Fight Like Hell Against the Draft!

Fight Like Hell Against the Draft!

by Bob Witanek bwitanek [at] igc.org http://endocciraq.org/occupation_and_the_draft.htm


Everyday it seems there is another indication that forced conscription is coming . . . stop loss edicts forcing at least 40,000 national guard and reservists to stay in the service beyond their agreed upon end date . . .suggestions of a specialty draft to conscript medical and technology specialists . . . government websites advertising for volunteers to serve on draft boards . . . states like Pennsylvania requiring draft registration for driver’s licensing . . . etc.



Stop loss: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3541675&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

Specialty Draft: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/13/MNG905K1BC1.DTL

Driver’s License: http://www.nisbco.org/UAA/PA_drive_points.htm / http://www.nisbco.org/UAA/ss_state_pen.htm


Meanwhile, Iraq has again exploded as a substantial portion of the Shia population has determined that their best lot lies with armed resistance to the US occupation. The spread of an apparent all out uprising across almost all of Iraq has motivated the generals and Rumsfeld to promise that more troops will be sent to Iraq if need be. All of this is occurring during a supposed rotation when there already are about 30,000 more troops in Iraq than what the plan was for after the rotation – about 135,000 over the planned roughly 105,000. The problem is that there are no good sources for more troops aside from: sending troops training for Iraq before they are completely trained, mobilizing more national guard and reservists or trying to get more “other countries” to send troops. The other less talked about alternative is to mobilize more mercenaries like the four Blackwood contractors who recently perished in Fallujah.



Rummy: More Troops: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56575-2004Apr7.html



Meanwhile there are a whole new set of recruitment television commercials, there are hip-hop recruiters hitting the ‘hoods in there recruiter mobiles, there is video game recruiting and an all out high school blitz. The House is passing legislation that would penalize campuses through defunding any that disallow ROTC and military recruiters – sort of a civil rights bill for recruiters. Furthermore, the insidious aspect of the No Child Left Behind that requires high schools to provide personal data on high school students to military recruitment has turned our education system into a recruitment campaign.


Hip-Hop recruiting: http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0409/pablo.php
Video game recruiting: http://www.cbsnewscom/stories/2004/03/30/eveningnews/main609489.shtml

Civil Rights for ROTC / War Recruiters: http://endocciraq.org/war_goes_to_college.htm

No Child: http://nowarnj.org/no_child_left_behind.htm



While the current US administration is not talking much about the draft, its policies are leading the way in that direction. With Iraq blowing sky high and ongoing threats against Iran, Syria, North Korea, even Cuba, and the number of boots required for such policies running short, it is clear that the next potential Bush presidency will lead to the draft – most likely after the election day. However, it is indeed a real possibility that it could come about sooner should the administration convince the nation or planet that there is some big trumped up emergency that leaves it no other choice.



What about Kerry? Kerry supports the occupation and counter insurgency war in Iraq. He states it every chance he gets. He openly on his campaign website calls for the mobilization of 40,000 more troops within his first 100 days in office. Kerry’s site also advocates forcing high school students to perform national service – one form of such service would be military enlistment. So it is a form of partial draft that could easily be wobbled into a full fledged draft! http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/natservice/



Indeed it is democrats – progressive ones including much of the Black Caucus – who have been out in front promoting the draft. HR Rangel has made the case that it is actually anti-war to be pro-draft since it would supposedly equalize who dies and thus deter the rich politicians from promoting war. While Rangel’s strategy did not work in preventing the invasion, takeover and occupation of Iraq he has not withdrawn his draft bill. He also never explains how this would work for Blacks, Latinos and lower income youth who are not interested in the service and will be drafted never the less.



More on this: http://endocciraq.org/occupation_and_the_draft.htm



Another part of our problem is that the anti-war and peace movement is not talking much at all about the draft and it even has to some degree bought into the sophistry of Rangel, et. al. on the topic of the draft. Indeed Rangel spoke at an anti-war rally at Riverside Church and received an ovation! Many “peace activists” are working double time supporting the pro-war, pro-draft candidacy of Kerry. Indeed the “World Says No to Bush” demonstration in August of 2004 in NYC will likely take the form of a pro-Kerry and thus a pro-war rally! How many speakers do you think that they will line up to condemn Kerry for his pro-war votes, his promise to mobilize 40,000 more troops, to bring more international forces and the UN into the Iraq counter-insurgency and to continue the counter-insurgency until the US prevails (however many decades that will take!)?



Indeed the anti-war movement as a whole has not even come to terms with whether it should take a clear position against he US counter-insurgency war and occupation in Iraq. The preponderance is that “we can’t just leave.” We need to “internationalize it” or “fix it” or “bring in the UN.” As much sympathy as is expressed toward the dead and busted up GIs, the anti-war movement largely refuses to demand the immediate, total, unconditional return to home of US troops – the *only* way to stop the continued killing and the physical, mental and psychological maiming of the GIs . Thus by refusing to clearly demand an immediate end to the occupation – the movement is supporting the conditions that will lead to the draft!



In a recent discussion on the anti-draft list serve ( StopTheDraft-subscribe [at] yahoogroups.com to subscribe), a writer named Joe agreed with my assessment about the democratic party push toward forced conscription, even given his own opposition to the Bush Administration. He mentioned his soon-to-be draft aged children as his motivator.



Most parents would agree with the following. As a parent of two who can be swept up in this bipartisan criminal war machine, I certainly concur:



If someone was holding a gun or another weapon to the heads of our children. And they were making threats to our children. We would not help the person threatening our children. Indeed we would do whatever we could to stop the threat and protect and save our children from the horrible fate being threatened. We would lay our lives down. We would trade places with our child. We would do anything that is necessary to disarm, defeat or otherwise stop the one who was threatening our children. ANYTHING!



If you agree with that then consider the following:



Both political parties are leading us to the draft. The current US administration has implemented these policies with the full support of their “opponent” – Kerry – who voted for the war and cheered on his cohorts – he backed the lies of the US Administration. He promises to continue to pursue the war (albeit with different strategies and bringing in more international forces than the 35 or so countries that the current administration has attracted). He might bring in blue helmets or NATO so that there could be more kinds of flags draped over the boxes being shipped out of Iraq. He promises to mobilize 40,000 more US troops within the first 100 days of his tenure and he promises national service – a form of partial draft.



Bush and Kerry have a gun to the heads of our children. The democrat and republican parties have a gun to the heads of our children. They are making threats to our children. We can not help them in anyway – we especially can not vote for them. We need to do everything in our power to stop the threat and protect our children from the threat of military recruitment and the draft. We need to be prepared to take great risks – to wage struggle so that our children do not end up waging war. We must do everything in our power to disarm, defeat and otherwise stop the criminals from both political parties that are threatening all of our children with continuing the brutal occupation in Iraq and with the draft. We need to be prepared to take the necessary steps. That decision is the one we must make. When we make that decision we will be a force to be reckoned with!



We need to start a proverbial fire across the US against the resumption of the draft and we need to oppose it unconditionally. Opposition to the draft needs to be clearly tied to our call for unconditional and immediate complete withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. We need to let the anti-war leaders and groups know that the time to state clear and unequivocal opposition to the draft is now! Indeed we need to state clearly to Rangel, Hollings and the rest who are backing these pro-draft bills that they have made a mistake and that they need to withdraw support for such measures immediately.



If you agree: http://endocciraq.org/Anti_Draft_Sign_Up.htm



In Struggle against the US Occupation and the Draft,

Bob Witanek

http://EndOccIraq.org