Draft evasion

Draft evasion and draft resistance, a not-infrequent and all-to-familiar event belonging to another era, that of the Vietnam War, may well soon be making a comeback. The very definite possibility of a prolonged occupation by U.S. troops in Post-war Iraq, and the demands being placed upon reservists and National Guard personnel to carry out the war effort, have also lead to the subsequent possibility of activation of the Selective Service System, i.e. conscription, otherwise known as the draft, to meet that demand.

A prime indicator recently came from Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, speaking before the U.S. House of Representatives on November 21, 2003, who stated that "plans are being made to drastically expand the human cost by forcing conscription on the young men (and maybe women) who have no ax to grind with the Iraqi people and want no part of this fight" and that "the draft will likely be reinstated."

The Congressman further notes that "Without conscription, unpopular wars are much more difficult to fight. Once the draft was undermined in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam War came to an end.  But most importantly, liberty cannot be preserved by tyranny." [ibid]

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Other Related SourceWatch Resources

 * chickenhawk
 * Conscientious Objector
 * Department of Veterans Affairs
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/External Links (March-April 2003)
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/External Links (May-September 2003)
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/External Links (October-December 2003)
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/Pre-War News Items
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/AWOL/Desertion
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/Depleted Uranium
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/Soldier Suicides
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics/Gulf War Illness
 * Occupation forces in Iraq
 * Pax Americana
 * Post-war Iraq/Vietnam War terms
 * preemptive war
 * Selective Service System
 * U.S. Central Command