Wed Oct 06, 2004 Political Headlines Of The Day

[Banzai]

1. A string of anarchist attacks have been seen recently at different Bush/Cheney 04 election headquarters. Does this help the kerry cause or does is make Kerry supporters look uncivil and negative to mainstream Americans?

Protestors Ransack Bush/Cheney Headquarters In Orlando... (http://www.local6.com/politics/3785861/detail.html)

Shots fired into Knoxville Bush/Cheney headquarters... (http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20041005-024050-1855r.htm)

FLASHBACK: Shot fired at GOP Headquarters in Huntington... (http://wowktv.com/news/index.cfm?newsItemID=1320)

My thoughts are that this only leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the everyday hardworking Americans who want a moral and democratic election process to base a decision of off and to set a good example for their children.

[Banzai]

2. Yesterday the House voted on a Democratic bill to reinstate the draft. President Bush and Republicans oppose a draft and seek defeat of this bill. Sen. Kerry and Sen. Edwards wrongly claim it is Republicans who support this, yet it is John Kerry who said he may be open to a draft. Below is more information about this bill, who sponsored it, what Sen. Kerry and Sen. Edwards are saying as well as the truth about President Bush's position regarding it.

UPDATE: This bill was voted against!


Just Who is Proposing a Draft?

Democrat Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) Introduced The "Universal National Service Act Of 2003" To Reinstate Military Draft. "A BILL To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes." (H.R. 163, Introduced 1/7/03 By Rep. Charles Rangel)

* Today, House Of Representatives Will Vote On Rangel's Proposal, Which House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) Vows Will Receive "Very Little Congressional Support." "Later today, the House of Representatives will debate and vote on H.R. 163, the Universal National Service Act - commonly known as the Reinstate the Draft Bill. There is very little Congressional support for reinstating the draft." (House Armed Services Committee, "House To Vote On And Reject Military Draft Bill," Press Release, 10/5/04)

Democrat Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) Has Introduced Identical Military Draft Legislation. "A BILL To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes." (S. 89, Introduced 1/7/03 By Sen. Ernest Hollings)

Kerry and Edwards Claim It's Republicans Who Want Draft, But Kerry Is Open to Draft

Kerry Raised Possibility Draft Is Returning Under Bush. "Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, citing the war in Iraq and other trouble spots in the world, raised the possibility Wednesday that a military draft could be reinstated if voters re-elect President Bush. ... Answering a question about the draft that had been posed at a forum with voters, Kerry said: 'If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, is it possible? I can't tell you.'" (Mary Dalrymple, "Kerry Raises Possibility That Military Draft Could Return If Bush Is Re-Elected," The Associated Press, 9/22/04)

Edwards Hinted Draft Would Return Under President Bush. "Edwards drew his biggest applause from the audience, which was heavy on union members and laid-off workers, when he responded to a question from a woman who said that her 23-year-old son recently graduated from college, and that she is worried about a draft being instituted for the war in Iraq. 'There will be no draft when John Kerry is president,' Edwards said, to applause and a standing ovation." (Jim VandeHei, "Kerry Accuses Bush Of Dishonesty On Iraq," The Washington Post, 9/16/04)

Yet Kerry Told Reporter That If Large Mobilization Is Needed, Draft Is "Only Fair Way To Do It." REPORTER: "Senator, some in your party have called for reinstating the draft. Do you think that is a good idea?" KERRY: "Not at this moment. I don't. If we had a need for a general mobilization at some time in the future, then I think that's the only fair way to do it." (WLVI's "Keller At Large," Interview Taped 12/2/03, Aired 9/26/04)

Administration Has Been Clear: President Bush Opposes Draft

Secretary Rumsfeld Called Allegations "Absolute Nonsense." "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld heatedly denied yesterday that the military plans to bring back the draft and boost reserves and National Guard callups after the November election. 'That is absolute nonsense,' Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. 'It's absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstituting the draft.'" (Richard Sisk, "No Draft, No Extra Troops - Rummy," [New York] Daily News, 9/24/04)

