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KNOW-THIS
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3694
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GOP threatens MTV about mentioning the draft
 Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:30 am
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http://www.blog.rockthevote.com/2004_10_10_archive.html#109779237957217297
Republican Party Chairman Tells Us To Stop Talking About The Draft
Yesterday, Rock the Vote received a very startling letter from Ed Gillespie, Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He demanded that we stop talking about the issue of the military draft.
The letter leaked out on the Internet and a lot of people wondered whether it was even real. Yes, it is real.
The letter from Chairman Gillespie is here:
http://blog.rockthevote.com/multimedia/RNC%20attacks%20RTV.pdf
Response of MTV here:
Dear Chairman Gillespie,
The letter I received from you yesterday was quite a surprise. It struck us as just the sort of "malicious political deception" that is likely to increase voter cynicism and decrease the youth vote. In fact, it is a textbook case of attempted censorship, very much in line with those that triggered our organization's founding some fifteen years ago.
I am stunned that you would say that the issue of the military draft is an "urban myth"that has been "thoroughly debunked by no less than the President of the United States."
I have some news for you. Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draft does not make it so. Just because Congress holds a transparently phony vote against the draft does not mean there isn't going to be one. Anyone who thinks that the youth of America are going to take a politician's word on this topic is living on another planet.
By your logic, there should be no debate about anything that you disagree with. There's a place for that kind of sentiment (and your threats), but its not here in our country.
There are questions that the politicians are running away from. How long can we keep 138,000 U.S. troops or more on the ground in Iraq? What if full-scale civil war erupts there, as the CIA has warned is a realistic possibility? Would the next President be faced with a choice of pulling out of Iraq rather than institute a draft? Would women be drafted? What exactly would the draft-age be?
According to the Pentagon's own internal assessment, there are "inadequate total numbers" of troops to meet U.S. security interests. The current issue of Time magazine reports that, "General John Keane, who retired last year as the Army's No. 2 officer, says the continued success of the all-volunteer military is not guaranteed" Keane has told Congress that adding more than 50,000 troops to the Army would require thinking about a return to the draft."
But you want young people to believe that the draft is just an "urban myth." I was expecting that you were going to present some facts to back up your assertion. But, instead, you have demanded that we stop talking about it.
Although the draft may not be a discussion topic for someone of your age, we have found that young people - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are very interested in this issue. We believe in the capacity of young Americans to make their own judgments when fairly presented with the facts. That is why we are actively promoting an informed, educated dialogue. I urge you to review the "Debunking the Myths" section on our website where we address misperceptions about the draft.
Mr. Gillespie, this is a generational issue. Nothing cuts closer to the core of the very reason Rock the Vote exists. We think young people deserve to know where the politicians stand on this issue - and that a generation that could be called to service deserves more than the phony debate they are getting. We believe that it is only by asking questions - not by censoring debate - that our democracy can remain strong and vital.
Issues such as jobs, health care, Iraq, taxes, and education have energized the electorate, and the draft issue deserves the same serious treatment and candor. Blanket denials do not square with the facts and do not level with the electorate.
As far as the possibility that Rock the Vote's efforts might "decrease the youth vote," we are feeling very confident at this point that the opposite is true. More than 1.1 million people have used our website to fill out voter registration forms this election cycle. Our street teams and ground partners have registered hundreds of thousands more. Young voters are going to surge at the polls on Election Day and make the difference for whichever candidate does the best job reaching out to them.
Despite the strong and often strident tone of your letter, I would hope that we could both agree that honest and open debate is the surest guarantor of our democracy and liberty.
Sincerely,
Jehmu S. Greene
President
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"You find me offensive? I find you offensive, for finding me offensive" |
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Os Wilkes
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 23
Location: cyberspace |
| Re: GOP threatens MTV about mentioning the draft
Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:47 pm
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quote:
Originally posted by KNOW-THIS
http://www.blog.rockthevote.com/2004_10_10_archive.html#109779237957217297
Dear Know This,
Thank you for posting this.
There's *proof* Herr Bush is yanking our cranks about the draft:
If he really intended to put his money where his mouth is, he would abolish the Selective Service System (which is a Mandatory Registration for the Draft) or at least suspend it. We have the National Guard and the Reserves already in place for National Emergencies. Why should our young men continue to register for the draft if the President promises there won't be one?
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/register/registra.htm
The fact is, more bodies need to be thrown at the War Zone, and they don't have them. Yet.
I would just pay attention to the instances Herr Bush and cronies said one thing and then produced an entirely different outcome, like WMD's. Or the tax cuts for the poor which actually helped the rich. Or the prescription drug plan which was rendered laughable as the unregulated drug companies hiked all their prices.
