SSS has been working nearly 2 years on SKILLS DRAFT! Ready for 2005 vote

[Dems Will Win]

Agency initiates steps for selective draft

Saturday, March 13, 2004

By ERIC ROSENBERG
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- The government is taking the first steps toward a targeted military draft of Americans with special skills in computers and foreign languages. Nonetheless, the agency has begun the process of creating the procedures and policies to conduct such a targeted draft in case military officials ask Congress to authorize it and the lawmakers agree to such a request.

-snip-

Flahavan said Selective Service planning for a possible draft of linguists and computer experts began last fall after Pentagon personnel officials said the military needed more people with skills in those areas. The spokesman said it could take about two years to "to have all the kinks worked out."

The agency already has a special system to register and draft health care personnel ages 20 to 44 in more than 60 specialties if necessary in a crisis. According to Flahavan, the agency will expand this system to be able to rapidly register and draft computer specialists and linguists, should the need ever arise. But he stressed that the agency has received no request from the Pentagon to do so.

-snip-

A Pentagon official familiar with personnel issues stressed that the armed forces are against any form of conscription but acknowledged that the groundwork is already under way at the Selective Service System.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/164693_draft13.html

Thing is people, and this is Dems Will Win talking, they started working on the Skills Draft in Feb 2003 when they had their meeting. If it takes 2 years to work out the kinks to develop a workable database system and compliance card, etc. That would give you Feb 2005 for the Skills Draft being ready to implement within a short time.

The SSS said they did not start until Fall of 2003. THAT IS A LIE and I will prove it in another thread.

BUSH '04 = DRAFT '05

[gmoney]

1. Makes me glad to have no skills

[Dems Will Win]

2. You must still register if under 34 man or woman

and check off on the SSS compliance card your skill from a list of several hundred, the Armed Forces Specialty Code!




PRINT THE PDF: http://somnamblst.tripod.com/draftalert.pdf
HANG THIS FLYER EVERYWHERE

This is a SPECIAL MILITARY DRAFT ALERT. THIS IS NOT THE RANGEL DRAFT BILL, THIS IS NEW! THIS IS BUSH QUIETLY READYING THE COMBAT DRAFT AND HAVING THE SELECTIVE SERVICE CREATE A NEW DRAFT FOR 2005.

In May, the Seattle Post Intelligencer published an article about a document they received through the Freedom of Information Act. It was revealed that the SSS is currently “designing procedures” for the implementation of a “Skills Draft” after holding a top-level meeting on it with Deputy Undersecretaries at the Defense Department. The top-level This draft would change the very mission of the Selective Service and require “virtually every young American”, male and female ages 18-34, to register for the Skills Draft and list all the occupations they are proficient in to fill labor shortages throughout nearly the entire government.

Here, for the first time, is the FOI document itself:

http://blatanttruth.org/selective_service091304.pdf

This document is real, having been acknowledged by the DoD and the SSS when they said no action is being taken on it at the present time, as reported:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/171522_draft01.html

Although Congress would have to approve new legislation to create a Skills Draft or reinstate the combat draft, Family Circle reported in its July 13 issue that Karl Rove has polled GOP members of Congress in September 2002 to see if they would support the President if he requests reinstatement. The Republicans said they would vote for the draft.

In addition, the SSS itself has said that it is “designing procedures” (Seattle PI, May 1, 2004) to implement the skills draft, meaning designing the compliance cards and the data fields needed to keep track of “virtually every young American” and their skills. Acting Director of the SSS Brodsky has also said the Skills Draft is the “top priority” of the Selective Service for 2004. The Issue Paper options include:

- Allow a non-combat draft for shortages in critical skills, without calling a combat draft.

- Fill labor shortages of all kinds throughout not only DoD but the Dept. of Homeland Security and other agencies, especially high-paying professionals like computer networking specialist or linguist.

- Create a single-point, all-inclusive database, in which every young person would be forced to send in a “self-declaration” of all of their critical skills, chosen from a long list of occupations like the Armed Forces Specialty Code. The usual penalties of imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine would apply to all non-registrants.

In the secret planning meeting document, the next steps strongly recommended by SSS Acting Director Brodsky were:

1. “Promptly” redefine the SSS Mission to draft men and women up to age 34 for skills, and deliver them within 90 days or sooner to the Department of Defense. Program a massive database to be ready to enter millions of names of those registering their critical skills.

2. Expand mission to deliver personnel in skills draft to the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, including FEMA, NSC, Border Patrol, INS, Customs, Corporation for National Service, Public Health Service and other agencies.

