Seriously, they're not drafting!
Dissuading Internet rumors probably isn't the most valid of reasons to draft - or kill - legislation in Congress, nor does it probably fall in line with the framers' intent. Nonetheless, the House voted 402-2 on Tuesday to reject a bill reinstating the draft.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who believes the "all-volunteer military disproportionately burdens the country's least fortunate citizens," according to CQToday. The Congressman referred to the House leadership's decision to bring forth the bill as a "prostitution of the legislative process." No word on how Mr. Rangel would characterize the introduction of the bill in the first place. (He voted against it.)
Rangel's got a point. House Republicans have been unable to shake a persistent 'net rumor that they have a secret plan to bring back the draft after the election. The rumor has been so persistent that it sparked an organized protest by punk rockers - organized under the banner of a group called Punkvoter - to travel to the Hill yesterday to make a statement. That statement, according to Roll Call's Heard on the Hill: "punkers are on to their secret draft plan."
Republicans clearly killed the bill to make a political point, even if the point was that too many Americans are overly attached to the "forward" button on their e-mail accounts. As I recall, it's not the first time this fall they've considered a bill for the political points, however.
I would say that Punkvoter wasted its political capital on a dead issue, but then again, they probably didn't have a large cache to begin with.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who believes the "all-volunteer military disproportionately burdens the country's least fortunate citizens," according to CQToday. The Congressman referred to the House leadership's decision to bring forth the bill as a "prostitution of the legislative process." No word on how Mr. Rangel would characterize the introduction of the bill in the first place. (He voted against it.)
Rangel's got a point. House Republicans have been unable to shake a persistent 'net rumor that they have a secret plan to bring back the draft after the election. The rumor has been so persistent that it sparked an organized protest by punk rockers - organized under the banner of a group called Punkvoter - to travel to the Hill yesterday to make a statement. That statement, according to Roll Call's Heard on the Hill: "punkers are on to their secret draft plan."
Republicans clearly killed the bill to make a political point, even if the point was that too many Americans are overly attached to the "forward" button on their e-mail accounts. As I recall, it's not the first time this fall they've considered a bill for the political points, however.
I would say that Punkvoter wasted its political capital on a dead issue, but then again, they probably didn't have a large cache to begin with.
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