http://www.rebelarmy.com/

can you believe this guy? i can't stand it when people run for an office on a basis of name-calling, fallacious argument, and things taken out of context....

i thought this was a satire at first...how could anyone take this seriously....

the dreaded incorporation of wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription

a lot of good, basic info, including a whole section about the gender issue....

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1284

"Though we've had no draft since 1973, many are calling for conscription now -- and not just for the military. Statists want to force every youth in this country to serve in some capacity and are clamoring to join in the power grab of the current crisis. Those unfit for the military or who qualify as conscientious objectors would be sent grazing somewhere in the homeland. It shouldn't be surprising -- altruists have been singing the servitude song for all eternity. Getting the government involved adds legalized force to their refrain.
"[T]he most fundamental objection to draft registration is moral," President Reagan once said. "[A] draft or draft registration destroys the very values that our society is committed to defending." "

incorporation of women...avidly against draft as a whole, and especially including women

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0429-12.htm

reasons why a military draft could be useful and why an all-volunteer army has not work effectively up until this point

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/04/MNG47C2S0B1.DTL

highlights problems of the scant military that could lead to draft to beef up forces...even though the government is currently against such a change

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.men/browse_thread/thread/d1cfa80c729984c2/8afc01e5e1474cfa%238afc01e5e1474cfa

equality between men and women in the draft....using the russians as a base for discussion...several voices involved, arguing about it

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/biblio/wic.asp

army bibliography of sources pertaining to the topic

http://www.keytlaw.com/F-4/draft.htm

detailed decription about how exactly the draft worked during 'Nam, how people went from registering to finding themselves on the front lines, and what some of the ways to avoid being sent were...acccording to one man's personal, hands-on experience

http://www.korean-war.com/Archives/2003/01/msg00042.html

unclear but with excellent links to info about the draft and how it functions from a few vets' conversation

http://atheism.wpadmin.about.com/?comments_popup=42263

women cant go because we need them for the population. Far fewer men are required, if it comes down to the need for survival of our nation's people.

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158

wants draft to be more than just military...brings in a whole other element to it...also deals with it in light of how europe has handled some of the same decisions...from individual commentators viewpoints

http://www.liquidgeneration.com/Media/Sabotage/Youve_been_Drafted_Sabotage/

this just shows how so many people view the draft in a complete negative light. This is a link for a "practical joke" that you can sent to their friends to make them think they have been called to be drafted....a scare tactic....and an effective one...this is the effect the draft has on many....

http://www.hasbrouck.org/draft/whattodo.pdf

some people just hate and dread the draft so much. this is a whole document of how to avoid the militaryt draft, exploit the loopholes and outright break the law with its justifications. they are out there, but that is point...basically, it is saying to organize and get rid of the draft altogether.

http://www.answers.com/topic/conscription

quite a ways down this page, after several online encyclopedia entries about what "conscription" is, comes one section entitled "The Gender Issue." This is the part that is pertinent, obviously, to our work. it talks about drafting women from a global perspective, the way it has been handle in the past, and how feminists, egalitarians, and masculinists view draft and their supporting reasons.

http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/DG051-099/dg068.wcoc/dg068.wcochistory.htm

A lot of the pro and against women arguments are clearly expressed in this cite, and i thought i would quote a long section of it below so that i would remember where it is for my paper. Interesting points made early halfway through last century and still very similar circumstantially today.