3. Form interagency task force to provide Administration with recommendation on this skills draft for the entire government.

4. Obtain White House Statement of Administration Policy on the future of the SSS.

5. Be prepared to market the skills draft, raising the non-combat age to 34 and the drafting of women to the Armed Services and Appropriations Committee.

In contrast to this planning and preparation to create a targeted draft, Kerry plans to spend an additional $7 billion to strengthen the Volunteer Army in what is essentially a “No-Draft Plan”. Moreover, Kerry is strongly opposed to the neo-con plan revealed in Wes Clark’s book Winning Modern Wars, in which Clark was told by a senior Pentagon official that invasions of Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Sudan and Somalia were planned and still to come over the next three years.

DON'T FORGET TO USE THE .PDF NOT THE .GIF FILE.

BUSH '04 = DRAFT '05

KERRY '04 = PNAC OUT THE DOOR!

[serryjw]

42. More draft Goodies for you!

Anyone whom believes that the draft is not coming is living on another planet.

http://www.nisbco.org/UAA/ss_state_pen.htm

http://www.berkeleybeacon.com/news/2004/04/22/Editorial/Proposed.Draft.Plan.Would.Be.Difficult.To.Dodge-668829.shtml?page=2

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/6/24/104815.shtml

[Dems Will Win]

5. They will be drafting truck drivers, mere computer users, cooks, U name it

Sorry no way out

Except elect Kerry and his NO-DRAFT PLAN.

[gmoney]

6. Then I guess I'm glad I'm an old fart

...with no skills

This DOES suck... I'm against anyone being drafted against their will.

Makes me wonder how many of the gays they threw out they now wish they had.

[GeorgeBushytail]

28. Draft lottery???

Are you an old enough fart to have been in the draft lottery?

I lucked out and got #276 out of 365 in 1970. I remember watching the lottery on TV and letting out a sigh of relief when my birthdate got assigned that high number. I knew I was safe. I still have my old draft card (slightly charred).

[gmoney]

29. not quite that old

...around here I feel old sometimes...

[amazona]

17. me too!

Not much use for blackjack players in Iraq.

[wurzel]

3. I guess if the military needs "skills" none of the rich need worry.

They are already making their "contribution" to the war by buying Haliburton shares.

[saigon68]

22. They are too Busy ( R. Cheney's excuse) to bother

Let the minorities and foreigners fight. Hell the White Elite will never soil their hands.

[Corgigal]

4. Seattle Post Intelligencer

Why is this paper the only paper that writes anything about a possible draft? Always this one same newspaper. It's not that I don't believe it, I do but I wonder where the rest of the "free press" is?

[sallyseven]

7. There is no free press.

Only repug corporate whores get the ink.

[Dems Will Win]

8. Actually Rosenberg's articles are so edited

a lot of the important stuff was never published.

EXCEPT HERE ON DU

by me.....

[Dems Will Win]

9. kick

[BeHereNow]

13. How?

How do you obtain the unpublished articles?
Thanks to you, however you do it!
I am going to print the blatant truth flier out
an PLASTER it on my daughter's campus,
a state university.
Again-
THANK YOU for tirelessly keeping us informed
on this issue.
BHN

[northzax]

10. There will be no draft.

There will be no draft. get that through your head. A draft would fail. no one wants it. the military doesn't want it, the people don't want it, the politicians don't want it. It is quite simply not going to happen unless to repel a direct invasion of the United States mainland. And by that I mean ten million canadians invading Minnesota (And even then we might make a deal)

The Selective Service always has draft plans in storage, they always are making new ones, it's what they do. Did you know the military has plans for the invasion of Ireland? And Greenland? and Bermuda? And Switzerland? that's what they do, they make plans for every possible scenario they can think of. Do you think we're really planning on invading Bermuda? but they make plans, just in case. Go have a financial checkup sometime, they'll help you make plans for every possible eventuality. that's what they do, make plans.

This constant hysterical wailing about the pending draft is getting tiresome and distracting people from the real issues of the campaign. stop, take a deep breath, and remember it would take an act of congress to change the draft status of women, and any congressman who voted for it, I don't care where they are from, would lose the next election. It's a suicide pill. You might as well retire if you vote for this, because no one will vote for you. Congressmen and women might as well vote against mothers, apple pie and baseball.

Unless you have something reasonable to posit on this subject, besides a pie in the sky 'planning session' and some mumbling about Republicans voting for a draft. You really think these people who hate having women in the military will vote to DRAFT them? think about it. stop panicking people. please.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[northzax]

25. well this is a helpful rebuttal

thanks for raising the level of discourse.

