Would a draft cause draft riots?

[bluestateguy]

During the Civil War the military draft proved to be polarizingly unpopular. Most of those drafted, North and South, never signed up. They either dodged it, paid a subsitute or (in the South) were exempted for owning "20 Negroes". In 1863, New York City exploded into bloody riots amidst Irish working-class resentments over the inequities of the draft. Other cities experienced smaller riots.

Surely, the draft during the Vietnam War fueled the intensity and the militancy of the anti-war movement.

I certainly don't trust this Administration and their allies in Congress to devise an equitable draft. When the time comes to bring back the draft, I assure you it will not be the equitable plan being proposed by Charlie Rangel and Fritz Hollings. It will be for men only and will contain all kinds of loopholes for the well to do. I'll bet you that Rangel and Hollings vote against a bill like that.

If an inequitable draft is reinstated to fuel an unpopular war that clearly serves the interests of the wealthy, could we see something like the 1863 draft riots again?

[gristy]

1. I think a draft may very well tear our country apart.

It could be the final straw.

on edit: perhaps if there was a public service alternative...

[RapidCreek]

8. I disagree.

I think it would bring our country together. When everyones ass is on the line everyone starts thinking of ways to keep that ass safe and sound. It's a hell of allot easier to send some dumb fucker off to do your dirty work than doing it yourself. When forced to do it yourself you shall actively contemplate and pursue ways in which to avoid dirty work. You shall inspire your representatives to do the same.

I don't buy this "highly trained" military shit. Anyone can carry around an M16 and draw fire. Anyone can serve as the butt end of the "bring em on" approach to diplomacy. The thing is, most kids in this country would not want to. We wouldn't see 80% of the kids in a Chris Matthews talk show audience raising their hands when asked if they support our countries invasion of Iraq if such support meant their pasty white asses would be leaving college and taking the next flight to Iraq. Like I said above, if forced with the very real likelihood that they would be..they'd take a very active interest in preventing such an approach to our problems and seeing to it that those who advocate such an approach never were elected. In short, if there were a draft, we wouldn't be in Iraq right now. The likelihood that we would be engaged in a war anyplace, would be reduced almost to zero.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

RC

[ThomWV]

16. Agreed

I agree with every single word you have just said.

[BrotherBuzz]

22. You know, even Rumsfeld may agree...(er, disagree)

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld remarked (Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003) that draftees added "no value, no advantage, really, to the United States Armed Services over any sustained period of time."

Rumsfeld said these ridiculous words because what you said was the truth. He has a real dilemma, a Catch 22; he needs the draftees for his war, but he can't have his war because the backlash from the draft would kill support for the war. I think Joseph Heller may be smiling.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. If it gets time for a draft,

I'm sure Bush will declare any resistors as "terrorists" and ship them off to Gitmo. I agree, though, that it will be surprising if they draft women. Wouldn't go well with the fundamentalist base that doesn't want women to do anything but be housewives and mothers.

[Don_G]

3. Possibly A Significant Exodus

To Canada and massive unrest in the US like Vietnam did.

[soothsayer]

4. It's a different world. I think many kids would simply refuse

One of those "they can't arrest ALL of us" scenarios, where maybe a huge majority just refuses to report. Some poor saps will and will get blown all the hell up while the bfee counts its blood money, but I think alot will just outright refuse. at least, i hope that's what will happen (except the part about the poor saps, and the bfee and their money)

[caledesi]

15. Agree. This ain't the 60s. (I was there) nt

[DuctapeFatwa]

5. If it did, they could just put the poor areas under 24 hour lockdown

with shoot-to-kill orders.

Any exodus that would take place would be limited to those with the funds to do so.

[Prodemsouth]

6. For the upteenth time a draft is not going to happen.

Defense Contractors hate the draft. Repugs know that people will be much more intrested in Iraq- if they have a son who might be going "over there." Slowly they will remember Vietnam, it will pop back up; despite what poppy Bush said about kicking the Vietnam Syndrome. It is simply bad politics we can only hope they are that stupid. The demise of the draft went hand in hand with the weakness we see in the peace movement today and the left in America today.

[Kamika]

7. It's not a "draft"

It's "patriotic holiday"

[frank frankly]

9. it will start riots

and I will be participating!

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

10. Probably would cause riots

I would guess.

[pinkpops]

11. Having been of draft age in the 60's

I would venture to say there will ne no draft with exemptions for the well-to-do.

[candy331]

12. This young

crowd today would just refuse to go i believe. They like computer games and war videos but to go in real life I just don't think they would do it.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

13. If rich people won't go, we won't go

It's pretty simple.

