I have read several articles on the internet recently that seem to pointing to a shortage of manpower in the military despite the "stop-loss" orders being promulgated from the five-sided monument to Murphy's law on the Potomac. If there's a shortage, I'll bet money that if the Miserable Failure wins (no! no!) and they institute a draft, something that one of my faithful commenters, Bryan, has said will come true: A two-tier pay scale for draftees v. volunteers, it seems like such republican thing to do, don't you think? Cheap labor conservatives indeed.
posted by Jo Fish on 12.30.03 at 12:13 AM
Comments:
Following the Soviet model, we can pay the conscripts about enough for a pack of cigarettes a week. Following the New Capitalist* model, we can make their parents pay for luxuries like bottled water, body armor, plane tickets home, rifle lube, etc. This is brilliant. Now, how not to draft the kids of the key Republican demographics may take some work . . . Karl? Karl?!
*New Capitalism: Same as the old Capitalism, before it was corrupted by socialist ideas like equality, unions, healthcare as some kind of right, controls on child labor -- before there was this awful competing socialist system which has failed so miserably in the East, like the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria, Austria, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands -- you know, all those failed socialist states.
posted by: Invigilator on 12.30.03 at 03:59 PM [permalink]
Stoploss still has my Marine in it's grips. He was suppose to be out last April yet got sent to Iraq in March. He came home after Thanksgiving and now is facing a 90% chance of heading back to Iraq after the New Year. Big time depression! That discharge many never come. He says they might kill him first.
Stoploss still has my Marine in it's grips. He was suppose to be out last April yet got sent to Iraq in March. He came home after Thanksgiving and now is facing a 90% chance of heading back to Iraq after the New Year. Big time depression! That discharge many never come. He says they might kill him first.
Posted by Marine's Girl at December 30, 2003 07:17 PM
Ummmm... It's in the contract he signed and is open information.
As to the draft...
Maybe you have a good idea there!
Draft the healthy people on welfare, put 'em to work, and realign those welfare/medicare funds into the budget for draftees.
Even better!
We can round up all the illegal aliens and give them the option of being deported or being drafted to be second-tier grunts!
We can kill multiple birds with one stone!
posted by: Deathbunny on 12.30.03 at 09:43 PM [permalink]
The necessity of the draft was the impetus for social security programs.
Otto von Bismarck instituted the programs in Germany after discovering that only approximately 10% of workers were in good enough condition to be drafted. As Otto wanted an army, workers got unemployment insurance.
The British followed suit for the same reason.
My Father had to wait 3 years after he filed for retirement to actually leave the Air Force because of "stop loss".
I left after 8 years because they were talking seriously about eliminating the 20 year retirement and replacing it with only a 30 year retirement at 50% instead of 75%.
posted by: Bryan on 12.31.03 at 01:37 AM [permalink]
The draft is a fantasy of idiots who have no understanding of the military. Why is it that the Pentagon is the most vehement opponent of mandatory service? Because, contrary to what some people might think, those of us in the military are not interchangeble cogs that can be replaced with any bonehead off the street.
The draft won't happen until the Democrats can control both the executive and legislative branches. So, in other words, we don't have to worry about the draft happening in our lifetime.
Joe, WTF are you talking about? Which Dems want a draft on the terms you are talking about? Rangel et al suggest it as way to point out the folly of the 1600 Crew policy and their contempt for the military.
I see the warfloggers as advocates. You are correct that the military are not "cogs". That's not the view of many Chickenhawks though. See quotes.
If the ShrubCo WH listened to the military (or the CIA, for that matter), we wouldn't even BE in Iraq.
But the neocon chickenhawk moron brigade is in charge, so we can expect a draft even if it is a rotten "solution" to the military manpower problem that the brigade created.
Because they have their grand schemes, and reality be damned.
posted by: Satan luvvs Repugs on 12.31.03 at 01:37 PM [permalink]
"Ummmm... It's in the contract he signed and is open information."
Yes, the contract that the government is allowed to break at any time yet the other party is not.
I don't think any of our guys expected our military to be highjacked and misused by a crazed maniac. Lessons were learned from Vietnam, right? Or they should have been.
"Lessons were learned from Vietnam, right? Or they should have been."
Maybe if those in the administration had the nuts to go to Vietnam, they would have learned those lessons.
posted by: Cassidy on 01.02.04 at 12:32 PM [permalink]
Hey, Deathbunny, intead of your class warfare-based approach, let's use a idealogical-based draft system. Basically, you put your ass where your piehole is.
If your congress critter voted for the war, there will be a draft in your district. Those registered to the same party as the chickenhawk, get the lower numbers.
Of course, family of the President and Congress get mandatory combat service.
posted by: Ras_Nesta on 01.02.04 at 01:56 PM [permalink]
