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Sept. 17, 2004 The following information was sent to me by a Vietnam veteran friend. He gave me permission to edit the copy for length and content and to find as many readers as possible. What better way to contact the world than through Useless-Knowledge. I, also, added a few personal comments at the end. That’s right! There is pending legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives (HR-163) and U.S. Senate (S-89) - companion bills - to reinstate the draft so it can begin as early as Spring, 2005. The Bush administration is quietly trying to get these bills, which are currently sitting in the Armed Services Committees, passed now while the public’s attention is on the election campaigns. This new Selective Service Plan eliminates higher education as a deferment and includes women in the proposals. The House of Representatives Bill 163 can be found in detail at http://thomas.loc.gov/ - then enter “HR163”. It is less than two pages long. This bill is designed to include all men and women ages 18 to 26 in a draft for military action. An agreement with Canada will be signed to stop anyone at the border who is attempting to dodge the draft. HR-163 also includes the extension of military service for all currently active in the service to increase the size of the military in the event of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. “HR-163 and S-89” are critical pieces of legislation which will not only affect you but your children and grandchildren, so please take time to write your congressman and let then know how you feel about these critical bills which will affect your immediate future. Here is the simplest way to reach them. Type “congress” into the AOL search engine and input your zip code. A list of your Congressmen will pop up with a way to e-mail them directly. While you’re there, ask why there has been no publicity released to the media about this pending legislation. For those of you interested in getting more details on this proposed legislation, you can access the information by logging on to www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the Selective Service System annual performance plan, fiscal year 2004. How do I personally feel about these pieces of legislation? My question is – What took them so long? No matter who wins this election in November, we are going to have to reinstate the Draft if we are going to remain in Iraq and keep our homeland safe from terrorist attacks. Right now, we are being shortchanged for emergency services and disaster relief with most of the National Guard in a war-zone. Perhaps the War in the Middle East was inevitable, but I will always maintain that Bush chose the wrong target. He should have made Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden his first priority and taken care of that problem before he went after Saddam Hussein. But it is way too late for shoulda’s now, isn’t it? As far as an agreement with Canada is concerned with stopping “draft dodgers” at the border, it probably will prove to be as effective as keeping illegal immigrants from crossing the U.S./Mexican border. ------------ About the author: Bobbie Hart O’Neill is a retired print media journalist, CSU-Sacramento, ’74, with 40 years experience in the field. She has worked as a reporter, feature writer, columnist, public relations writer, magazine/newsletter editor and publisher. She is currently a freelance writer residing in Yuma, Arizona and has published a children’s book, written three screenplays and a novel. In addition, she is interested in civic affairs, politics, current events, ethnology and animals. Visit her blog. Also visit In The Name Of Honor - Mystery/Suspense Novel http://www.anotherchapter.com and Billy's Jungle Adventure - Children's Book/Animals www.lulu.com or email Bobbie: bobbieo@digitaldune.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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