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Wednesday, August 25, 2004

So whose kids do they think should fight Bush's wars?
Posted by Jill | 4:56 PM
Isn't it funny how so many people support war until it comes time for their kids, or even themselves, to go?

It's no secret that the PNAC bunch who advises George W. Bush has got a severe hard-on for invasions of Iran and Syria, just as soon as they can get the Diebold, ES&S, and Sequoia voting machines set up in enough places to assure that Captain Dickwave stays in the White House for at least another four years, and possibly in perpetuity if they can convince the American people that since elections are bogus,why have any more?

So where are these soldiers going to come from? Obviously a draft is going to be necessary. The SSA is already set up to implement a draft by June 2005. But there's this strange disconnect between support for war and willingness to actually fight it.

This ain't Doom 3, people. There's a fundamental inconsistency here, and it says something pretty damn ugly about the people who support Bush's wars:


In a sharp reversal from historical support for military service, the first comprehensive national survey on the draft from the Alliance for Security reveals that our country could face a crisis in military capacity with an unprecedented number of draft eligible adults stating they will actively seek deferment or refuse to serve if a draft is reinstated. Moreover, a growing number of parents say that they would not want their child to serve if called to duty today.

Uneasiness over the war in Iraq and growing concern about an overextended military has led to escalating concern about the draft. Furthermore, a majority of Americans now believe that the United States is one major world event away from reinstating the draft.

Meanwhile, there remains strong support for the Bush administration's foreign policy, with 60 percent believing that the U.S. is more secure as a result of the policy of pre-emption.

According to the survey:

-- 52 percent of draft age Americans would actively seek deferment or refuse to serve (32 percent said they would not serve; 20 percent would seek deferment). Fewer than half, only 43 percent of draft age Americans, say they would serve.

-- 40 percent of parents would not want their child to serve or would want their child to seek deferment if called today (32 percent said not serve; 8 percent would encourage child to seek deferment) In making an historical comparison to past surveys, parents are much less likely to want their child to serve than 34 years ago. In 1970, during the height of the Vietnam War, more than 75 percent of parents would have told their child to serve.

-- 71 percent of Americans are concerned about the capacity of the military to meet overseas' commitments and defend the United States from attack.

-- 58 percent are concerned about the possibility that the United States could be headed for a military draft in the near future. 71 percent of draft age women are concerned.

-- 51 percent of Americans believe that the war in Iraq was not worth the cost.

-- 63 percent say that the draft is likely to be reinstated if there was another terrorist attack on U.S. soil; 65 percent say likely if terrorist cells spread and troops are needed to prevent future attacks; 76 percent say likely if two or more of these events occur at the same time.
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