Subject: Just had a conversation with 3 neighbor boys

[Syncronaut Seven]

16, maybe 17.

ME: So you kids ready for the draft?

Kid 1: What draft?

Me: Pending legislation in both houses to reinstate the draft.

Kid 2: I don't care, I'll go

Me: I just had a convo w/a soldier on leave from Baghdad last week, says they're sending gangsters from the inner city, some of whom are on their knees sobbing by day 3.

Kid 2: Pussies.

Kid 3: How they going to find us?

Me: When you register with SS at age 18, it's the law.

Kid 1: (Blank stare)Register?

Kid 3: They won't draft me, they have plenty of guys already.

Me: Not so, Even guys who think their hitch is up are being held indefinitely. Half our national guard is there right now filling the holes.

Kid 2: No shit?

Me: Your folks Republican?

Kids all: Yea. (wealthy conservative neighborhood)

Me: Watch a lot of TV?

Kids: Yea, No, well yea. Do you watch TV?

Me: No, I read a lot, Heard about the prison abuse scandal?

Kids: Huh?

Kid 1: How many soldiers we lost?

Me: American, about 935, total, coalition about 1,300. Canadians, Australians, Spanish, English.

Kid 3: There other countries have soldiers over there?

Me: Yea. You should go on the internet and look some of this stuff up. Look up pending draft, then sit down with your parents and discuss it.

There was much more but it went along the same lines.
With a little luck there may be some angry Pubbie parents on my doorstep soon, or not.

It's fun corrupting youth with facts.
:evilgrin:

[sasquatch]

1. Your not corrupting them, you're scaring them with truth

:)

[Eloriel]

2. Too cool.

Carry ON!!

[Sporadicus]

3. Oblivious Youth

I was keenly aware of the situation facing me at their age, with the Vietnam War streaming into our living room every evening. I fully believed that I would get swept up into that mess, but the draft ceased the year I turned 18.

[bluestateguy]

4. Don't bet on it

If this is a wealthy GOP neighborhood they'll do what rich parents have always done when we have the draft: make up bullshit excuses for their kids, 21st century style, such as "attention deficit disorder", "anxiety disorder", obesity or trick knees and "bad backs". There are so many more options today for parents out there to go doctor shopping for whatever silly excuse will get little Dylan out of the draft, because fighting the war is Pedro or Tyronne's job, not little Dylan who has a bright future in college ahead of him. Dream on.

[Kanary]

15. Maybe. On the other hand...

Mari's stepson has scoliosis, and they sent him, anyway.

:shrug:

Kanary

[progressivebydesign]

17. Scoliosis? uh oh..

my stepson also has/had scoliosis. He had surgery, and now sports a metal rod in his back. Think they'd still want him? He also has asthma. I thought we were pretty safe. My other stepson, also of draft age, has a severe pigeon toed gait.. my stepdaughter, also of draft age, is deaf in one ear... (okay, their mother smoked heavily while she was pregnant). I'm beginningto think none of those things would disqualify them.

[Kanary]

18. Now I'm regretting alarming you.

Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a rough time, especially at night, when things always seem worse, anyway.

That's basically all I know about Mari's stepson..... you may want to contact her. I know she says the military "lost" his X-rays.

I hope you can put it out of your mind long enough to get some good sleep!

Then, check with Mari, and maybe vet's wife, and find some good sources to look into.

If all this comes to pass, it isn't going to be a "cakewalk" (doncha just *love* those military terms?), and I don't think it's going to be like drafts in the past.

I also know that many progressives have been signing up to serve on draft boards, and maybe that will help some.

I'll be thinking of you!

Kanary

[Cush]

5. Geez, they don't know about the Selective Service?

But if they're rich, I guess that explains it

[Syncronaut Seven]

8. That one surprised me too.

But no, They seemed pretty oblivious. Told them my boy was in and his re-up cost him his marriage.

[calimary]

6. The kids I was hobknobbing with today needed no convincing.

First thing out of the mouth of one college-aged kid: I like your button! (Referred to the John Kerry button I have pinned to the front of my sun hat.) I smiled and asked "you old enough to vote" Response: "Oh yeah, I'm 21." (Knowing smile followed). I smiled back, adding "You know what to do."

Two other kids, one girl, one boy, neither to be 18 til next year, voiced disappointment about that. They want VERY badly to vote - to vote bush out and put Kerry in OUR White House. The girl said her roommate's boyfriend is in Iraq right now, and they're all upset about it, and afraid for him. They made other comments indicating they had followed the news closely, and obviously from more sources than merely TV. And they hated bush.