[mlawson]

20. I agree; they would just ignore the whole thing.

Then when the authorities showed up at their doors,

:wtf:

[Garage Queen]

14. Sadly, no.

If the American people weren't outraged enough about sElection 2000 to mount a decent protest, they sure as hell won't do anything about the draft. In November 2000 I remember thinking that if election fraud on THIS grand of a scale were to happen in any other country on the planet there would have been MASSIVE protests and riots. But here? Nada. Bupkis. Zip. Zilch.

"Hey, you guys are subverting the election process? Oh, ok...."

[thinkingwoman]

23. most people didn't understand what happened in 2000

I'm sorry. But they just didn't get it. Still to this day they don't get it.

Kids being sent to fight against their will? THAT will be understood.

Further, if the draft is brought back there are two details that will fuel the blow up and both stem from the gender problem...can't draft girls.

1. If girls are drafted with boys, even the freepers will howl because they don't think girls should be on the front lines remember?

2. If girls are exempted, some bright boy (with the help of the aclu god bless em) will point out that legally that won't fly. It's discrimination AGAINST boys to send them to die while leaving the girls at home. Again, the freepers will howl about the aclu and whatever else Rush feeds them.

The draft will not be tolerated. Seriously.

[LuCifer]

17. Riots, maybe. Republicans losing every election for 20 years, YES!

IF ONLY!

Com'on Bush. Com'on pussy! Bring back the draft! I QUINTUPLE DARE YOU! Commit political suicide!!!

Lu Cifer

[roguevalley]

18. I think you would see a swell in the population of Canada.

I would send my three draft bait nephews to our relatives
in ten seconds. It would be horribly devisive. After all,
my gen is the one that had the draft and it sucked.

[izzie]

19. The Irish thing was a little different.

They came here not to fight and die is a war for white English men. and that is how they looked at it. I think it was the lies in the Vietnam time and poor people and no college men going. Who was going and why were we in the middle of a civil was in Asia.

[populistmom]

21. If it did...

Ashcroft and CO. could round them up, put them in prison as enemy combatants, and leave them there indifinately without legal counsel. It could happen- legally. The draft must never return or it will be the closest thing we've seen to slavery in America in 138 years.

[Pez]

24. nah; i bet no one would show up this time

what, are they going to arrest EVERYONE?

[jokerman93]

25. What if they gave a war...

and nobody came?

If you make a flash mob, you can make a flash boycott...

[sleipnir]

26. Can you say, "Direct Action"???

A draft will lead to direct action against the government, it'll be interesting to see who will be left standing.

[Jackhammer Jesus]

27. For me, it depends.

If it's reinstated, I have a feeling there's a good chance I'll be drafted. That said, I'd try my best to keep faith that there'll be a Democrat in office come 2004 who will do the right thing and get the military out as soon as possible.

I can't say I'd feel the same way, though, if Shrub gets another term.

[Dr Fate]

28. The young republicans will all turn gay...

...or at least get there daddies doctor friends to set them up with medical deferments...

[tom_paine]

29. Underground Railroad

[kayell]

30. Yes but,

they will at best be a mild version of what we saw in the '60s. I say that simply because while I think that a draft is coming (they need it to fulfil the PNAC plan), the BFEE will surely arrange another major fear event that will "justify" the need for the draft.

They know the political fallout that would occur if they instituted a draft now, or even just post election (assuming that the worst happens and * wins/steals again). Yet they also need those warm bodies replacing the newly cold ones to keep to the plan. So expect some fresh horror.

More resistance may come later, as more of the public begins to realize that once again they have been had, but I expect that we would see the same wild and stupid rally behind our glorious leader in the event of more "terrarism".

[BillyBlastoff]

31. The People don't Know...

The People of the United States did not get upset about the stolen election. They are not upset with the continuing lies. Before the war started, and tens of thousands... hundreds of thousands... maybe millions protested world wide, my mother asked me, "where are the anti war people protesting?" The People do not know that the America we think we live in is no longer in existance.

I think the Government will start drafting people. I think they have to. How many troops do we have in Korea? 50,000? More? The same number we had stationed when that "Police Action" ended. How many do we need in Iraq? I don't know but I guess more than we have there now. Our amazingly expensive military can attack anyone anywhere. We can't hold that ground unless we have troops.

The kids will be called on to serve. They will get drafted. There will be protests but the word won't get out. The kids will be scared but they will go. Except for the fortunate ones. How long are we going to ignore the obvious about our military?

The most expensive military by far... We spend huge amounts of money on a war machine that failed to protect the People of the United States on September 11th. Throwing more money at it won't make us any safer.