[AntiFascist]

33. Sorry for the Cheney remark....

but I really feel that if Bush gets reelected then there is going to be another terrorist event sometime afterwards which will work to mobilize Congress and much of the American public to start another attack. Since Bush will be less concerned with popular opinion at that point, who knows how he is going to gather the necessary human resources. He can make all the promises he wants to in order to get elected, but another attack in the U.S. may change everything.....once again.

I really think there is a strong argument that Kerry will be a much more powerful leader in preventing terrorism, not because of his record on this war or only because of his actions in Viet Nam, but because he will have more robust support from the world at large.

[Dems Will Win]

12. Thanks for the post. I would agree with you. Except for several things

I don't report about the Congress. That's all irrelevant. If Bush gets back in and goes to Congress and says "we're not going to cut and run, give me the draft", he will get the DRAFT.

What's important is EXACTLY what is going on, not the spin given out by the National Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (the government and the media). The new document of the Feb. 11 Issue Paper gives us the first behind the scenes look at it all. That's what's so critical about it. This goes way beyond contingency planning and 5-year readiness drills, not to mention the neo-con plan to invade more countries, for which a large combat DRAFT

Here's what's going on that makes me certain the DRAFT is being made ready behind the scenes:

The SSS deliberately tried to mislead reporters and anti-draft leaders about the Feb.11 meeting and when we see it, it is far more expansive than they ever talked about. Then the SSS Acting Director Brodsky says the Skills Draft is the SSS's "Top Priority" for 2004.

What part of TOP PRIORITY am I misunderstanding?

The many Seattle PI articles all state that the Agency admits the groundwork is being laid and they are actively "designing procedures", which entails taking the complex Armed FOrces Specialty Code of several hundred occupations and making an SSS Skills Registration card, where you check off all the skills you possess in a "self-declaration" like your IRS form. Then you sign it under penalty of perjury with your name and address and phone number, including your cell phone. They are actively designing those fields to be ready to instantly start programming the planned massive database that will be needed to track the tens of millions of young people under 35 and their skills.

What part of GROUNDWORK BEING LAID am I misunderstanding?

What part of DATA FIELDS AND SKILLS REGISTRATION CARDS BEING DESIGNED am I misunderstanding?

I'm surprised they actually are so brazen to be doing what they are doing right now. They really want to get the DRAFT going as soon as possible and are even willing to RISK THE ELECTION TO GET IT READY!

[BeHereNow]

16. CONCRETE analysis of reasons for the draft

here:
http://engforum.pravda.ru/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=60505

[northzax]

24. pravda? we're sinking to Pravda?

as a source? I'd about as trust the Moonie Times as Pravda. (come to think of it, they're roughly the same thing)

All of these are real problems, no doubt, but put together, they do not approximate what would be neccesary for the american people to accept forced conscription. The only thing that might, perhaps, get people on board is true mandatory conscription, with no way out for anyone, and the powers that be will never allow that to happen. So of all the things I'm worried about, a draft is not one of them at this juncture.

The reasons listed here are not amenable to a 'skills draft' which is what is being discussed here, they are amenable to a cannon-fodder draft (something that Pravda should know well, since Russia has one) The idea as posited in this piece under discussion is to draft the middle class, those with skills useful in homeland security and nation building, not the skill-less, uneducated lower class. (obviously, this is an exagerration, there are a multitude of skill sets possessed by people lower on the socio-economic scale in the US, but they are not currently needed or relevant to this discussion.

[BeHereNow]

30. Sorry to point out...

This article was not published on Pravda.
It has basically been wiped from the net-
No wonder there-
The link I posted is a Pravda message board where the
article was sharred by a third party.
What you are missing in your analysis is the fact that
what the American people "want" is IRRELEVANT
to the goals of empire.
If you do not yet comprehend that "cannon fodder"
and "special skills" are one in the same then you simply have not
been paying attention. "Cannon fodder" and "special
skills" Americans who are "employed" to benefit
the hegemonic grasping of the multi national
corporatists will be equally hated and targeted
anywere that they are hapless enough to be
deployed, by the people they are visibly (cannon fodder) or
not so visibly (special skill) suppressing for the empire.

In case you haven't noticed, the plan is to eliminate
the middle class- forcing everyone to participate
on some level, in building and sustaining the multi national
empirical domination of the planet.

