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Reinstate the draft.... Hell No!!
Yesterday, at one of McCains Town Hall Meeting, in New Mexico, a audience member said that "I we don't reenact the draft, I don't think we will have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of Hell". And McCain agreed with this statement. Seeing that catching Bin Laden is "supposedly" a top priority for McCain. This is McCain's subtle way of saying that, if he becomes President, there will be a draft.
A draft is no different that the government making you a slave! A draft means, the Govenment will take you from your home and force you to fight for them. and if you refuse to do whatever they tell you to do, you'll be facing severe fines and jail time. We are not the Governments property, that they can do what they like with us. In my opinion, voting for McCain, is the same as saying "I am a disposable piece of property".
Comments (18)
I completely agree. Of course, what is not acknowledged is that even the so-called volunteer military relies heavily on those who are coerced, for lack of a better word, by economic conditions and promises of education to go off and fight wars to secure the interests of the wealthy. Thus, the draft is merely a more public and less deniable way to force the children of the poor to fight for the wealth of the elite. It is and always has been a form of class warfare. If you think I'm wrong, remember that one of the "exclusions" from the draft was going to college, something that was far more available to children of the upper middle class and the rich than it has ever been to the poor.
August 21, 2008 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is good news:
Electing McCain means a high probability of war -- with Iran, with Russia, with China, anyone who McCain PERSONALLY dislikes and picks a fight with. All that hothead McCain knows is war, it's the only tool in his toolbox.
But to make matters worse, YOUR children could be forced to fight and die or be maimed forever to satisfy John McCain's belligerant sense of "honor" (which means war to solve all problems, to avoid losing face, in response to every perceived insult....)
The only thing holding back Bush & co. is the lack of troops. People are on their 5th or 6th rotation in Iraq. That's why Mccain wants the draft.
McCain + the draft = Many more wars
This is enough to send chills down he spines of America's parents, who dream of their children succeeding in life, not coming back in body bags or wheelchairs.
August 21, 2008 1:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama gave him a free pass on the draft comment.
Attacked his houses instead.
Go figure.
August 21, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
ARGH!
BLOGGER IS SELFISH SELFISH MAN
WITH A VERY SELFISH SELFISH PLAN
YOU HAVE RESPONSIBILITY
UNLESS YOU HAVE A DISABILITY
TO FOLLOW THE CALL
UNC SAM MAKES TO ALL
EVERYONE SHOULD PARTICIPATE
YOU AND ME AND ALL OUR MATES
UNIVERSAL SACRIFICE WE ALL MUST SHARE
BURDEN OF CITIZENSHIP WE MUST BEAR
IF YOU NO LIKE WAR
POLICY DOES PROMOTE
THEN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO
GET OUT AND VOTE!
TIME FOR GETTING REAL!
DRAFT WOULD BE THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENS TO THE U.S.! IT WOULD MAKE US RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS AGAIN!
NO PRISONERS!
ACQUIRE! MERGE! MARAUD! DILUTE! DILUTE!
ARGH!
August 21, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
...Why isn't this getting media coverage? Why isn't Obama jumping on this and attacking? Why isn't there anything on TPM's Election Central about this?
That could be a freaking killer if Obama jumps on it, it really could.
August 21, 2008 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Olberman is on it. He asked the McCain campaign for clarification and they came back with a non answer. So he is continuing to push it.
August 22, 2008 1:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm thinking this will be hit upon on Saturday and definitely during the Convention. I'm sure McCain will down play it or reverse course as soon as it gains some traction to cover his ass. Personally, I'm sure he'd do it if it means he could send us to war in Iran and Russia.
I think the Obama team is waiting to use this one for maximum effect. Wait for it!
August 21, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ya know, Saturday makes even more sense when I think about it. McCain will be doing his usual weekends off routine, I'm sure.
August 21, 2008 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
What he said is correct, as that is exactly what the government did to me when I was drafted, trained in combat infantry, and sent to Vietnam.
