Selective Service

suzy, Registering for "selective service" is federally mandated for all boys reaching 18. Since we now have a voluntary draft, I wouldn't be overly concerned - just now. I'm not so sure congress is ready to change the status any time soon.

Conscription was first adopted by Lincoln during the Civil War. It was not used again until 1917. The current Selective Service System is a product of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, which held that no more than 900,000 men were to be in training at any given time. Hence, it was to be selective, in that it was designed to create a pool of trained men from which to draw in time of war, and only certain men from the eligible age groups were going to be called up for training at any given time, to be "selected." The name stuck, but the idea behind it was forgotten.

During Vietnam, we used to point out that if one were never called up, one owed nothing to the nation--but that those who were were stuck with the six year obligation (two years active, four years reserve). We were a might bit bitter.

Here, i'll try to find you a link to a brief article.

Well, that wasn't terribly hard:


Here ya go, try Fact Monster

Wow, interesting:
"The law authorized release from service to anyone who furnished a substitute and, at first, to those who paid $300". (tsk)
"If there were to be a crisis, registered men would be inducted as determined by age and a random lottery."
So it is pretty much a pre-draft registration.
I haven't thought about this in so long. My older two registered as soon as they were 18, but this one's more of a rebel.

By 1862, Lincoln was spending two million dollars a day on the war. That was an enormous sum by the standards of the day--i couldn't even begin to explain what that kind of money meant. To give you a little perspective, when work began on the Brooklyn bridge in 1869, skilled laborers were paid $1.25 per day, and it was considered high wages. The idea of the $300 was that that it would pay the cost of a volunteer (at that time, a sergeant was paid, i beleive, $21/month--$300 would be enough to equip a private soldier, and pay him for a year). Later, one could provide a substitute by paying the "bounty" to him. A great many scurrilous types became "bounty jumpers." They would take the $300, and desert at the first opportunity, showing up somewhere else to get another bounty and repeat the process. Congress quickly realized the system was unworkable, but didn't really know how to fix it. By 1863, the Federal Armies had more than one and half million men in uniform. The war became so expensive, Lincoln initiated an income tax. There were immediate lawsuits, which reached the Supremes in 1873, when the income tax was struck down. It took a constitutional amendment to authorize the current income tax.

Events always have so many ramifications, don't they?

Fascinating! Thanks.
I used to love history, wish I had better recall.

I was just speaking to my oldest son, who registered 7 years ago. He recently moved to Vermont, and has received birthday greetings from selective service! I find it a little creepy. Guess they want you to know you can run, but you can't hide. Isn't it nice to know that in this free country of ours, your personal information which you are required to "submit" at the age of 18 is on all kinds of government records, and they can track you down any time, any place?
Does anyone see what I'm getting at? The US government is keeping close tabs on it's male citizens. Remember that when we are attacked by terrorists because they weren't paid enough attention to while in the US.
I fear a draft is coming soon. I wonder if they'll instate it now or wait until after bush is re-elected?
God forbid.

Selective Service
All men 18 to 27 have register even immigrants that are non-citizens. Strange but true. I seriously doubt that the full on Draft will be inacted before the election.

If you son ever gets drated PM me if he wants to be rejected.

there has never been a question that there would be a reinstated draft. It has been part of the master plan all along. War was part of the master plan. Being embroiled in constant war is what keeps people like bush inc. in power. If not 9/11, it would have been something else. bush inc. always meant to bring us to a war state. It's profitable and it consolidates and maintains power, which is all they care about.

bush inc. doesn't give a damn about american citizens except as resources.

I think so too, BP.
This is PNAC at it's "finest". Bush is their lapdog.
Will do, Pistoff! Got some tricks up your sleeve?

I gotta go to work!

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