A special skills draft will take care of the middle class in
this country, who though educated, can not find
their out-sourced job. The military industrial complex
has a use for unemployed and educated Americans too.
Just ask a truck driver for Halliburton, or a nurse
living in Uzbekistan and working at the Kellog Brown and Root
employee health center.
You really do not appear to comprehend what is happening,
so I don't know why I am even replying...so end of rant.
BHN

[AntiFascist]

34. I agree with your views on the middle class

Middle class youth may misinterpret terrorism, or future terrorist attacks, as being the reason why there is a lack of higher paying jobs for them. They may be more inclined to go along with the draft in a misguided attempt to restore America to a state of prosperity for their class. In fact, they are helping to feed the profits of corporations who depend on the success of battle, and support their political policies which are further dividing the classes.

[BeHereNow]

38. Furthermore-

Middleclass youth will no longer have
their parent's middleclass incomes to bank roll
their education, so regardless of how they interpret
future attacks, they are going to have to figure
out how to put a roof over their heads and eat.
As the military industrial multi national complex
has carefully orchestrated, service to the empire
is going to be their only option...whether it means
being cannon fodder or operating the dishwasher
at a base in Malaysia. Those with "special skills"
will work for them too- and you know what the ultimate
he who laughs last, laughs longest point is?
The idiots who still support the leaders of the empire
will be working side by side with the people who tried
to warn them, unless of course they are fortunate
enough to be part of the global ruling class, which
let's face it, the majority of them are not.
The majority of them are uneducated poor white trash.
God help them all- at least we know what's coming...
it's going to shock the hell out of them to learn that
the people they support planned to turn them into
third world workers all along.
Heh-
BHN

[northzax]

27. you give too much credit

to government beaurocrats. the SSS does this all the time, it is a government agency with nothing to do, in order to maintain their presence and relevance, they have to continue to make work for themselves. Can you tell me what the top priority of the SSS was in 2003? how about 2002? what does the organisation do? collect information from 18 year olds. I have moved 9 times in the past decade, since I registered, that data is basically useless.

Look at the steps that would have to be taken to implement this draft.

First, it would take an act of both houses of Congress. That's a minumum of six months for something like this. Second, it would take using date from the IRS or Social Security, since they're the only ones who know where most people are (assuming you pay taxes) That would take another act of congress, one that would be challenged in court immediately. Another year would wind on while the courts fight it out to the Supreme Court (if it's quick, that is) And another three months for the Supremes to decide (which they would, something this big, they'd hear. So now we're in the summer of 2006. You think the congressmen and women want to go home, in an election year, just as draft cards are being mailed out? nope. So if the cards are on the way out in say, October of 2006, the House and Senate will change hands completely, I'd say only a third of all reps and senators who voted for the bill will win reelection, no matter who they are. The new reps and senators can read the writing on the wall, and will continue to debate the issue. Meanwhile, you will have the military complaining about the draft. they hate it. No army comprised of draftees is equal to a professional force 1/3rd the size. No one wants this. remember that.

So while I appreciate that there are 'plans' being made, remember that they are just plans, and that plans, especially ones made by the government, are often laid to bed when something interferes.

[DemBones DemBones]

40. It didn't take them six months to approve the PATRIOT Act,

or to approve going into Afghanistan, or even to approve going into Iraq, did it?

You're looking at rational, logical arguments against a draft. Public sentiment. Do you think Bush* will give a damn about public sentiment if he gets a second term?

[mreh]

14. I have tried to use this when talking to my brother and his

wife (she is a nurse and they are both under 44). They think I am making it up since the mainstream media hasn't discussed it. They think it is one of my liberal scare tactics.

:shrug: What can you do?

[Dems Will Win]

15. Geez, and nurses will be right after linguists on the shortage list

The medical draft is capable of drafting 80,000 a year, the combat draft 100,000 a month (with the trigger resolution and funding).

There is one deferment:"essential community service". Not defined any further, cases decided by draft and appeals boards.

[mreh]

18. Yeah, and they have 2 kids under 4 yrs of age, and . . .

he is a supervisor of patrol on the police force that has lost his overtime, yet, he will vote for the shrub!

He said he would rather that "we fight them over there" than here, whatever that really means. They believe the b.s., they drink readily from the kool aide and they will be directly effected by another 4 years of the weed that would be king, yet they will vote for him.

I must have been adopted! My brain doesn't not work like the rest of my families' brains. :shrug:

[Corgigal]

21. How can any cop

(I'm married to one) vote republican who believes in cutting taxes which is where you get your funding. Funding equals your salary. Anyone who works in the public sector is asking for a pink slip when they vote republican.
Sounds like more macho BS then brains to me. I feel the same way for teachers and firemen also. Idiots.

