From today's Times Argus:
Lawmakers voted against the amendment 68-60 after more than an hour of debate over the merits of the federal government's Selective Service System, which would be used to call up an army of young men if the draft is reinstated.
Next question, which can't be resolved in Montpelier: why are we retaining draft registration, as there is essentially no chance that a draft will ever be implemented?
news. Kudos to the legislature on this one.
Listen here: http://www.vpr.net/listen/stream/
first the post title is misleading.
There is a bill in the House Transportation Committee, H176. This bill is the SS/DMV bill that myself and others went to testify against. This bill is still in committee.
The bill the House was debating was S.67, a transportation bill which had an amendment suggestion from the Senate Transportation committee which would serve the same purpose as H.176. The House defeated all language concerning Selective Service registration through the DMV yesterday. There was renewed debate about opt-out and opt-in provisions which (to my understanding after speaking with the House clerk minutes ago) were struck from the bill.
So, good news for all of us who were opposed to this legislation. It seems that if the House bill makes it out of committee it will be similarly be defeated. If your representative sits on the Transportation committee PLEASE call 828-2228 and urge them not to pass the bill out of committee.
I’m sure these issues were taken up in the discussion, but why would anyone support legislation that is clearly sexist? If both men and women can be in the military, why would the requirement to register for the Selective Service only pertain to one gender?
And, from a different angle, what if you were a gay, married man? At this time you would be ineligible for military service because of the tiresome (to put it mildly) “don’t ask, don’t tell” regulation. Even if you were taken into the service, your spouse would receive no benefits, no recognition.
Why should you be required to participate in a system that is inherently discriminatory toward you? For that matter, why should anyone be required to participate in a discriminatory system?
I have a real problem with the Selective Service. I support the volunteer Army, although some changes need to be made.
Thank god, they shut down this bill. I remember what living with the idea of the draft was like way back in the 60’s and 70’s. It ain’t fun.
Jessica, the bill got crushed today. I never thought that it would go anywhere beyond a dead end. Then they really would have draft riots on their hands. I know what those are like.
It is also cell phones, txt messaging, ipods, itunes, plasma tv’s, facebook, myspace, survivor, and all the rest of the gizmos that distract the thought process from what is really going on to the latest antics of Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. I agree with you that this latest generation is hopeless to stand up and riot for any kind of political/social justice other than a cheaper iphone. Once again, it is up to us from the old protest days to keep it going.
I tried to watch that youtube, but got nothing except these interesting gray and white comments popping all over the screen. I hope that Obama is smart enough not to try to reinstate the draft.
If you under the impression physical requirements have decreased, then you are under a massive misconception. Physical requirements have increased. The load alone on the individual infantryman has doubled from 45 pounds in World War II to in excess of 95 pounds average today. Even in the near history that M-16 your refer to is still in use as the M16A4, though now it has almost doubled in weight from 7.5 pounds to 11 pounds due to all the optics, lasers, lights, etc. that have been added. S.L.A Marshall’s book “The Soldiers Load and the Mobility of a Nation” is an excellent primer to understanding how the perceived benefit of capabilities can result in impact to the individual infantryman.
It isn’t my choice whether women are on an equal footing with men, the studies I pointed you towards show that nature made that choice. Our only choice is either to recognize reality or earnestly insist that 2 plus 2 equals 5 because we really believe it should.
LOL…It was all these other windows with comments written by someone else popping up that intruded.
“Things just need to get worse before they get better.”
You would not believe how bad things in our day. Colored and white water fountains, the back of the bus, rotc training in schools,stiff drug laws, cops knew little restraint, the draft, and so on.
You might be right about your generation being too comfortable. But our generation, the baby boomers, were too. We knew the greatest rise in living standards in American history. And still we revolted.
But I sense that, despite all the techno gadgets to hide in, this generation is, in general, afraid. That has been one accomplishment of the Reagan Revolution.
“Imperial County, in Southern California, is the poorest in the state, and the local economy revolves largely around the criminal justice system.”
Well, so much for the American Dream and freedom. Is another Auschwitz next? That’s where we seem to be headed.