First Comprehensive National Survey on the Draft Raises Question:

[Nambe]

US Newswire

In a sharp reversal from historical support for military service, the first comprehensive national survey on the draft from the Alliance for Security reveals that our country could face a crisis in military capacity with an unprecedented number of draft eligible adults stating they will actively seek deferment or refuse to serve if a draft is reinstated. Moreover, a growing number of parents say that they would not want their child to serve if called to duty today.

Uneasiness over the war in Iraq and growing concern about an overextended military has led to escalating concern about the draft. Furthermore, a majority of Americans now believe that the United States is one major world event away from reinstating the draft.

Meanwhile, there remains strong support for the Bush administration's foreign policy, with 60 percent believing that the U.S. is more secure as a result of the policy of pre-emption.

According to the survey:

-- 52 percent of draft age Americans would actively seek deferment or refuse to serve (32 percent said they would not serve; 20 percent would seek deferment). Fewer than half, only 43 percent of draft age Americans, say they would serve.

-- 40 percent of parents would not want their child to serve or would want their child to seek deferment if called today (32 percent said not serve; 8 percent would encourage child to seek deferment) In making an historical comparison to past surveys, parents are much less likely to want their child to serve than 34 years ago. In 1970, during the height of the Vietnam War, more than 75 percent of parents would have told their child to serve.

-- 71 percent of Americans are concerned about the capacity of the military to meet overseas' commitments and defend the United States from attack. ..
Ride Don’t Drive * * It’s Global Cool

[StopTheMorans]

1. it's nice to see that parents are finally tired of seeing their

children treated as cannon fodder for the foreign policy mistakes of our misleader...

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. whatever

Nobody wants to serve but everyone wants to see us fight someone. Such is life when you live between two huge oceans and in the middle of a large continent, away from real life and real enemies.

[AndyTiedye]

8. "Let's You and Him Fight"

[UpInArms]

3. more of the "want my cake and eat it too"

crap -

don't want to serve - support lousy warmongering foreign policies -

garbage in - garbage out

these stupid foggers don't seem to understand the issues at all :crazy:

Kick the stupid MFs to the curb!

[TahitiNut]

4. That's why neoconservatives use economic and social coercion.

Keep the poor in "their place." Trot out a black man who made it to General to tantalize "working class" kids with a chance to win the fascist lottery. Promise training and college tuition. Harvest the cannon fodder from the ghettos and backwater communities. Huah!

Then supplement these people with civilian sociopaths getting paid $120K tax-free (with profits for their 'owners') as mercenaries ... but with the option of quitting at any time.

[Dhalgren]

5. This whole nation is insane!

Some sort of group psychosis. No one wants to serve in the military, but everyone wants to go to war? WTF does that mean?!

[UpInArms]

6. too many years of "virtual reality"

with war showing up as something you "watch" on teevee.

[havocmom]

7. How does America feel about Alternative Service?

Can't help but think the draft is really a ploy to get even cheaper labor for Corporations. Will all this privatization of services formerly done by government employees allow private corporations to hire young people doing Alternative Service dirt cheap? What a future we are offering our children. Olive drab or indentured servitude to the entities polluting their environment and spending their payroll tax payments.

Guess prison labor force is not expanding fast enough to suit companies wanting to pay pittance per hour yet still be able to slap that Proudly Made In America label on products.

[lovuian]

9. Michael Moore said it "Would they ever trust us again"

That trust has been broken and NO .....

the US Government has broken it

[Charles19]

10. More on the way

From my sources more troops are already on waiting to go, however they will not "officially" be told they are going until after the election.

Bush sending more troops would show his plans are failing in Iraq. Right now the mainstream media is painting Iraq as a done deal and Bush doesn't want to mess with that. After the election things are going to be much different.

If Kerry is elected who knows, he may still have to send them to try and clean up Bush's mess. Hard to say.

[redowl]

11. only 40% of parents don't want their kids to serve- huh?

Man...that is scary.

What is harder to believe is the 75% of VN age kid's parents wanted them to serve. But then they were still juiced from WWII- nevermind Korea- it didn't count like the BIG ONE.

But jeez- don't they know what this modern warfare entails? or don't they care?

[demoman123]

13. Here is one explanation:

The 75% who were asked "Do you want your kid to serve?" during Vietnam were asked this when there was a draft. The penalty for refusing to serve was 3 years in prison.

Now when parents were asked this question, there is no draft, and no penalty for refusing to serve.

[Corgigal]

12. Forty percent of registered voters

said they were much more likely to vote based on the information about the draft in the survey.

We need to get out that bumper sticker Bush 04/Draft 05 to every college. Might wake some of the MTV generation up.

[Dems Will Win]

14. Amen!

BUSH '04 = DRAFT '05

KERRY '04 = PNAC OUT THE DOOR!