| This is the text of a speach given in Hawai'i by a VVAWAI member there. |
Oppose all attempts to reintroduce the draft |
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The World changed in a big way on September 11th and things will never go back to "normal" as we knew it The change is not because of the innocent lives lost that day; the real change is how the government and other forces in this country are using those deaths as the pretense to unleash this so-called war on terrorism - a jacking up of their "New World Order" to an unprecedented level. Their world vision has the U.S. on top of the imperialist heap - unthreatened by anyone militarily, politically, or economically - with only the U.S. border being safe from invasion. But this does not mean that the people inside the U.S. will be any safer in this new order. For the U.S. to rule unopposed around the world, they know there can be no opposition to their actions within this country. This was made clear by George when he defined their definition of a terrorist "You are either with us or you are with the terrorists." They have made it know that their plans for this "war" are protracted, one going on for years, possibly decades. We are being ordered to line up behind the flag and to support their war and keep our mouths shut. The censoring of open criticism on television and radio, the mandatory pledges of allegiance, recruiters in schools, the new draft bill, the call for secret military tribunals and the passing of the USA PATRIOT Act are setting a chilling tone for their fascist vision of the future. VVAWAI calls their unjust war BULLSHIT and we refuse to keep our mouths shut. The phrase "Just War", used in reference to the battle being waged in Afghanistan, is beginning to resonate, not as a deep philosophical concept, but like the names of those specialty stores you find in shopping malls: "Just Lamps", "Just Bulbs", "Just Paper." In fact, "Just War" turns out to be an eerily accurate marquee for the little shop of horrors known as the United States of America. War, to the increasing exclusion of everything else, is the only thing that America collectively cares about anymore. We don't manufacture much of anything, Just War. We don't concern ourselves with education; Just War. We don't attend to the 40 million Americans without health coverage; Just War. We don't support the arts; Just War. Even though a multitude of human needs were in existence prior to September 11, and have only increased since then we continue to direct our attention and our resources into what we do best; Just War. Need a billion dollars for the military? No problem. Need an extra $40 billion for the war on terrorism? Here it is. Need a blank check to pursue an undeclared struggle with the unexplained means and undefined ends? You got it, because that's what America is all about, Just War. America is the biggest supplier of conventional weapons. America's the biggest supplier of torture weapons. America manufactures and exports terrorists at its School of the Americas (now the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation). Prison construction remains one of our top industries. Global slavery is the secret behind our economic success. The military remains our biggest budget item. Whether its war on people of color overseas, or war on our rights at home, that's what we're all about: Just War. At VVAWAI we are amazed at this deja vue all over again thing with Afghanistan. The military doesn't know who the enemy is, We are constantly reminded that we don't know who our friends are, and the best one...we don't have a clue when this war will end. Sounds disturbingly familiar doesn't it. That's really a small part, with 'nam we had to wait until '68 until the atrocities stories began to trickle in with credibility. My Lai, the free fire zones, the torturing of PAVN pows, It was years before we started to hear about these things. Not any more, back in January in the little vil of Khas Uruzgan near Kandahar, the U.S. forces swept through shooting nineteen men in their sleep or as lay handcuffed. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks, head of U.S. Central Command stridently claimed through most of February it was a 'legitimate' target and preferring not to comment on 'hand cuffed prisoners' . Now they are claiming it was an "oops". Got to tell you folks when you shoot sleeping or bound non-combatants there is another term used... that term is "War Crime"! In Cuba right now we have another example of a 'war crime'. I've got a bulletin for the American government. When the arbitrator for the Geneva Convention, which is the Red Cross, states the prisoners of war you are holding are prisoners of war, and you don't give them that classification it's a "war crime". We know it as kidnapping. At this point some of you are thinking, "whew, that is some nasty shit...at least I don't have to go." Let me take a moment and introduce you mean ol' mister HR 3598 introduced by Rep. Smith of Mississippi and Rep. Weldon of Pennsylvania. It would require all male citizens and residents to be conscripted into the military for a period of 6 - 12 months between their 18th and 22nd birthdays. There would be few deferments and exemptions. Conscientious objectors would be required to go through basic training in the military. After military training they could be reassigned to perform civilian service to assist the war effort. This bill would create problems for conscientious objectors similar to the oppressive practices of the World War I draft. Oh, and by the way, you will be making, as a draftee, approximately $340 a month. Congress has allowed an erosion of civil liberties that would have been unthinkable a few months ago. In these times unusual things happen. At the very least, this bill changes the current discussion concerning the possible return to the draft. Even if this proposal fails it opens the possibility of a "more reasonable" bill getting through Congress. Your choices are not easy, but you do have them! The current draft registration law says that every male must register for the draft within 30 days of his 18th birthday. For now, the government keeps a listing of contact information for registrants in case there is an actual call-up. The maximum penalties for non-registration are stiff (prison and/or fine), although current government policy is not to prosecute people accused of failing to register for the draft. In fact, no one has been prosecuted since the mid-1980s; and only 20 young men were prosecuted between 1980 and 1985. The basic choice now is whether to register. There is no legal procedure for "registering as a conscientious objector." Some people register but place messages stating their opposition to war in the margins. You should understand that this is a form of protest and does not necessarily have any legal significance later if you should apply for a deferment or exemption. The chief difficulty you face is that you have to make a decision now based in part on what you think may or may not happen later. Both registering and not registering have their risks. The risks associated with not registering are obvious. On the other hand, persons who register may find it more difficult to resist the draft later. I'll finish up now and save some time for the other speakers and for the time allotted for your questions with a poem by William D. Erhart. It sums up my experiences with 199th Light Infantry better than I could express it. Its titled "Hunting" Sighting down the long black barrel |