"Objection to the conscription of women . . . ought not to proceed from the assumptionthat chilvalry requires the shielding of women from hardship. There is no reasonfor objecting to it either on the basis of special privilege of sex or of the exemptionof anybody from the hard requirements of our time.
However, the women of the WCOC did oppose conscription of women on a gender specific basis. Military or civilian conscription, they said, would place women, as a sex, back under the complete control of men. In the military or in a war industry job women would be told where to go, how to work, where they could live, and how much they could be paid. WCOC director, Mildred Scott Olmsted wrote on this issue of male domination in 1943:
Women have not fought for and won their right to be free from thedictation of their fathers and husbands as to when and where andhow they may work only to turn that right over to their neighbors . . .reactionaries would require all women with children to remain athome and allow no woman without children to do so.
Olmsted used the same feminist argument in a radio broadcast the following year. This time she focused on women's loss of freedom in the armed forces:
Women have fought for years for the right to be free from thedomination of men - the right to be educated, to vote, to marry ornot to marry as they want, to work . . . . The army gives [women] . . .opportunity to do only minor jobs. They would have no realinfluence in the army, and no freedom, and they know it.
However, the argument that conscription would place women under male domination was not emphasized in WCOC's campaign. This feminist line of reasoning against the conscription of women did not appear in any of their printed literature. It seems likely that their second gender specific argument against drafting women brought more support to their cause. In the broadcast quoted above, where Olmsted gave, what we may cite as feminist reasons for opposing a women's draft, she also emphasized a more traditional role for women:
Women are naturally and rightly the home makers, producers,and conservers of life . . . . They play their part during the war by"keeping the home fires burning until the boys come home" by carryingon the services that hold the community together.
Women were charged with maintaining the "American Way of Life," while their male relatives were off fighting. This role for women was complex. Women were expected to preserve the home and the family the way they had been before the war. A propaganda film produced by the Office of War Information in 1943 included a soldier who made the following statement which illustrated this as part of government policy:
"I'm glad you haven't turned the old house into just a headquarters, Mom;I'm glad you're keeping it our home, the way it was. That's the way I feelabout it out here, that is also part of a woman's war job--keeping up the home,the homes we're fighting for, that some day we want to come back to."

http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/conscription/women-draftees.html

This article is great! Beth, definitely check this out. It includes info about other nations that draft women...who they are and a little about how this works for them. It also contains links to more info about conscription. I'm definitely excited about this site, although it is another blatantly biased source...it has some good facts in it.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp

this article was proved "false", saying that the military draft was supposed to take place by 2005. it hasnt, but it does provide good background details on the how people used to evade the draft and what has been done to prevent people from fleeing to college and canada the next time around. I will definitely use some of those statistics in my paper.

http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/woman/dialogue_opinion_letters/pns_draft_is_coming_0804.asp

Ann Bassett talks from the perspective of a women who does not want to be drafted and wants to make people aware of the bills that are trying to be passed currently. She does not think that she could fight and would therefore be a threat on the battlefield more than a help.

jane loves tarzan

http://www.janelovestarzan.com/?p=492

this is a personal blog that brought up the draft issue, along with several people who responded and how they feel about it...all female from what I can tell. This shows a very real and interesting perspective on how average females view their rights and duties on a idealistic level verses on an actual, realistic level.

Generally, they think women should go to war, as part of equality that has been fought for, it should be our responsibility to share in fighting. However, none of them actually wanted to go to war or thought they would be any good at fighting if it came to that. Not sure how well informed they actually are about the issue at all, but this constitutes their general beliefs.

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/wars/a/draft.htm

This author seems to present all his facts realistically, and seems to have had many years of dealing with draft scares that inevitably arise. He outlines the process for changing the legislation, the likelihood of the involvement of women in the next draft, and what it would look like if this unlikely event (according to his point of view) were to occur.

A good source of factual information, rather than emotional reaction. Obviously supporting the said that there will not be another imminent draft but that if there was one, its very likely that women will have to serve in some capacity.

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/comingdraft10jan07.shtml

This man is highly emotional and underinformed. He believes the entire government is involved in a conspiracy to end America. He does have some true facts and interesting insights, when they can be salvaged from the emotionally charged and biased words in which they are entangled. An interesting viewpoint, to be sure...one of many bloggers with an opinion and little power.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15805957/

This article from MSNBC discusses how the draft is important, and noone should be in support of having a war without being in support of the draft. If it's really worth fighting for, argues this article, then its worth being willing to be drafted to help advance the cause.

This article is quite biased in its nature and shows one side of the arguement. Good for pro-draft and is all for women being drafted to give their support. Also, this broadens the definition of draft from simply going over and being involved in combat to just serving the country, even stateside, as necessary.