[mreh]

26. It is totally beyond my ability to comprehend...

I believe that the admin send "experts" to the p.d.s to conduct "terrorist" seminars and part of their duty is to instill the fear and to convinence the cops that fighting terrorists overseas is better than fighting them here.

:shrug: It is so mind boggling.

[BeHereNow]

39. "essential community service"

Hmmm, would that be maids, gardeners, child care workers
for the elite?
Methinks, "Yes!" Jobs here that the elite don't want
to do themselves- Someone has to stock uniforms and
toilet paper at the local Walmart for the civilian worker camps
here. Modern day debtors prison for the people who can't
pay their credit card bills and have lost their jobs and houses.
All those empty military bases will come in handy then!
We should do a geographical analysis of how many
Walmarts are near those empty bases- maybe we can all
put our relocation assignment requests in early!

BHN

[Lone_Wolf]

19. Is there a skills list that shows the skills needed?

I want to show this to the conservatives in my family who probably have some of the critical skills. It might change their mind on who they'll vote for ;-)

[Dems Will Win]

20. What I know

Pentagon is suffering from immediate labor shortages. Recently, the inactive Ready Reserve had to be called up for the first time since the Gulf War to fill 5,600 job shortages in the Armed Forces. DoD said in the recent IRR callup “20% of the call-ups are truck drivers, 12% are supply specialists who can use a computer to track supplies, 10% are Humvee mechanics, 7% are administrative specialists and 6% are combat engineers” (USA Today, August 8, 2004).

The DoD has also officially announced they are facing a shortage of nurses, linguists, computer networking specialists, and engineers. Also medical specialists, I heard. Can really be anything from desk clerk to driver to cook to security police, etc.

THe Armed Forces Specialty Code with Skill Identifier I understand is several hundred skills. They will be modifying that list for DoD and the Dept of Homeland Security. Would be great to get that list...

[Dems Will Win]

23. kick

[BeHereNow]

31. Any skill is useful to Empire-

What Americans have not understood yet is this:
Out sourcing of jobs equals elimination of the middle class.
Now, typically your middle class is comprised of jobs
that would be classified as "special skills" jobs.
Multinational corporatists can not complete a multi national
economy without reducing the life style of the so called middle class,
(which the majority of are in debt up to their teeth in their
struggle to maintain their "middle class" life styles)
in this country. In debt to who? The multi national corporate
banks! Their solution? Force Americans to join the
global slave wage work force. It really is that simple.
Want to eat and have a roof over your head
when the economic bubble bursts in 2005?
Move to Malaysia and work beside your fellow global employees
for the empire, it is your duty after all, to protect "national interests."
As in the multi national corporate interests which
have overthrown your government and now own the
seats in your legislative branches.
I repeat: we be screwed.
BHN

[BamaGirl]

32. skills draft!? guessing that means me

We've been hearing these rumors since 9/11, but haven't put much credence in them until very recently. It's this "skills draft" that does it, and freaks me out and the lack of discussion on the matter. How are they are going to deal with single mothers? Dual military families? I had a job in the military that is seriously short handed now and because they screwed up my discharge paperwork I got out and not put in the irr, which means I don't have 8 years on the books. What is the plan for ppl like me? I don't necessarily object to a draft (cause I think it'll make Congress rethink this war really freaking quick), but I do object to the complete lack of info from the ppl planning it. It would be just my luck to get recalled/drafted as my husband gets redeployed. (The Pentagon statement doesn't take into account the people in the irr they have managed to convince to volunteer for deployments either, so it isn't exactly accurate.)

~~BamaGirl

[Dems Will Win]

35. kick

[BeHereNow]

37. I just noticed your Chardin tag!

The man was a prophet.
We be noogenesing our way to the end.
No doubt in my mind that the internet is the noosphere...
BHN

[BeHereNow]

36. Welcome to DU BamaGirrrl!

I think it is possible that dual military families with young
ones will be relying heavily on family members because
the military industrial complex and Bush clearly do not
give a crap about families or people in general.
I have a feeling it will be, "Your country ( trans:multi national
corporations) need you! Everyone makes sacrifices
in war time! It is your elderly parents, aunts, brothers,
sister's, who ever is available, patriotic duty to care
for your children- you are needed in ------ fill in the blank,
since they fully intend to invade the entire universe.
This is a very good time to consider immigrating to another
galaxy actually. We are looking at New Zealand.
We might end up extremely poor, but at least we wont
be forced to work for Walmart or the Halliburton owned Pentagon
of the United States Empire.

[robertpaulsen]

41. Kicked and bookmarked!

:kick: