[PAA-Discuss] Fw: The Draft

[Bill Crosier]

Wow, I think this subject has brought up more discussion than 
anything else I remember on this list.

However, I suggest we stop beating up on each other (at least for 
now) on what to do about the draft, and whether bringing back the 
draft will help to end the Iraq occupation and prevent similar ones 
in the future.

Anyone who wants to comment on Rangel's Draft Proposal is free to 
contact their own Congress person, of course.  What you tell them 
matters a whole lot more than what we tell each other, of course.

I think we should concentrate on what we all agree on -- that the 
Iraq occupation must end and we should bring the troops home as soon 
as possible.

For now at least, I think we need to work on doing what we can to put 
pressure on Congress to cut off funds for the occupation, rather than 
arguing over whether it's possible to have a draft law that would 
ensure everyone serves, or whether the draft is fair, etc.  In 
addition, I don't think the military leaders want a draft because of 
the experience they had in Vietnam where there was such large 
opposition inside and outside of the military to us being in Vietnam, 
so this debate may not matter anyway if the folks in the Pentagon 
keep saying no to the draft.

If the draft should come back, then I feel there's a lot of merit in 
trying to ensure the sons and daughters of those in Congress serve, 
but I think it's unlikely they'd write a law like that.   If it looks 
like Congress is actually getting serious about bringing back the 
draft then we can continue this discussion but for now I think we 
should work on more direct options for bringing the troops home.

I feel that pushing for stopping the FUNDING of the occupation NOW is 
a good idea.  As Dennis Kucinich and George McGovern pointed out on 
Democracy Now last week, that would force W and whoever is Secretary 
of Offense to bring the troops home, whether they want to or not, and 
end the occupation faster than just about anything else.

Congress has been very complicit in continuing Operation Iraq 
Quagmire.  W has left funding for it out of every budget he's 
presented to Congress.  That makes his budget (especially the 
Pentagon budget) seem smaller.  He's been getting Congress to fund 
the occupation through supplemental appropriations each year (several 
times per year, I believe).  We need to get Congress to say NO to these.

Even the main stream media now says that the voters were clear that 
they want the US out of Iraq.  The MSM says that was the major issue 
in this election.  Let's remind our Congress people of this, and tell 
them specifically that we don't want any more money spent on 
Operation Iraq Quagmire.

There are lots of other things that need funding a lot more than our 
Iraq adventure, and Congress knows it.  I think we should encourage 
them to take the money they're now spending in Iraq, and instead 
spend it on universal health care, education, a Department of Peace, 
fixing our broken non-verifiable election system, and reducing the 
deficit (which our children and grandchildren are going to have to suffer for).

Sunday evening, at our double feature (2 anti-war films) should be a 
good time for us to discuss how to keep up the pressure on Congress 
and get more people talking about bringing the troops home now.  See 
http://www.paa-tx.org/node/2431 for details on the movie showing.

I think freeway blogging should be stepped up, for example, but I 
hope the rest of you will bring ideas for us to discuss on how to end 
this national nightmare and disgrace that we've gotten ourselves into.

Peace,
Bill

Bill Crosier
paa at crosierbiomed.com     713-641-4941
Progressive Action Alliance       http://progressiveactionalliance.org/
Lying, Spying, Torture... IMPEACH!  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/