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["Toni Hawryluk" <tonihawr AT msn.com>]

----- Original Message -----
Subject: [lace-chat] Mandatory Draft


I received a message about this U.S. bill from my 16 year old son, who is
obviously concerned about it. (I have put in the message he received below)

I tend to check such things before forwarding them to anyone else, but it
seems from the Urban legend website, that this is true, but that the bill is
unlikely to pass for reasons stated on:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp<http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp>

If you aren't in favour of a mandatory draft, it is worth writing to protest
against it
Sue Babbs

You probably won't hear much about this before the election....read it and
weep....

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) 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.

Actions
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/<http://thomas.loc.gov/>
Just enter in "HR 163" and click search and will bring up the bill for you
to read. It is less than two pages long.
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 it's borders.

This bill also includes the extension of military service for all those that
are currently active.

If you go to the select 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.


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/> 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.

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> to 
view the Selective Service
System annual performance plan, fiscal year 2004.


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.


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, 2001, 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. We must voice our
concerns and create the world we want to live in for our children and
grandchildren.

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