Santorum's response to the draft..

I sent messages to the congressmen and senators of PA last Tuesday requesting that they must tell their constituents about the DRAFT. Last Thursday, Congressmen Kanjorski announced his opinions on the draft that was in our local papers which I posted on DU. Today I received a written letter from Santorum regarding this--

Dear XXXXXX

Thank you for contacting me regarding a recent proposal to reinstate the military draft. I appreciate hearing from you & having the benefit of your views.

As you know, this proposal, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Charles Rangel of New York as H.R. 163, & in the U.S. Senate by Sen Fritz Hollings of S.C. as S.89, seeks to reinstate the military draft. In remarks about this legislation, Rep. Rangel stated that "the burden of military service is being borne disproportionately by members of disadvantaged groups."

It may interest you to know that studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense & by the private-sector institutions have shown no indication that combat duties are disproportionately carried out by minorities or the disadvantaged. For example: African-Americans comprise 12-14% of the population of the US & 15% of combat arms (infantry, artillery, & armor); Hispanics compromise 13% of the US population & 9% of enlisted personnel in fiscal year 2000; women constitute 50% of the population & make up approximately 15% of enlisted personnel.

By way of background on this matter, President Richard Nixon created by a commission to study the best means to secure military personnel. This commission's report concluded that an "all volunteer force" was feasible, affordable, & would enhance the nation's security. In 1973, following the Vietnam War, the military draft was ended in favor of an all-volunteer force. The all-volunteer force has functioned effectively since its enception, & today the US' armed forces are widely considered to be the best-trained & best-equipped military in the world.

I continue to support an all-volunteer force as the most effective means of of maintaining a strong & effective military. As a former member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, I have had the opportunity to receive first-hand testimony from members of our armed forces who advocate strongly an all-volunteer force to defend America & to protect our national security interests. I concur with their views on this matter.

Thank you again for contacting me. If I can be of further assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to call on me.

Sincerely,

Richard Santorum
United States Senate

He was on T.V. on Ash Wednesday last year and didn't even wipe the ashes off his forehead. I guess he wanted to boast about being a good Catholic to millions.

The only way to check on us was the ash on our forehead. We would take a little cigarette ash and wipe it on our foreheads.

Maybe that was what Rick did.

His rosy picture of the draft "ending" in 1973 aren't really accurate to 2004:

Solomon Amendment (1982, part of the Military Selective Service Act), requires draft registration for males 18–25 years old as a precondition for eligibility for Title IV Federal Student Financial Aid.

Thurmond Amendment (1985, part of the Defense Authorization Act) required Selective Service System registration for men who are required to register as a prerequisite for appointment to most federal jobs.

Most states also have a penalty for not registering (eg, not getting a license).

I wasn't surprised to see how he skirted around the issues I wrote him about. As DU'ers have posted previously, they're going to blame the D's, it's all part of their plan.

Pronunciation: san-TOR-um
Function: noun
Etymology: Savage Love - 05/29/03
1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.

<http://spreadingsantorum.com/index2.html>

- Actually fighting and dying for the Nation is for working class schmucks. Did Santorum tell you that? The rich will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into military service. They consider themselves "natural born leaders" who belong back here in the good ol' USA supervising things.
- I'm all in favor of universal service like in Europe. My German brother-in-law is from a wealthyfamily, and he had to serve in the Navy for two years. It sure cools off war fever when you're the one who's going to have to fight it. I don't really care that the generals prefer volunteers. Universal service is best for the Nation.
- I see Santorum didn't mention from what economic class the soldiers come from. He also only stated the percentage of minorities in the combat arms, not the entire military. In wars like Iraq, rear echelon types are getting blown away too. Santorum is a lying deceptive POS and I would love to see him exposed for the coward that he is.

he skirted around the issues I wrote about. We need to keep the pressure on these guys! Does anyone know the ages of his kids?

I note that the children of the elite make up a miniscule portion of the population of the U.S., consume its resources at a rate all out of proportion to their skimpy numbers, and yet 0% of them are currently serving in Iraq.

He just says that he was not for it.

Keep this KICKED for the nite crew so they're aware of how these guys are playing the blame game.