after following the link, I can't get behind the notion of this bill.  While the very last section of the bill makes plenty good sense to me (a section regarding the registration of females with the Board of Selective Service), the rest of this bill seems, to my estimation, to be far too vague and over-reaching.

The bill would, as it is currently worded, give far too much authority to the President with regards to forced military enlistment.  While non-military national service is covered, it is by the very nature of the terminology utilized in the bill to be viewed as the secondary option.  Most of the bill is heavily in favor of mandatory military conscription.

In the section of the bill regarding the term of service to be served, the President is offered by way of this bill's language an all-too-vague set of reasons for compelling an extension of a service member's enlistment within the armed services.  Additionally, individuals who are inducted (non-volunteer) into the armed services do not have their period of basic military training or technical school training (AIT) tabulated and counted towards their overall time served under this bill.  In other words, if an Airman is inducted, his 7 weeks of BMT do not count towards his term of service.  In the event that his or her technical school training period is among the longer-running courses of instruction (CommSec was supposed to run me a total of 24 weeks), this time also shall not be counted towards the service member's overall service time.

Which is utter and complete bullshit.  That's time that you aren't able to be a private citizen in the private sector with any family or friends you may have.  

In the section regarding high school students, there is a particularly unsettling bit of language which states that students who are not 'satisfactorily completing their courses of study' may be inducted into military service.  What precisely is to be considered 'unsatisfactory' with regards to this bill?  Listen, I struggled with calculus in my junior year, and ultimately wound up dropping the course,  Would this have been grounds, under this bill, to cease my high school education and compel me into service?  I was 18 years old in my junior year, after all, and thus within the age limitations and requirements of the bill as it is proposed.  

There are far too many non-specified instances covered in this bill as it currently stands, and as such a heavy emphasis is placed on induction into military services, I cannot find myself in support of it.  If the language within the bill is addressed and the powers/authority of the President to extend service obligations are more narrowly defined, perhaps I can consider a second look at this particular bit of legislation.  Until that happens, though, no dice.

Cheers.

by Byronofsidius on 07/27/2010 02:09:55 PM EST