RTP-area local music and culture

["Clark, Chris" <CClark AT slk-law.com>]

This might help:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp

(It's fairly long - otherwise I would copy and paste it)

-----Original Message-----
From: annemgomez AT hotmail.com [mailto:annemgomez AT hotmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, September 17, 2004 12:18 PM
To: ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: not music, but scary


This is the text of message that went through several forwardings before it
got to me  (I will be happy if someone can show this is all
fake):

Subject: Bush administration quietly sets up return of the draft. (pass it
on)
          

        Bush is of course being very quiet about this right now, but it's
QUITE real ... the administration is gearing up for a return of the draft. 

        Mandatory draft for boys and girls (ages 18-26) starting June 15,
2005, is
something that everyone should know about.   

        This literally effects everyone since we all have or know children
that will have to go if this bill passes. 

         There is pending legislation in the house and senate (companion
bills: S89 and
HR 163 <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query> ) which will time the program's
initiation so the draft can begin as 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. 

        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. 

        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! 

        This legislation is called HR 163 and can be found in detail at this
website: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR00163:@@@L&summ2=m&;
<http://thomas/> 

        If this bill passes, it will include all men and ALL WOMEN from ages
18 - 26 in a draft for military action. In addition, college will no longer
be an option for avoiding the draft and they will be signing an agreement
with the Canada which will no longer permit anyone attempting to dodge the
draft to stay within its borders. This bill also includes the extension of
military service for all those that are currently active. 

        If you go to the selective service web site and read their 2004 FYI
Goals you will see that the reasoning for this is to increase the size of
the military in case of terrorism. This is a critical piece of legislation,
this will effect our undergraduates, our children and our grandchildren. 

        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 permanent state of war on terrorism)
proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.

        The draft $28 million has been added to the 2004 selective service
system 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  www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html
<http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html> 
http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html
<http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html>  to view the Selective Service
System annual performance plan, fiscal year 2004. 

        Please take the time to write your congressman and let them know how
you feel about this legislation. 

        www.house.gov <http://www.house.gov/>  

         http://www.house.gov <http://www.house.gov/>  

         www.senate.gov <http://www.senate.gov/>  

         http://www.senate.gov <http://www.senate.gov/>  

        Please also write to your representatives and 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 important
story. 

         www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/s89/default.asp
<http://www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/s89/default.asp>  

         http://www.hslda.org/legislation/national/2003/s89/default.asp
<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 (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, 200 1, 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 each 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.

        What to do: Tell your friends, Contact your legislators and ask them
to oppose these bills 

        Just type "congress" into the aol search engine and input your zip
code. A list of your reps will pop up with a way to email them directly. We
can't just sit and pretend that by ignoring it, it will go away. 

        This is by no means the worst thing that will happen if Bush is
re-elected, but it's one of the fastest things.

        (On another note -- see below my signature for well-documented
information regarding Cheney's efforts to help Saddam Hussein and Iran at a
time when they were listed by US State department as "state-sponsors" of
terrorism.)

        HOPE IS ON THE WAY: Kerry-Edwards '04
        Click Here to Contribute:
https://contribute.johnkerry.com/contribute.html?team=54
        All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do
nothing. Edmund Burke
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