Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005
The Draft will Start in June 2005

There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin at early as Spring 2005 -- just after the 2004 presidential election. The administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public's attention is on the elections, so our action on this is needed immediately.

$28 million has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System (SSS) budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as June 15, 2005. Selective Service must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that the system, which has lain dormant for decades, is ready for activation. Please see website: www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the sss annual performance plan - fiscal year 2004.

The pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide.. Though this is an unpopular election year topic, military experts and influential members of congress are suggesting that if Rumsfeld's prediction of a "long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan [and a permanent state of war on "terrorism"] proves accurate, the U.S. may have no choice but to draft.

Congress brought twin bills, S. 89 and HR 163 forward this year, http://www.hslda.org/legislation/na...s89/default.asp entitled the Universal National Service Act of 2003, "to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons [age 18--26] in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes." These active bills currently sit in the committee on armed services.

Dodging the draft will be more difficult than those from the Vietnam era.

College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a "smart border declaration," which could be used to keep would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada's minister of foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other things, a "pre-clearance agreement" of people entering and departing each country. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable along gender and class lines also eliminates higher education as a shelter. Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service until the end of their current semester. Seniors would have until the end of the academic year.

Even those voters who currently support US actions abroad may still object to this move, knowing their own children or grandchildren will not have a say about whether to fight. Not that it should make a difference, but this plan, among other things, eliminates higher education as a
shelter and includes women in the draft.

The public has a right to air their opinions about such an important decision.

Please send this on to all the friends, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins that you know. Let your children know too -- it's their future, and they can be a powerful voice for change!

Please also contact your representatives to ask them why they aren't telling their constituents about these bills -- and contact newspapers and other media outlets to ask them why they're not covering this important story.






ummmm yea so i think i'm a little bit upset about that. i mean i shouldn't be i think because i'm israeli and they have the whole required to be in the army thing...but why should i have to fight in a war i don't believe in??? vietnam all over again maybe???? i don't know, i really don't know. doesnt creating a draft kind of go against the whole democracy idea somehow??? and how could they not use higher education as an excuse. i understand not allowing class placement, u know the wealthy pay off the president and he doesnt make their kids go to the army. arent president bush's daughters between 18 and 26? wouldnt they have to go than if there will be equality within this crazy draft thing????? i don't know.....what is happening in the world.........

so i just found out today that when i go to israel june 12-27 and i'm staying with my crazy cool aunt lani, she is actually coming here on june 24th so that means <> i will be there by myself for 3 days. how can that be beaten as a graduation present!!! i got to go to spain with my sister in december for 2 weeks for my birthday and now out of my 2 weeks in israel i get to have 3 days to myself. big time score!!!! soooo excited now woohoooooo. i hope i get to go scuba diving again cuz i haven't done that in a while. if anyone is gonna be in israel between the 12th and the 27th let me know, we should meet up that would be so fun. ok so other than being excited about that i'm kind of sad because my brother's girlfriend paige is leaving next week to go to hong kong for one YEAR!!!! such a long time. hopefully i'll be able to go visit her sometime on a break from school that would be cool i've never been to hong kong before it would be interesting to go there and learn about the culture. i watched this thing about hong kong once and tourism and there are these cool people movers like they have in the airport but on the streets!! how cool is that we should get that in new york. lol. so yea lots of interesting stuff. i wish i could travel to everywhere, there are so many places i want to see. i want to go to london again, i want to live in spain, go to portugal, australia, ireland, scotland, denmark, alaska <>, i wanna see the great wall of china, go to different places in africa, i wanna go to brazil and argentina, study the mayan and aztec culture in mexico, and climb mount everest lol not sure that could ever be possible but it most certaintly is on my list as something i can dream about haha. i'll finish my dreams later its sister bonding time woooohooooo

so i'm starting to face a tough point in my life, where everything is ending but at the same time continuing and beginning. school is over in 16 days, and i leave for college in august. its going to be a whole new life for me. some friendships will end or already have. my last day of teaching at the hebrew school was today and it was so sad, the kids gave me a million hugs i'm gonna miss them so much. i'm off to israel in june and i dunno i just feel like i'm reaching a turning point but at the same time remaining in the same place. i have been guided by the adventures and people of the last 18 years of my life and its all of a sudden doing this crazy thing called ending. it really is coming so soon, i've been waiting for college for what feels like forever and its finally here and i know i'm ready for it, i cant wait for it. but at the same time i cant imagine not teaching these kids after school or tutoring, i can't imagine not lifeguarding every thursday, or going to high school everyday or arguing with my brother in the morning and having my mom yell at me for not doing the dishes or letting my room become so filled with clothing that the color of my carpetting is unknown. its weird as much as i want it to end so badly, at the same time i don't want it to...but i guess thats part of life. i think people call it "growing up". lol.

I had so much fun at work today. i am a swimming instructor and teaching the kids is such a pleasure. i love my job. i'm going to miss it so much next year when i leave for college. its funny how the simple things in life like helping a kid blow bubbles and kick their feet can be so much fun.

so she brought it up again, i thought this whole thing was so over. but obviously not

her: I HAVE been outside of Kansas. Gene isn't my friend anymore. You're retarded. How trying to say modern things. Wake up honey, you're in the real world now.
Rewaa

me: i think ur the one who needs to wake up u little 15 year old sorry excuse for a person. this is ridiculous aready and since i'm older have more experience than u and obviously more class and am more open minded i'm going to call this whole ridiculous thing off. just remember next time u speak to someone not to make fun of where they live...honey. oh and btw never call me honey ok sweetheart????, really pisses me off stupid 15 year old.

her: I AM serious. I think that I'm a very smart and mature person. At least, that's what people say to me all the time. So I guess that's why all you do is chat all day, cause you don't want people looking at you all the time. What do you look like, anyway? A goat? How about a mokey? Donkey are ok for a start. Tell you what: since we're not getting along too well, how about ending this conversation? I don't like you, and I don't think that I'll get over hating you. Stop sending me messages.
Rewaa
P.S. Do you have a boyfriend/love/bedmate? Cause if you do, I feel sorry for whoever he is (not that I think that you have one anyway...not with your attitude!)

me: dont try to reflect ur insecurities onto me, i have nothing to justify to u and as a matter of fact i do have a boyfriend who loves me very much. and who the hell uses the word "bedmate" contrary to what ur ignorance may tell u, not everyone is a whore


ugh soooo frusterating. i honestly just wanna call up her parents and tell them to try and instill a little bit of respect within her. gosh thats so irritating....this is how horrible things happen..out of misunderstandings and close mindedness. really bothers me.