 |
www.hopedance.org
|
|
<back | home The Draft: The War Waged Upon Our Children by Marilyn Farhat Why are the lives of our young men and women easily expendable in the pursuit of causes that only benefit the few, the powerful, and the amoral? Twin bills, S 89 and HR 163, are two pieces of legislation all families should pay a great deal of attention to. The bills’ purpose is "to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons (18-26) in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in the furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes." (H.R. 163). High school students will be permitted to finish their senior year and college students can finish the quarter or semester before they are drafted. Educational deferments are no longer acceptable. Millions of US dollars have 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. SSS must report to President Bush on March 31, 2005 that the system, which has been dormant for decades, is ready for activation. The Pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide. 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. Our soldiers are currently active in at least five places: Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, and Haiti. It is apparent that the agenda driven and supported by the so-called "think-tank," Project for the New American Century (PNAC), is well under way. It is important that people understand the impact of the ideas of such a group of neo-conservative and fundamentalist ideologues on our policies and the world. In a 90-page report on "Rebuilding America’s Defenses," PNAC presents a set of "recommendations" to promote American interests around the world. Those "recommendations" are shaping national and international policies through supporters in the White House and Pentagon. As concerned citizens and parents, we have to realize that mindless military escalation and proliferation is nothing short of disaster. The following excerpts pertain to the four recommended core missions for the US military. They are found on pages 11-12 of the PNAC report. They are presented exactly as written in the report: ESTABLISHMENT of FOUR CORE MISSIONS for U.S. military forces to: "defend the American homeland; fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars; perform the "constabulary" duties associated with shaping the security environment in critical regions; transform U.S. forces to exploit the "revolution in military affairs;" To carry out these core missions, we need to provide sufficient force and budgetary allocations. In particular, the United States must: MAINTAIN NUCLEAR STRATEGIC SUPERIORITY, basing the U.S. nuclear deterrent upon a global, nuclear net assessment that weighs the full range of current and emerging threats, not merely the U.S.-Russia balance. RESTORE THE PERSONNEL STRENGTH of today’s force to roughly the levels anticipated in the "Base Force" outlined by the Bush Administration, an increase in active-duty strength from 1.4 million to 1.6 million. REPOSITION U.S. FORCES to respond to 21st century strategic realities by shifting permanently based forces to Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia, and by changing naval deployment patterns to reflect growing U.S. strategic concerns in East Asia. MODERNIZE CURRENT U.S. FORCES SELECTIVELY, proceeding with the F-22 program while increasing purchases of lift, electronic support and other aircraft; expanding submarine and surface combatant fleets; purchasing Comanche helicopters and medium-weight ground vehicles for the Army, and the V-22 Osprey "tilt-rotor" aircraft for the Marine Corps. CANCEL "ROADBLOCK" PROGRAMS such as the Joint Strike Fighter, CVX aircraft carrier, and Crusader howitzer system that would absorb exorbitant amounts of Pentagon funding while providing limited improvements to current capabilities. Savings from these canceled programs should be used to spur the process of military transformation. DEVELOP AND DEPLOY GLOBAL MISSILE DEFENSES to defend the American homeland and American allies, and to provide a secure basis for U.S. power projection around the world. CONTROL THE NEW "INTERNATIONAL COMMONS" OF SPACE AND "CYBERSPACE," and pave the way for the creation of a new military service -- U.S. Space Forces -- with the mission of space control. EXPLOIT THE "REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS" to insure the long-term superiority of U.S. conventional forces. Establish a two-stage transformation process which maximizes the value of current weapons systems through the application of advanced technologies, produces more profound improvements in military capabilities, and encourages competition between single services and joint-service experimentation efforts. INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING gradually to a minimum level of 3.5 to 3.8 percent of gross domestic product, adding $15 billion to $20 billion to total defense spending annually." Please write your representatives in opposition of the proposed draft. Our children should never be used to promote the agenda of power-greedy men. The concept of the draft in itself is immoral and criminal because it not only legitimizes the deliberate killing of our soldiers and civilians around the world; it also forces young people to engage in acts of murder and destruction in negation of all the principles of justice, humanity, and respect for life which we, as a democratic society, have instilled in them. Background Information Bill HR 163 was introduced in Congress Jan 7 2003. Sponsor: Rep. Charles B. Rangel [D, NY]. It has 13 co-sponsors. Latest Major Action: 2/3/2003 House committee and subcommittee actions. Status: Executive comment requested from DoD. Bill S 89 was introduced in congress Jan 7 2003. Sponsor: Senator Ernest Hollings [D, SC]. No co-sponsors. Latest Major Action: 1/7/03 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html (Selective Service System Budget 2004). http://www.newamericancentury.org (Project for a New American Century). http://www.theorator.com/bills108/hr163.html (HR 163) Marilyn Farhat was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Graduated From the American University of Beirut with a BA in Sociology/Anthropology/Education in 1980. She is also Vice President of the Professional Nurses’ Association at Atascadero State Hospital and is a volunteer with the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the Red Cross.She has been involved with Women in Black since May 2002. Go to http://www.geocities.com/wibslo <back | top^ |