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Dear friend,
The Libertarian Party has launched an online campaign to end draft
registration. The campaign website is:
http://www.EndSelectiveService.org
Since 1980, every male aged 18 to 26 has had to register with the
Selective Service System (SSS). Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) has introduced HR
1597 to eliminate this program -- a program that:
* Is increasingly being used to violate people's privacy.
* Is not necessary for America's defense.
* Is incompatible with the principles of a free society.
The SSS has few friends on Capitol Hill or in the Pentagon, yet
continues to survive, hidden away in the bureaucratic maze of federal
agencies. In 1999, a similar bill introduced by Rep. Paul almost
passed -- with little input from citizens in favor of eliminating the
program. WITH your voice and the voices of tens of thousands of other
citizens, we can end Selective Service. Simply go to
http://www.EndSelectiveService.org
and send a letter to your Congressperson, asking him or her to support HR
1597.
Here's why you should support this campaign:
DRAFT REGISTRATION VIOLATES PRIVACY
* Young men who register have their personal information distributed to
dozens of federal, state and local government agencies -- including the
IRS, INS, DMV and Departments of Education and Defense -- without their
consent and, often, without their knowledge.
* Seven states (AR, OK, DE, GA, HI, AL and UT) now require young men to
register in order to obtain (or renew) their driver's licenses, and 23
other states are currently considering such legislation.
* In the event of war, the SSS is ready to draft all medical personnel
55 years and under.
* The penalties for refusing to fight if drafted, and for going AWOL,
are miniscule compared to those for failing to register. Selective
Service is more concerned with getting you on the government's
"mailing list" than with preparing for some future war.
THE DRAFT AND REGISTRATION ARE UNNECESSARY TO DEFEND AMERICA
Former President Bill Clinton stated that the draft was necessary as
"a relatively low cost 'insurance policy' against our underestimating
the maximum level of threat we expect our Armed Forces to face..."
But the Pentagon and many pro-military politicians disagree:
* Citing the success of the all volunteer military, the Pentagon
concluded: "...it is highly unlikely that we will have to reinstate
the
draft in the foreseeable future... [P]eacetime draft registration could
be suspended without irreparable damage to national security." From
the "Report to the President and Congress: A Review of the Continued
Requirement for Draft Registration," December 1993.
* Senator John McCain (R-AZ) concurs, adding that "...our new
military requires a great deal of training, a great deal of expertise, and
technological skills that, frankly, don't lend themselves to a short-
term draft."
* The Pentagon also noted that conscripts, to be used effectively, take
several months of training, and can't even be trained until volunteers are
done going through training. In today's fast-paced world of
conflict, most wars are over in the time it would take the first
trained conscript to hit the battlefield.
* Even during the Cold War, the necessity (and utility) of a draft was
dubious. As President Reagan observed at the time, "The Soviets
can tell the difference between computer lists of inexperienced young men
and new weapons systems, a million-man reserve, and an experienced
army."
* Most European and other developed countries have dropped the draft in
recent years. They realize that an effective military means using a highly
trained, all volunteer army.
If additional troops are needed for a conflict, our well-trained
reserves can be mobilized much more quickly and cheaply than scarcely
trained draftees. Clinton's "insurance policy" is neither needed
nor desired.
THE DRAFT IS UN-AMERICAN
* "Conscription is not part of the American dream. It is not part of
the American philosophy. It is not part of liberty. It is a
totalitarian notion. Congress has the authority to raise an army, but
it does not have the constitutional authority to enslave a certain
group to bear the brunt of the fighting. A society that cherishes
liberty will easily find volunteer defenders if it is attacked. A free
society that cannot find those willing to defend itself without
coercion cannot survive, and probably does not deserve to." -- Rep.
Paul in House debate.
* "[T]he most fundamental objection to draft registration is moral...
a
draft or draft registration destroys the very values that our society
is committed to defending." -- Ronald Reagan.
SELECTIVE SERVICE IS A COLD WAR LEFTOVER THAT NEEDS TO BE THROWN AWAY
Most people probably think the draft died with Vietnam, but its specter
still haunts us today. We need your help to exorcise this demon – and we
need it NOW. Unlike 30 years ago, we have a chance to end draft
registration BEFORE it claims its FIRST victim. And, regardless of
whether anyone is ever drafted again, $25 million is being wasted every
year on an unnecessary program that violates privacy on a massive scale.
Don't wait, help us end the draft TODAY! Go to:
http://www.EndSelectiveService.org
Sign the petition, write your representatives about HR 1597, and
forward this e-mail to friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or other
people you know who might be interested. (But please don't send it
indiscriminately; spam will only hurt our campaign.)
Sincerely,
Marc Brandl
Libertarian Party Campus Coordinator
MarcBrandl@hq.lp.org
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