Draft Women First Response

http://www.pensitoreview.com/2006/11/20/draft-women-first/

this blog is saying that if the draft comes up again, women should most definitely be drafted along with the men. Yes, equal right and responsibilities should be shared so of course women should go to war with the men, according to the author. however, this is not the primary rationale behind him wanting to send women to war. The point is to get rid of the war altogether, and by sending women, hopefully the conservatives would rethink their stance because they do not want to endanger their children, particularly their daughters.

This puts an interesting slant on the issue. On one hand, the article is pro-women fighting and being drafted, for many of the same reasons that others state. At the same time however, Ponder is recognizing that women going to war would greatly affect and impact the middle class. Although sending their boys would also do so, its the shipping out of the girls that would most likely bring war to halt. this recognizes a difference between men and women, and that people regard females as soldier differently. He is therefore acknowledging the point that although people want to send women in the name of equality, equality, in that case, has not been made between the two in the realm of feelings and emotions.

Philosphy of blogging

What is the value of blogging? Why might blogging be useful to you in this class--and perhaps beyond this class as well? How can blogging fit into and even implement a Christian world view?

The value of blogging lies in its open-endedness. It gives people the freedom to say exactly what they want to say about anything, to the length and depth they desire and in keeping with whatever style they choose. Without the constraints of formality, structure, topic, or rules on what can be written, a person is free to express themselves. Although blogging tends to be a rougher, less refined style of writing, it often contains an honesty, a "realness" that can have a tendency to get lost amidst the rules and unspoken requirements of other forms of communication. A blog is even less inhibited than a conversation, because the person does not have to adhere to the flow of the conversation, or to the level of interest of their current audience. That person can say anything, and those who are interested can read and react, while those who are not can click out. This is the value of blogging. The freedom to express, and to be open with what one has to say.

Blogging will be useful for my Comp II class because it allows me to process the information that I am taking in and pump it back out in my own words. This activity forces me to think, to change abstract ideas floating in my brain to concrete ones that become text. Then, I can look at what I have written and realize what I actually think about the particular topic, and how I reacted. It allows me the freedom to put down my initial thoughts and impressions, without having to worry about structure or flow, so that when I get to the point where that is a requirement of my assignment, I already know, in general, what I want to say and what I think, and can then focus on that aspect of my writing. Thus, blogging becomes part of the sifting process, of filtering the information and deciding what to use and what I agree with. This part forms a rudimentary--and much more effective--form of prewriting or drafting that the traditional style that I learned.

Blogging can easily be a part of the Christian worldview. There is nothing inherently against my faith that is contained in what blogging is. People can use and abuse their ability to say what they wish, and some of the content of their blogs can be sinful and go against my beliefs. Blogging itself, however, is not the source of that. It can be used to express anything from feelings and emotions to prayers and petitions to God to the soccer score of the my favorite team's last game. In the life of a believer, there should be no distinction between the sacred and the secular. Everything that I do, including what I write on this sight, should be God-honoring. Through a blog, a person has some power to do what is right, to sin, to cause harm, or to help. What to do is a choice that has to be made by the blogger, just like in every other area of his or her life. Blogging can actually impliment a Christian worldview, if the person chooses to allow it to do so. Everything that is written shapes what that blog becomes. I imagine a person living out their faith cannot help but spill some of that over into the site itself. When it is read by another, that person should will see evidence of their faith, of the worldview mirroring Christ in us, by being able to see life through the viewpoint of that Christian person, writing from that particular slant. We cannot help but have our beliefs and views come through in our writing. If our faith is really what we value and the lense throug which we view the world, that will become apparent in our blogs.

wimps

http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/000262.html

this man makes me laugh. He knows a lot about how the draft works and is adamantly against it altogether. He presents all his facts rather correctly from what I can tell, then proceeds to launch into a spiel about how all should choose not to go and it would take a police state to force it upon us, which would show us what our country was really made of if it got to that point.

He is okay with some people going to fight, though. "Draft? I'll support one. Get a few worthless youngsters off the street. Draft them all, no deferrments , no rich brat excuses." If it is going to happen, these are his conditions. Oh, and how does he feel about women in the next draft? Dismisses it completely. "No drafting of females, that's pathetic the wimps of this country would even consider it." And that is that in his mind.

