Military Draft Bill to Be Voted on Tonight (10/5)

News Flash: Military Draft Bill to Be Voted on Tonight (10/5)

In a surprise election year legislative maneuver, the House
Republican leadership is expediting consideration of a bill to resume
the military draft (HR 163). Apparently seeking both to quell
widespread rumors that the Republicans may soon resume the draft and
to shift this political hot potato to the Democrats, the Republican
leadership has decided to put the issue to a vote under a "suspension
of rules" whereby a bill is brought to the floor without committee
hearings or a markup. There will be a 40-minute debate; no amendments
will be allowed; and then the vote will be taken. The leadership
expects the bill to be soundly defeated. Even Rep. Rangel (NY), who
originally introduced the bill in early 2003, says he will vote
against it.

Rep. Rangel (NY) and 13 other Democrats introduced the bill prior to
the war in Iraq. Rangel believes the all-voluntary military is an
unjust form of military conscription that draws primarily from the
economically disadvantaged. He also believes the U.S. would be more
cautious about going to war if everyone’s son or daughter had an
equal likelihood of being called upon to fight.

We at FCNL believe the military draft is not the way to bring about
the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, we call upon
Congress to redirect the tremendous human and material resources now
devoted to war and preparing for war to address the root causes of
violence, to build cooperative, international institutions to
peacefully prevent deadly conflicts, and to advance human security in
all its dimensions.


For more information, please see the background information on
FCNL’s web site at
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1090&issue_id=37, or
contact the Center on Conscience and War at http://www.nisbco.org/