Oh, he has a whole chorus line of folks who spew the same catch phrases and propaganda over and over. And some very creative ways of cooking numbers and shuffling shells around so you never know where the pea really is.
Both the current President and his father had the same M.O. I seem to recall something about "read my lips".
In the end, it comes down to words versus actions.
IF he does not abolish the Selective Service System, it means clearly that he has no intention of standing firm on his statements regarding the draft.
It is REASONABLE to extrapolate an intention to revive the draft from the refusal to dismantle the system which enables it. Therefore any suit the RNC brings against MTV will fail.
I personally believe that Bush intends to revive the draft. A situation will be created which will make it seem more palatable to the people. I think they might target the Sears Tower, since the same players are on the board as at the Twin Towers prior to 9/11. Owners, Security, and Insurance- all a package deal. Life is of little worth to these folks, unless those lives are enabling their acquisition of even more wealth.
That is why a draft will be necessary, like it was in Vietnam.
People lied about their age to fight WW2, because they believed in it. They believed their lives would not be wasted against the Nazis. The threat was so global, the draft was not resisted.
Not so with the Vampirialistic Wars which are the trend as of late. Few Americans really understood why we were in Vietnam except those who profited from it- hence the resistance.
I don't see people jumping through their asses to fight the War on Terrorism (except for the cyberpunks and spooks who harass people for excercising their freedom of speech on these boards. There are a lot of those popping up lately.)
The Terrorists are not HQ'd in Iraq anyhow. Osama went to Yemen after 9/11, and most of the Terrorists were Saudis, who are supposed to be our "friends". We just just send contractors over to Iraq to trounce around on a bunch of poor folks and wipe their butts with the Geneva Convention to further incite animosity and even more random acts of Terrorism. Which will enable our leaders to justify further expansion.
There will be a draft.
Hotly,
Os
one guy who hates being lied to by leadership |
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Os Wilkes
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 23
Location: cyberspace |
| Re: GOP threatens MTV about mentioning the draft
Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:47 pm
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quote:
Originally posted by KNOW-THIS
http://www.blog.rockthevote.com/2004_10_10_archive.html#109779237957217297
Dear Know This,
Thank you for posting this.
There's *proof* Herr Bush is yanking our cranks about the draft:
If he really intended to put his money where his mouth is, he would abolish the Selective Service System (which is a Mandatory Registration for the Draft) or at least suspend it. We have the National Guard and the Reserves already in place for National Emergencies. Why should our young men continue to register for the draft if the President promises there won't be one?
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/register/registra.htm
The fact is, more bodies need to be thrown at the War Zone, and they don't have them. Yet.
I would just pay attention to the instances Herr Bush and cronies said one thing and then produced an entirely different outcome, like WMD's. Or the tax cuts for the poor which actually helped the rich. Or the prescription drug plan which was rendered laughable as the unregulated drug companies hiked all their prices.
Oh, he has a whole chorus line of folks who spew the same catch phrases and propaganda over and over. And some very creative ways of cooking numbers and shuffling shells around so you never know where the pea really is.
Both the current President and his father had the same M.O. I seem to recall something about "read my lips".
In the end, it comes down to words versus actions.
IF he does not abolish the Selective Service System, it means clearly that he has no intention of standing firm on his statements regarding the draft.
It is REASONABLE to extrapolate an intention to revive the draft from the refusal to dismantle the system which enables it. Therefore any suit the RNC brings against MTV will fail.
I personally believe that Bush intends to revive the draft. A situation will be created which will make it seem more palatable to the people. I think they might target the Sears Tower, since the same players are on the board as at the Twin Towers prior to 9/11. Owners, Security, and Insurance- all a package deal. Life is of little worth to these folks, unless those lives are enabling their acquisition of even more wealth.
That is why a draft will be necessary, like it was in Vietnam.
People lied about their age to fight WW2, because they believed in it. They believed their lives would not be wasted against the Nazis. The threat was so global, the draft was not resisted.
Not so with the Vampirialistic Wars which are the trend as of late. Few Americans really understood why we were in Vietnam except those who profited from it- hence the resistance.
I don't see people jumping through their asses to fight the War on Terrorism (except for the cyberpunks and spooks who harass people for excercising their freedom of speech on these boards. There are a lot of those popping up lately.)
The Terrorists are not HQ'd in Iraq anyhow. Osama went to Yemen after 9/11, and most of the Terrorists were Saudis, who are supposed to be our "friends". We just just send contractors over to Iraq to trounce around on a bunch of poor folks and wipe their butts with the Geneva Convention to further incite animosity and even more random acts of Terrorism. Which will enable our leaders to justify further expansion.
There will be a draft.
Hotly,
Os
one guy who hates being lied to by leadership |
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