But the greatest tragedy of a draft as it was then were the many loopholes that allowed so many with connections to avoid service, or other means like Dick (5 deferments) Cheney.
And a true draft, that exposed all able bodied persons to serving, might cause people to ask just what it was that was being asked of them.
Just think, a draft with no college deferments, and the sports ranks would be depleted of able bodied and physically fit persons. The politicians would be unwilling to even consider a war.
On the other hand, continue the exemption of gays serving, and how would the religious right wing handle hundreds of thousands of persons suddenly declaring they were gay?
August 21, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
One beneficial aspect of a draft that none of you are talking about is that having large numbers of civilians in the military will tend to prevent the army from becoming the white-bread Christian praetorian guard the radical fundies dream of.
August 21, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
One beneficial aspect of a draft that none of you are talking about is that having large numbers of civilians who are maimed and psychologically damaged. The lucky ones will be killed.
August 21, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just blogged about this but didn't get too much traffic:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/08/using-fear-for-votes-drafting.php
This is no joke; if McCain wins there will be a draft, and in his own words: "There will be more wars, my friends."
What a sinister creep he is!
August 21, 2008 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama ought to do a replay of the daisy ad or something similar with McCain's words "There will be more wars, my friends" as the voice over. I think they could really focus on that "more" word. Americans may be resigned to Iraq and willing to kid themselves about the surge but more wars? I don't think so.
August 21, 2008 6:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Americans may be resigned to Iraq and willing to kid themselves about the surge but more wars? I don't think so.
I do. The American electorate is composed of children. They want us out of Iraq, but only on Republican terms -- a "victory." If the US attacks Iran, it'll be more "support the troops" and "death (to someone else's kids) before dishonor."
I don't like making predictions, but this is a slam dunk.
August 21, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Universal mandatory public service would be a great benefit to this country, and a draft would be a stopgap to the kind of military adventurism that got us into Iraq. But you will never hear Sen. McCain call for a draft. Even he isn't that stupid.
And pretending he was simply agreeing with the person is silly, Republican, gotcha politics. Sen. Obama's campaign is right to focus on the "too rich to know how many houses I've got" meme. This one will stick.
August 21, 2008 7:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tankard,
I do not understand why anyone would think that universal public service is a good idea, particularly if it is organized at a federal level. Why concentrate power this way? This just seems like another step towards an even more militaristic culture.
Why not do things like getting rid of these idiotic student loans and replace them with grants and dump cash into communities and programs that really need it. I do not think it is unrealistic to think that most folks are not capable of telling you what needs to be fixed in their neighborhoods, communities and cities and they often have people around who are capable of organizing the work and getting it done. This not only creates jobs, it creates training opportunities and lets folks make a real contribution. Imagine being involved in a project that made a real difference in your own life and the life of those you know -- and getting paid for your contribution.
It gives me the willies to think of having some massive federal program that would give an administration like the one we have direct access to young people. People don't need volunteers and unpaid internships. They needs work that pays. If they can pay their bills, then business does well and so does the economy.
August 22, 2008 1:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Two years of some sort public service in everyone's late teens or early twenties would have many benefits for the country -- not least in developing a sense of patriotism that recent governments have managed to suffocate -- and for each individual.
And to repeat: If Fat Cat's kids and middle-class kids were subject to being drafted and put into badly-armored vehicles by incompetent, planning-averse leaders, there might be more effective pressure on the government to think twice before invading countries that present no threat. And maybe the promise to keep those kids there for 100 years would be viewed with a bit more alarm by Joe Sixpack.
August 22, 2008 7:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is a quote from John McCain at an appearance in Denver (either the first week of May or last week of April this year)
In this statement McCain is saying we will never have to send our young people to war in the Middle East if we don't need their oil. It's essentially an admission that we are going to war there for their oil. So now he suggests he may support a draft. Sounds to me like John McCain's energy plan involves trading the lives of our young men and women for control of the oil fields and if those kids don't want to go along with it he is willing to force them.
August 22, 2008 2:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
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