Conscription from January 2005 - report

pickarooney

Looks like Bush didn't wait too long before showing his hand for his new term as prez. Article from the BBC.

Conscription to begin in New Year
Black Watch soldier with pamphlet
President Bush stressed the need for immediate action on both fronts
Just two days into his second term as US president, George W. Bush has announced plans for conscription.

The first round of drafts will concentrate on the young unemployed a spokesman for the White House confirmed on Thursday

"America currently has two major enemies that this administration needs to tackle", he continued.

"The scourge of unemployment and the threat of terrorism are effecting our nation's progress."

The draft could come into effect as early as January 15th, 2005, fourteen years to the day after the first Gulf War began.

Conscription had been rumoured for several months leading up to the recent election.

Two birds with one stone

After a mixed reception, the White House spokesman reiterated the need to combat two enemies at once

By conscripting more of our young unemployed men into the army we will at once see a great reduction in the strain on our Welfare budget and an increased presence where it is vital in the push for Falluja.



Profile: U.S. military draft process
Democrats react
Profile: U.S. Welfare figures

President Bush himself was unavailable for comment.

The Republican supporters present were enthusiastic about the decision referring to it as "brave" and "visionary". Opinion was, however, divided in the Democrat camp.

Sam Adargai (D-MN) referred to the decision as a "disgrace" and a "betrayal".

"The American people have had enough of this war, and far too many of our boys have been killed already. Enough is Enough!", he fumed.

Senator Jerry Mander (D-WI) called the decision a bare-faced affront to the anti-war campaign, pointing out the "crassness" and "insensitivity" of the timing.

"We half-expected Bush to bring in the draft, but not so soon, not without a clear and urgent need", said the Senator.

The decision is expected to have the most effect on inner-city communities and among ethnic minorites, traditionally a hotbed of Democratic support

With the war in Iraq expected to enter a most dangerous phase, the decision to repopulate the army with untrained recruits is seen as questionable in some quarters.

"He's basically come out and said that he wants to clean up the streets by killing off the jobless. Joblessness of his own creation. First he takes thir jobs, now he wants to take their lives!", was the furious reaction of Sue Mayas, founder member of Moms Against The War, an organisation set up shortly before the initial invasion of Iraq.

"What's worse is that the American people allowed this to happen," she told BBC News.

"If he wants to start recruiting for his war games, perhaps he should start by drafting Republican voters. After all, they're the ones put him in power, they should be the ones to suffer the consequences", said Deon Seymour, a student at NYU and active Democrat campaigner. His suggestion was met with approval by many of his fellow students present.


Black Watch on the eastern side of the Euphrates

U.S. casualties in Iraq
Families' worry for men
The political ramifications

At a time when many U.S. soldiers' tours of duty are coming to and end, the move is also likely to see these tours mandatorily extended. For families anticipating the return of loved ones, this would come as a bitter blow. "Distraught", "pessimistic" and "deflated" were some of the terms used to describe their feelings by family members of soldiers currently on active duty.

Although no numbers have yet been given for the number of new draftees, it is expected that up to 60,000 troops may be enlisted next January. The draft is also expected to be made in alphabetical order by state.

This would out soldiers from Alabama and Arkansas, areas of strong Republican support, at the top of the list.

"Let's just hope this whole thing is over by the time they get round to us", opined one young man from Washington state, a Democratic outpost on the west coast.

The same hope seemed absent among the large Californian contingent present.

"I've been saying it for years, ever since that [expletive removed] first stole his way to power!", seethed Lemmy Freeman, a tudent activist from UCLA. "California needs to secede from this nation of redneck [expletive removed] and do our own thing!".

"Economically and politically, we have nothign in common with the [expletive deleted] that voted that [expletive deleted] into office. Let them run off to war for Georgie and get shot in the sand. Meanwhile we can get back to making another economic miracle in Cali".

Students fears

It is as yet unknown on what criteria the draft will be effected.

The question of whether students and the homeless will be considered for conscription is causing some concern

The answer hinges on whether the move is aimed at reducing the economically productive or simply reducing the numbers currently on Welfare.

Traditional dissenters, students, if called upon, are expected to revolt.

Soldier turning back Iraqi schoolchildren
U.S. troops having difficuly maintaining order near Falluja

The military draft was abolished in 1973 in the United States, but the provision remains for the president to re-enable it at any time. Several propositions to ban the draft permanently have failed to pass the first step in congress in recent years. The propositions have been rejected by Republicans and Democrats collectively in this period.

Talk of "another Viet Nam" is rife, referring to the last military campaign in which conscription was used by the U.S. army

"I feel like the clock has been turned back thirty years in three days", commented Luke Beck, a veteran of the anti-Vietnam campaign of the seventies. Beck served two years in prison as a conscientious objector as a result of his refusal to answer the call to conscription.

The re-opening of the draft may open up possibilities for further military campaigns in the middle-east and elsewhere. Many predict incursions into Iran and Syria over the coming four years.

The original article is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/homepage/int/news/h1/-/news/1/hi/world/middle_east/3985493.stm.

A Dub in Glasgo

seamus

"Heh...*sniff*....ahh....It's so gratifying to leave you wallowing in the mess you've made, you're screwed. Thank you bye."

aidan_walsh

"The scourge of unemployment and the threat of terrorism are effecting our nation's progress."

Well, in fairness, he did promise to deliver jobs and fight terrorism... :rolleyes:

sovtek

Am I missing something...this is a joke isn't it?

donnie_darko

Pickarooney -Which Democratic Senators from Minnesota and Wisconsin did You say made statements??

If you are going to spoof get your basic data right!!

uberwolf

good un

aidan_walsh

Ok, I'll admit it... I got sucked in, posted on another site, and promptly got shot down...

I'll be checking urls in future...

ixoy

doodle_sketch wrote:

Ok, I'll admit it... I got sucked in, posted on another site, and promptly got shot down...

Got caught out too. Just shows how much we trust that Bush guy!

pickarooney

donnie_darko wrote:

Pickarooney -Which Democratic Senators from Minnesota and Wisconsin did You say made statements??

If you are going to spoof get your basic data right!!

Read their names again.

sovtek

I gotta admit I was snowed for about 10 seconds before checking the link.
I was already warming up my forwarding list for my Rethuglican friends back in Texas.

donnie_darko

Got the puns on the names ok - would have been better to use the right ones though and keep it going

pickarooney

donnie_darko wrote:

Got the puns on the names ok - would have been better to use the right ones though and keep it going

That might be libel or slander or one o' them fancy legal things.

Hobbes

Got sucked in.. but then tried clicking the links and researching the story more and got nothing, then noticed the corrupted link.

Nice try though.

Btw from what I have read the first round of draft will be computer specialists.

donnie_darko

Dutch computer specialists

BuffyBot

Sue Mayas, Jerry Mander etc should have been a give away...

therecklessone

That is brilliant!

Well done pickarooney.