They then joined in a discussion my husband was having with a 22-year-old German trumpet player, who described how it was in Germany when the war started. He said nobody could understand WHY the US was going to war against Iraq, that everyone he knew, and everybody else besides (in his area - around Munich), was dumbfounded about how stupid and irrational it was. He said the American derision campaign against "Old Europe" wasn't so bad against his country, but he felt bad for the French, who were really treated horribly. He said the whole thing with the "freedom fries" was really ridiculous. He doesn't like his chancellor any more than he likes bush, and he said that's the prevailing sentiment in Germany. They do NOT like bush over there, nor do they trust him.

This was a music camp where my son is attending. Lots of kids from all over California, and from elsewhere also. Many from affluence, but others not - attending on scholarship. LOTS of enlightenment. All over that little community surrounding the camp, there were LOTS of Kerry bumper stickers, one "War is Not the Answer" sticker, and a few anti-bush. Not ONE pro-bush. There was one of those "Proud to be American" type stickers to be found. But nowhere else.

All-in-all, a MOST satisfying experience.

[kestrel91316]

7. Uh.....you need to have the conversation with....................

the neighborhood teenage girls, too. The next draft won't forget the ladies. There will be no college deferment, no marriage deferment, no "I have children" deferment, and maybe they will decide to draft talented adults in certain professions regardless of age, too. None of us are safe.

[bluestateguy]

9. A Bush draft will not take women

Because the religious fundamentalistwackos, the base of Bush and the GOP, will never allow it. They never much liked the idea of women in the military anyway, but a draft would make them go apoplectic. They still have a very 1940's idyllic vision of demure young women seeing "their boys" off to war while the women stay home as wives and mothers. These are people with the ear of the White House, so if Gary Bauer, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson say "no draft for women" that's what Bush will do.

[Placebo]

14. My Mommy...

:P

[bluestateguy]

10. Deleted Message

[serryjw]

11. Heard this all the time ......

when I was petitioning on our college campus. They kids were old enough to get frafted and didn't care. What happened to MY '60 actists whom were anti-war and would not allow themselves to get drafted...they kids WANT to go? They have bought into the bushit patriotism that Bushit & co are dishing out.

[ilovenicepeople]

12. 60's "Hell No We Won't Go!!!"

2004 "Yeah Whatever We'll Go!!"

[Kanary]

16. Sad as it is, each generation has to learn for themselves.

:(

Kanary

[thebigidea]

13. I had a similar conversation last weekend...

was on the beach taping some ridiculous skits with a George Bush mask, and some poor bastards came up with the FOX talking points... they said I was lying about the draft, and I told them they're gonna love Iran in a coupla years if Georgie gets back in.

[CaTeacher]

19. Actually--no one that I know

in real life believes this--only the folks on DU. I just assume that the people here are generally better informed--but do you have any links that can prove that this is being considered?

I have cousins etc who think I am just pulling this out of thin air. They don't like *, but whenever I try to tell them that * would do a draft--it actually turns them against Kerry--because they say this is a lie--and Kerry must be desperate to be using lies to manipulate people into supporting him.

I would LOVE to be able to prove this and throw it in their faces!

[Kanary]

20. Have you tried googling the selective service website?

I know there used to be some fairly obvious items there....... like the $$ allotted to kick the draft into gear, etc.

I hope you get some good links quickly!

Kanary

[CaTeacher]

21. yeah--I will have to search--

I would love to be able to PROVE this one--people are very skeptical for some reason...I think the war seems very far away to lots of them....they just are not following things as closely as we do.

[Kanary]

22. Because I'm not around anyone of draft age, I didn't save any of the stuff

related to it, but there's been a lot here.

Maybe even searching the archives here.

I know that's a drag.

WAIT a minnit.... I found a couple of things I saved...

I'll Pm them to you. They have a couple of links in them, so maybe that will lead to more, until someone here can give you more pointers.

Kanary

[T Bone]

23. Here is a link to the DRAFT plans of Bush

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a915.htm

$28 million has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System (SSS) 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 website: www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the sss 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 proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.

Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year, http://www.hslda.org/legislation/na...s89/default.asp entitled the Universal National Service Act of 2003, “to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons 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.

http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a915.htm

I know I have links since this regarding the filling of ALL draft board positions which was done this year. There were DUers applying to be on the draft boards in many instances.

[CaTeacher]

24. Excellent! DUers are the BEST!!! n/t

[ProfLefty]

25. This is frightening stuff.

All of us who are progressive must vigorously oppose any action of this sort...thank you for bringing it to our attention.

[TrogL]

26. Canadians are not in the coalition

There may be one or two Canadians serving as part of regular duties co/serving under US command, but Canada itself did NOT send troops to Iraq.