In Ka Le O, the campus newspaper for the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, staff writer Erica Cordova studies the implications of the bill, authored by Republican Representatives Nick Smith of Michigan and Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania. While the government currently requires all 18-year-old men to register for the draft, there is little chance they will actually be called upon to serve. The proposed law would make as much as a one-year commitment mandatory–even in peacetime. And the law would expand the reach of the draft to include the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam, requiring young male residents of those territories to serve in the armed forces even though they and their parents have no vote in national elections.
Women will be allowed to volunteer, but they would not be drafted. Definitions of deferments and exemptions are vague. For example, young men with extreme hardship would be exempt, but “extreme hardship” is not specifically outlined in the bill. Men with mental or physical disabilities and conscientious objectors would also be exempt. To find out more about this bill, follow the links below.
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Related Links: For the full text of this bill, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov and search for HR3598. Bill to Reinstate Draft is Before Congress
by Editor, Maine CommonsMaine Draft and Military Counselors — info about conscientious objection, the draft, and other military service issues. Congress considers new kind of draft
by Jon Dougherty, WorldNetDaily.comStop the Draft Action Alert
