Posted on 05/17/2016 11:11:35 AM PDT by smokingfrog
Buckling under conservative pressure, the Republican-led House Rules Committee pulled a legislative sleight of hand and stripped a provision from the annual defense policy bill that would have required women between the ages of 18 and 25 to sign up for a military draft.
The committee's chairman, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said in a statement Tuesday the action was taken to prevent what he called a "reckless policy" from moving forward without closer study of its impact.
"I have the utmost respect and deepest appreciation for the young women who bravely volunteer to serve our country, but I am adamantly opposed to coercing America's daughters to sign up for the Selective Service at 18 years of age," Sessions said.
The Rules Committee wields substantial influence over legislation before it moves to the House floor. The full House planned to start work on the bill on Tuesday. A Senate bill does include a version of the provision, so the congressional debate over whether women should register isn't over.
Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, criticized the committee move, casting it as an attempt by Republicans to avoid subjecting "their members to a vote on equality for women, and they ought to."
(Excerpt) Read more at fairfieldcitizenonline.com ...
Incorrect. A draft, if any draft is activated, will come about through an act of Congress, signed by the President. If at that time it is decided that it is in the best interest of the country not to include women in the actual draft, then the law will be written in that manner.
I only disagree with your statement in one respect; delete “those that are eligible for the draft”.
If you don’t serve, you don’t vote.
You don’t get to vote while on active duty (don’t need the military voting not to go to war when necessary).
Only veterans (end of enlistment, not active, but subject to recall) and military retirees should be eligible to vote.
In my opinion anybody NOT WILLING to put their family, their wealth, their future, their very lives at risk; to protect all of the above, including their Nation and Constitution, should not be entitled to vote!!!
EXACTLY.
The U.S. came very close to drafting women nurses during WWII.
There is no need to register men now, but we do.
When men start bearing children then women can register for the draft.
Well, then, I suppose we can pay men more than women, since men are supposed to be the breadwinners of the household, and women are supposed to stay home and raise families?
Give me my equality, but let me pick and choose what equalities I want.
frankly if women want equality, they ought not to hide behind republicans here, and the repubs show ‘sexist bias’ yet again, reinforcing the left’s whining about a patriarchy.
equality means equality, not equal in SOME THING BUT NOT OTHERS. people have been screaming this since women were not included in selective service laws. positively orwellian.
you want to be equal in opportunity, then that equality is false if it does not include equality in duty.
sometimes the best way to show the absurdity in all this equality stuff is to give them what they want, then let them scream.
if only men are subjected to conscription, then they are by definition, second class citizens.
(for the record i’d rather not have anybody forced to register for the draft)
Yes men and women are different (thank GOD); unfortunately, the only way you are ever going to get that fact across to some politicians and and a bunch of idiot activists, is when a lot their daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers start coming home in BODY BAGS.
As far as the military is concerned able body men can join up to the age of 42, with certain skills sets even that can be waived, so why does selective service stop at age 25? Able body men should be required to register up to what age 35 or maybe even the maximum of 42.
So who gets to decide when discrimination is unjust and when it is justified? Under the “just laws” of this country women cannot be discriminated against when it comes to employment. In the military women compete with men for equal pay, career billets and promotions. Military and civilian laws demands equal treatment. Forcing men under the penalty of law to register for selective service while exempting the very same women who they compete with in the military and private sectors is not “just laws.” This law will end up in court and will either be struck down or women will be forced to register, Congress just punted to the courts again. Then there will be gnashing of teeth on Free Republic about courts making law.
“If you don’t serve, you don’t vote.”
Ah but you are in the system when you sign up for the draft, and are basically on-call to drop your life and go to war.
Those people should be able to vote for a government that has the power to send them, and make sure the people they elect aren’t going to use them as cannon fodder for an inexcusable conflict.
5th MEB, your showing your age brother, no M-14s, M4s. Ohrah!
You should follow your own advice sometime.
What percentage of 18-25 year old women are housewives staying at home and raising kids? And if their husbands are drafted, how to they make ends meet? Go on welfare?
In any case, you can always have (initially at least) a deferment to both sexes with young children. Or better yet, get rid of the Selective Service entirely. There are plenty of good arguments on this thread for that.
My response to that: Have baby, stash baby with parents or grandparents. REPORT FOR DUTY IN 3 WEEKS, or be dragged to the brig.
I could agree to that, but will the very vocal activists?
Except that the principle will already have been established in law that women are liable for the draft. To then exclude them would be to make an exception of the then established law. And what is the point in having women register for the draft if they would be exempted from any real draft?
It is none of the government business what I pay my employees. I would have thought that everyone on Free Republic would have accepted this.
>First, in modern warfare there are no “positions behind” unless you want to keep women in the Continental United States.
Maybe then we shouldn’t be in so many ‘conflicts’ then. Discussion for another day. IMO, warfare should only be about protecting ‘home’.
>Second, if you want to keep women out of the front lines and in rearward positions, you are already distinguishing between men and women. Why not continue that distinction and keep them out of the draft altogether?
Medics, communications, etc. - all ‘front lines’ w/out having to put ‘em in the line of fire per se. I’m not saying have ‘em sit in HQ typing up KIA letters.
>Finally, every society, except is seems ours today, has valued the special role of women in the home. It is neither to the good of society nor to the good of the family to drag them out for forced military service.
Oh, I think ours still values the woman as mother/heart of family; but does that necessitate her not knowing how to protect the same? Swiss, Israeli and the like...all capable defenders/fighters. Does that make their ‘station’ as ‘mother’ any less? I think not.
>Enough with the PC nonsense that we cannot discriminate between the roles of men and women. We are different and a sane society would accept it.
No complaint here. But, we must be able to SHOW the folly of the Left, not just hide behind ‘...for THOUSANDS of years...’ blah blah blah. Some need a 2x4 upside the head. IMO, it’s time to bring out the 6x6 on some to really drive home the point of ‘If *this* is what you WANT...’
I agree.
It would do no such thing. It would establish that women are eligible for the draft, it would not force women to be drafted. The whole point of having a selective service registration is to have a ready list of names that can quickly be used in time of crisis. If someone sues to include women in a draft that Congress hasn't authorized, a lawsuit will take too much time to be any good. By the time it winds through the courts, the crisis would have been over.
And what is the point in having women register for the draft if they would be exempted from any real draft?
The point is to have another ready list of names that can be used in time of crisis. What is the fastest way to get MEN to the front in combat roles? Draft 18 year old men and put them through training, or draft women to backfill stateside clerical roles and move men who are already trained to combat units?
Advocating women to register for Selective Service is not advocating dragging women away from their newborns and putting them on the front lines.
Eliminate the power to send them (eliminate the draft and selective service requirement). In all honesty; the only people I want standing next to me on a hot LZ, are the people who are there because they knew it was their duty and responsibility. To me, their families, and their country.
Getting rid of the selective service should not be a big deal, congress could do it in a day.
ALL FOR EQUALITY OF COURSE.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.