The military draft is coming back...

Roccland · Peak Oil Prophet Joined: Jun 16, 2007 Posts: 1696

The military draft is coming back... Olbermann
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vtsnowedin · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Posts: 633

As usual Olbermann is making a mountain out of a molehill.
Looking ahead what are they going to pay the army with post peak? It will be hard to collect income taxes from zombies. Even harder to get taxes out of dug in survivalists.

Tyler_JC

He didn't mention the word draft again. He didn't specifically mention the draft. He has opposed the draft in the past and will continue to oppose the draft in the future.

The lack of a draft is the only thing stopping Americans from protesting in the streets by the millions against the Iraq War. If any president even proposes bringing back selective service, it's going to make the Vietnam War demonstrations look like a church social.

In 1968, only 53% of Americans thought the Vietnam War was a mistake.

Current opposition to the Iraq War is upwards of 2/3 of all Americans.

Right track/wrong track data is also significantly worse.

Only 19% of Americans is March 1969 wanted the war to end immediately.

29% of Americans felt the same way in 2006.

This war is MORE unpopular than Vietnam despite the fact that fatalities are an order of magnitude lower and are approaching zero. The war in Iraq is actually looking like it might be at least somewhat successful, no one could have ever said the same about Vietnam.

Think about that in the context of a draft.

Americans were violently protesting in the streets against a draft to support a war that had modest public support and was considered by many to be part of a global struggle against Communism.

Now we expect them not to protest against a war with little, if any, popular support and one which has been denounced by most (60%+) of America as a distraction from the actual global struggle against Communism...err...terrorism. Smile

A draft? Not going to happen.
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Concerned · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 23, 2004 Posts: 1553

Lanthanide

vtsnowedin · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Posts: 633

Lanthanide
Food will of course be the currency of the times but how will the army acquir that food and the uniforms and other military supplies? Its easy to say they will just take it at gun point but I think even a strongly led army will have trouble getting to the food they need and getting it back to the front where ever that may be. Coal fired steam tanks perhaps???!!. Smile

Heineken

I agree with most of what Tyler wrote.

The Party has discovered that an all-volunteer military gives it a much freer hand to make war. Protests against war can't gain much traction when the soldiers fighting it signed up voluntarily. If a soldier dies or loses his legs, well, those are the risks he (or she) agreed to assume, or so goes the story.

The draft was ended after the Vietnam debacle precisely for this reason. It will never ever be restored.

All part of the wool that's pulled over our eyes. We are so blind we don't know which way we're spinning.
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anarky321

draft is not coming back; no need to; modern tactics dictate the use of high-technology equipment over human wave assaults

casualties are so ridiculously low this wouldnt even qualify as a military conflict 50 years ago; no army on earth has ever been safer EVER to enlist in

there's a serious economic depression settling in as most of you are probably aware, and many MANY people are going to lose their jobs; and many of those are going to enlist thus the draft will not be needed to begin with

dont forget that there is more to life than survival and most people dont enlist to get food and shelter; they enlist to Get Some, i.e. entertainment, and few jobs can match the entertainment factor of Marine or Army infantry (would you rather be raising veggies on an eco farm or lobbing grenades into the windows of apartment buildings?)

being a volunteer force is what makes our army the greatest in the world; you do NOT want to bring unwilling draftees into an all-volunteer killing squad like Marine Infantry; it would seriously compromise the integrity of our armed forces

bottom line: no draft

i hate it when people try to sensationalize things and spread disinfo

Blacksmith

Bring back the press gangs.
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Tyler_JC

Heineken

And lies and half-truths are the Party's meat. They're "what's for dinner."
_________________
"Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog

"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother

Roccland · Peak Oil Prophet Joined: Jun 16, 2007 Posts: 1696

mattduke · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Oct 28, 2005 Posts: 1546

anarky321

they can propose and say whatever they want but the fact is that approving a draft would be political suicide right now and noone is going to do it; you'd have riots and demonstrations in every major city

this isnt ww2 when most people had no idea what real war was like; now thanks to HD film and the internet most people know, and most mothers are going to fight hard to keep their kids from going (im not going to take a stance on whether compulsory military service is a good thing or not in a character-building sense)

bottom line: not going to happen

like i said before, economic conditions SUCK right now and recruiters are NOT struggling to get enough enlistments; this situation will only deteriorate further in the next decade

Ferretlover