I think in order to handle this question of females in the next draft, it must be taken into consideration how people feel about the draft in general, gender issues aside. They have their feelings about involuntary service, and then their feelings about women on top of that. In many cases, the conditions of it make people's opinions more toward one extreme or the other. This is issue is not just a man vs. woman thing at all. Women are divided on what they think, men are divided, young verses older have different views, and then everybody has their own opinion on the draft. Will it happen? Should it happen? How should we react if it does? etc.

stop the draft

several women got involved, stating their opinions at this "Stop the Draft" sight, and they were saying completely different things. Very interesting how differently even just the females view this issue. One lady said it was absolutely absurd to draft women, for reasons such as how emotional women are, men's natural athleticism as opposed to females, the fact that women are intended to be mothers, and in a basic survival type of situation, a lot more women are needed than men to bring in the next generation. Such was one opinion

Another took the opposite route, stating that these "equal rights" we have are not equal. For better or for worse, if we are doing things for the sake of equality, we have no reason not to include women to be drafted the next time around. One part that really bothered her was that, even if it wasn'r required for all women to register, they can't register for it at all. Men have to, and women cannot. She says that some women probably just are not cut out for war at all, so its probably a good thing that they are not required to go. Some women could though, and have talents and capabilities in that area--resources that are not being tapped, but that could be if it was allowed for them to have the option of registering.

Despite my desire to be objective, I agree with her on that point, personally. Gotta be sure not to let that come through in my writing about the different viewpoints.

Draft Women?

Draft women? http://blog.rockthevote.com/2004/08/draft-women-concern-of-military-to.html

In this blog, everyone has an opinion, and they are all quite different. The initial premise is that, if we are called to another draft, it is highly likely that women will go for the first time. It has been brought up before, apparently, and the Supreme Court decided at the time to keep the draft the way it was. Because of the changing times and the desire to have equal rights on all fronts, it could happen this time around. It is definitely not a new idea or argument, just something that is resurfacing because we are at war. One woman blogger feels like men are forcing us to do more of their dirty work when we don't want to, and that men have always upheld war and it shouldn't be the females place to get dragged into their mess. Another says that equal rights requires that women be allowed to fight, and that it isn't right that they do not get the opportunity to serve as the men do. Someone else thinks that women are equally as violent as men, but that they are cowards and want the guys to do all the hard stuff. Some women openly state that men really ARE superior and that they want no part, and a man replied by saying, "like it or not, equal rights are coming at you, and you need to also accept the responsibilities." Part of the problem seems to be that women want equality to a certain point but then pick and choose on the hard stuff. When its something they don't want, they fall back on those things being a man's responsibility. That seems to be what guys have a problem with in this situation, whether they are for or against women's involvement.

Man, everyone voices their emotion more than anything. Not a lot of logic or reasoning, just feelings.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,157095,00.html

This is actually more of an article than a blog, but several people responded to it and blogged their opinions to the statements made in "Barring Women From Combat Support Would Shortchange Military." This discusses why women are important in their roles, and is in response to the desires of some to pull women out of "dangerous" positions in Iraq and replace them with men. The problem is that doing so would possibly bring back the dreaded draft, in order to replace the women with men who can fill the positions that they formerly held. They do not believe that women will be drafted, therefore, if a call for selective service comes around, but that a traditional draft will be the response to the removal of volunteer women from warfare.

Interesting. I'm not a feminist by any means, nor do I swing to the opposite extreme and I try to be objective when reading these blogs and articles, but it is so funny to see how carefully everyone treads, taking precautions to be politically correct and not insult anyone's "rights and freedoms" while still getting their ideas across. I suspect however, that people will, in general, tend to be more blunt in what they have to say in their blogs than they would in any sort of official document or righting. Nice to see, in spite of the harshness of it, what people really think on all sides of the issue.

the draft

Well, this site is going to be completely school-based, at least initially, and focused on the potential future military draft. It will be dealing primarily with the possibility of women being included in this draft, and how that idea is viewed by Americans, as well as the pros, cons and complications of adding them to Selective Service.