GOP Blocks Provision to Require Women to Register for Draft

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Buckling under conservative pressure, House Republicans pulled a legislative sleight of hand Tuesday and stripped a provision from the annual defense policy bill that would have required young women to sign up for a military draft.

The decision triggered an outcry from Democrats, who cast the move as a GOP attempt to avoid a contentious vote on equality for women. But GOP lawmakers argued much more study is required before reversing the longstanding prohibition on including women in the Selective Service. They also questioned whether the Selective Service, which needs $23 million annually to operate, should be abolished altogether with an all-volunteer force.

The Senate defense bill does include a version of the provision, so the congressional discussion over whether women should register isn't over. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., weighed in Tuesday, saying it would be appropriate for women to register for the draft "just like men do."

But Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said he is "adamantly opposed to coercing America's daughters to sign up for the Selective Service at 18 years of age."

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/senior-democrat-decries-move-women-draft-signup-39166965

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By RICHARD LARDNER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — May 17, 2016, 3:07 PM ET

[oldandhappy]

1. ha ha ha

love war but not my kids!

[bluestateguy]

2. I think draft registration is generally outdated and stupid

but if we continue to have it, then yes, men and women should have to register.

[StarTrombone]

3. The repubs and the military much prefer an all volunteer professional military

Remember that much of the protests of the 60's was more anti-draft than anti-war

It's one of the reasons we haven't had a good anti-war demonstration since Vietnam

And who can argue with not sending our daughters off to war?

Slick move

[braddy]

5. We also haven't had a major war since Vietnam.

I think any war where we are losing tens of thousands of men and for no explainable reason, will create huge demonstrations.

As it is, anti war demonstrations got huge coverage when Bush was in office.

[iandhr]

6. The problem with an all volunteer military...

... is that the general public doesn't have any skin in the game. They can support the war without needing to anything to support the war effort.

[StarTrombone]

7. Actually the general public can also just ignore the wars

Which is why remote control drones are preferred by the current CiC

Nice and clean, no body bags no problem

[sofa king]

10. Really?

Your opinion is uninformed. Try answering these questions for yourself first and then see if you hold the same uninformed opinion.

Who introduced this amendment? Was is a Democrat?

If not, what was the purpose of introducing the amendment?

Why would the all-volunteer professional military deliberately reduce its selection pool by fifty percent off the bat?

What proportion of our "professional" military are actually part-time citizen soldiers who are activated and shipped overseas to deal with the present, unending emergency?

Where is the patriotism in denying combat jobs to women while impoverished men are snookered into signing up by being told they won't be shipped overseas, and then cycled four, five, and twelve times over through combat zones?

[colorado_ufo]

4. During WWII, it was the women who kept this country running.

They were Rosie the Riveter, they flew cargo planes, worked in factories, sold war bonds, worked on crews, taught school, worked in hospitals and nursing homes, and much more, and kept families together and raised their children. If all the able-bodied young women are sacrificed to the military, along with the young men, then what? No one is left to do the hard work at home except the disabled or older adults. Or the wealthy - and you know how much help THEY will be.

[catnhatnh]

9. If you agree war is an example of human sacrifice

why should all the sacrifices have penises???

[leftyladyfrommo]

11. You think the women didn't sacrifice?

All the women who lost their husbands and brothers to those awful wars. You don't think they didn't have to deal with all the pain? Sitting at home and waiting to hear day in and day out. Trying to keep households running without their men. Trying to keep going on after losing loved one after loved one. Dealing with all the men who came home completely broken with limbs blown off.

War is a bitch for everyone.

And someone has to stay at home and keep the home fires burning. Children need at least one parent to be there.

[catnhatnh]

14. By sacrifice I meant death...

And no we have never routinely drafted women and sent them to their deaths.

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. We shouldn't draft anyone.

I was in college in the late 60's. That draft was just God awful. It ripped people's lives to shreds.

[braddy]

12. Do you think a 55% female Marine Corp is a good idea?

[catnhatnh]

15. I'm not worried about % breakdowns

I'm worried about basic fairness.

[braddy]

16. A military draft is about the survival of the nation, not fairness.

[Feeling the Bern]

8. Pete Sessions is a hypocrite.

But Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said he is "adamantly opposed to coercing America's daughters to sign up for the Selective Service at 18 years of age."

But coercing America's sons to sign up for the Selective Service at 18 years of age is perfectly acceptable. Dead 18 year men are what the MIC needs.

Fuck you, Pete. Everyone registers, or no one registers. It's a rather simple concept.

[alarimer]

13. Get rid of the draft entirely.

It's undemocratic. If people want to volunteer, we need to discourage them. Fuck the military-industrial complex, and to hell with warmongers. Let's make it impossible for them to do it.

Let them fight their wars with no bodies for cannon fodder.

I find the fact that we have a military that is so many times larger than anyone else's to be vile and despicable. Because then we use it.