress convenes in January.
Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if he was still serious about the proposal for a universal draft he raised a couple of years ago, he said, "You bet your life. Underscore serious."
"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," he said.
Rangel, who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, also said he did not think the United States would have invaded Iraq if the children of members of Congress were sent to fight. He has said the U.S. fighting force is comprised disproportionately of people from low-income families and minorities.
"I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft. I think to do so is hypocritical," he said.
The New York Democrat had introduced legislation to reinstate the draft in January 2003 before the Iraq invasion. The Pentagon has said the all-volunteer army is working well and there is no need for a draft, and the idea had no traction in the Republican-led Congress.
Democrats gained control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 12 years in the November 7 election, and a wholesale change in the leadership of Congress is to be made in January. Rangel is to head the House Ways and Means Committee, which is charged with U.S. tax and trade legislation.
The draft was in place from 1948 to 1973, when the United States converted to an all-volunteer army. But almost all men living in the United States - including most male noncitizens - are required to register with the Selective Service upon reaching 18, and federal benefits, including financial aid for college studies, are contingent on registration.
Rangel said his legislation on the draft would also offer the alternative of a couple of years of public service with educational benefits.
240 is Back:
--- Quote from: Berserker on November 19, 2006, 10:35:33 AM ---Rangel, who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, also said he did not think the United States would have invaded Iraq if the children of members of Congress were sent to fight.
--- End quote ---
You got that right. And most of the warmongers here are either current military who are still drinking the koolaid, or people whose kids arent enlisted. When you think of the severity of bleeding out in the sand for oil, it's a fucking easy choice to make.
body88:
Draft???? Bahhahaha. If you wanna see the shit really hit the fan start with that crap. Fucking Iraq war.
240 is Back:
--- Quote from: body88 on November 19, 2006, 11:35:46 AM ---Draft???? Bahhahaha. If you wanna see the shit really hit the fan start with that crap.
--- End quote ---
that's what Rangel is doing. Forcing the point. Right now it's mostly poor kids dying, so people aren't rushed. If every CEO's son was suddenly refereeing a civil war with a strategy to "stall while the oil pipeline is built", you might have some campaign donations to the Repubs halted quickly.
Hugo Chavez:
--- Quote from: 240 is Back on November 19, 2006, 11:37:30 AM ---that's what Rangel is doing. Forcing the point. Right now it's mostly poor kids dying, so people aren't rushed. If every CEO's son was suddenly refereeing a civil war with a strategy to "stall while the oil pipeline is built", you might have some campaign donations to the Repubs halted quickly.
--- End quote ---
exactly.... You can't exactly hide from having an opinion or blindly picking an opinion with a draft looming on the horizon. The days of slapping a yellow sticker on your truck and calling it good are over.
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