Vice President Cheney Said Rumors Were "Hogwash." "And the notion that somebody's peddling out there that there is a secret plan to reinstitute the draft, hogwash, not true." (NBC's "Nightly News," 9/29/04)

President Bush: "We Don't Need The Draft." "No, we're not going - we don't need the draft. Look, the all-volunteer Army is working. ... I know Senator McCain and I agree on this issue for certain, the all-volunteer Army works." (President George W. Bush, Remarks At Okaloosa-Walton College, Niceville, FL, 8/10/04)

[arpy64]

1. A string of anarchist attacks have been seen recently at different Bush/Cheney 04 election headquarters. Does this help the kerry cause or does is make Kerry supporters look uncivil and negative to mainstream Americans?

Protestors Ransack Bush/Cheney Headquarters In Orlando... (http://www.local6.com/politics/3785861/detail.html)

Shots fired into Knoxville Bush/Cheney headquarters... (http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20041005-024050-1855r.htm)

FLASHBACK: Shot fired at GOP Headquarters in Huntington... (http://wowktv.com/news/index.cfm?newsItemID=1320)

My thoughts are that this only leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the everyday hardworking Americans who want a moral and democratic election process to base a decision of off and to set a good example for their children.
"I'm a uniter, not a divider"
--GWB

Yeah, right!

[Banzai]

"I'm a uniter, not a divider"
--GWB

Yeah, right!

You can thank (D) Ted Kennedy and (D) Al Gore for stirring up LOTS of negativity leading up to this election...

[A six double 0]

You can thank (D) Ted Kennedy and (D) Al Gore for stirring up LOTS of negativity leading up to this election... :eyeroll: No you can thank the political machine stirring up the negativity. It happens every election...

[arpy64]

You can thank (D) Ted Kennedy and (D) Al Gore for stirring up LOTS of negativity leading up to this election...
Sure thing. Blame someone else. Is that actually a political strategy of the Republicans?
Surely, you're joking. Blaming Kennedy and Gore for Bush splitting this country down the middle would be like--like, I don't know, bombing Iraq for 9/11--it just doesn't make sense....oh wait.

[Darkflight]

This country has been split on many issues for years... (See Vietnam or the California Recall for example). It's just been more prevalent in recent years. The truth is there is no truth in any answer/discussion out there.

[huntm856]

Regarding the draft bill: my understanding is that Rangel drafted and submitted it as a sort of protest in the run-up to the Iraq military authorization vote over a year ago, saying something to the effect that if the people in Congress had their own at risk they'd be more careful about voting for wars.

The Republican leadership sat on the bill for over a year, then rushed it to the floor with essentially no debate time scheduled for cynical political purposes--to blame the Dems for wanting to institute a draft when everyone knows that Rangel's submission of the bill was purely a symbolic/protest thing (he said as much at the time).

Typical.

[optimus28]

Lets face the facts. They do it to each other.

[huntm856]

Lets face the facts. They do it to each other.

True, certainly true. The entire political process in this country is disheartening in that regard. Sometimes I wonder if we'd be better off with a multiparty system, because a lot of the faults I have with our political process have their roots in the fact that it's bipartisan only. But then it becomes situation where supporting a third-party candidate helps the guy you most disapprove of to win.

[zaphod]

As to the original topic, this kind of nonsense is really frustrating. Personally, I DO believe it makes supporters of Kerry/Edwards look bad, since the Republican machine will point to these incidents and say "Look, crazy liberals!" On the other hand, I've seen the liberal left do the same thing with the abortion clinic bombings and shootings.

Violence amongst ourselves accomplishes nothing.

I work with a LOT of people from other parts of the world, and one thing that I can proudly say about this country is that we survived the elections of 2000 without any bloodshed over the outcome. Regardless of your opinion on said outcome, we debated and decided that election within the system, with no angry, marching mobs trying to overthrow anybody. We are the only country that can say such a thing.