Liberals And Neocons For A Military Draft

CounterPunch
April 4, 2005

Bailing Out the Pentagon
Cold Fusion: Liberals and Neocons for a Draft
By KEVIN ZEESE

Kevin Zeese is a director of the 'Stop the War' campaign of DemocracyRising.US.


The debate over the size of the military inside-the-beltway is how to increase the number of troops by 100,000, not whether to do so. At a recent debate on the draft sponsored by the Center for American Progress, the views range from reinstating the draft to enhancing economic incentives to increase enlistment. Both the neo-conservative Project for a New American Century and the "progressive" Center for American Progress are calling for adding 100,000 new soldiers.

At the forum sponsored by the Center the span of the debate ranged one former captain, Phillip Carter, who is currently an international contracts lawyer and an advocate of the draft; and Lawrence Korb, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Reagan, also a retired captain and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress who advocates expansion of the military by 100,000 soldiers through an improved incentives program. However, Korb also said that if the United States invades Iran he would favor a draft.

Phillip Carter calls for a draft based on pragmatism, not on equity or fairness. He recognizes the U.S. military is in a "pretty bad spot" describing the short falls in recruiting especially in the Army and Reserves and how more and more recruits are non-high school graduates. He acknowledged that the Iraq occupation is driving recruitment needs and problems. Further he argues we sent too few soldiers to Iraq comparing the number of troops used in recent military efforts (e.g., Kosovo) during the Clinton years and saying we needed "258,000 to 576,000 soldiers to pacify Iraq."

Groups opposing the draft are organizing a joint lobby day on May 16. People can come to Washington, DC or register to lobby from you home. Go to webpage at http://www.nisbco.org to get information about the anti-draft lobby day, learn more about the issues and sign up to prevent a return to the draft. Other groups are working challenge recruitment in a counter recruitment drive. A list of counter recruitment organizations is available on the links page of DemocracyRising.US.

http://www.counterpunch.org/zeese04042005.html

so they can claim there is a consensus and bipartisan support and all.
That way the Repubs won't have to take the heat for it.

We must not let them get away with this!

Why not? It's true.

Just ask that freaking nut job Rep. Charles Rangel.

largely an anti-draft movement, and the majority didn't turn against the war until their sons were threatened by the draft.

The reality does not hold up to that, however. In '65 and '66, the years with the highest numbers going to Vietnam, the support for the war was still pretty solid. By '69, when the anti-war protests were getting massive, the numbers over there were beginning to come down.

Rangel's push for the draft last year, when it didn't stand a bat's chance of passing, was purely symbolic, meant to make people think about where the war was leading. That time has passed, and if he thinks support for the draft now, with the neo-cons talking seriously about it, is still symbolic he'd better do some more thinking. At this point it is enabling.

to let him test it's validity by offering up my teenage sons to bushes war machine.




Monday, March 21, 2005

"A bill to reinstate a military draft, introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., was rejected on Oct. 5 by a vote of 402-2 in the House of Representatives. Galvin said he has spoken with Rangel, and the House member is currently looking into reintroducing the draft bill this year."


http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2005/03/03-21-05tdc/03-21-05dnews-09.asp

real quick. That may help in waking Americans up and get them to ask questions.