[fastpat]

Warming up the machinery again.

Dusting Off the Machinery of Slavery
Posted by Thomas DiLorenzo at 08:10 PM

According to today's Washington Post, "The Selective Service System is planning a comprehensive test of the military draft machinery, which hasn't been run since 1998."

The Secretary for Veterans Affairs said that "society would benefit" if "the U.S. were to bring back the draft." (Assuming draftees are not a part of "society" of course).

"A day earlier," the Post noted, "President Bush said he is considering sending more troops to Iraq and has asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to look into adding more troops . . . . The Army wants to increase its force by 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers . . ."

Yesterday, Army generals said that with the volunteer army the best they could hope for was only about 6,000 new recruits a year.

The draft "brings people together" for "the common purpose of serving," said Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson.

Sounds like slavery to me. Slaves are "brought together" for "the common purpose of serving" their slave masters. In this case that would be the Party of Lincoln and the cowardly and wimpy Democrats in Washington, led by Congressman Charles Rangel, who will reintroduce his bill to reinstate the draft sometime soon.

From the WP:

Agency to Test Military Draft Machinery

By KASIE HUNT
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 21, 2006; 9:45 PM

WASHINGTON -- The Selective Service System is planning a comprehensive test of the military draft machinery, which hasn't been run since 1998.

The agency is not gearing up for a draft, an agency official said Thursday. The test itself would not likely occur until 2009.

Meanwhile, the secretary for Veterans Affairs said that "society would benefit" if the U.S. were to bring back the draft and that it shouldn't have any loopholes for anyone who is called to serve. VA Secretary Jim Nicholson later issued a statement saying he does not support reinstituting a draft.

The Selective Service "readiness exercise" would test the system that randomly chooses draftees by birth date and the network of appeals boards that decide how to deal with conscientious objectors and others who want to delay reporting for duty, said Scott Campbell, Selective Service director for operations and chief information officer.

"We're kind of like a fire extinguisher. We sit on a shelf" until needed, Campbell said. "Everyone fears our machine for some reason. Our machine, unless the president and Congress get together and say, 'Turn the machine on' ... we're still on the shelf."

The administration has for years forcefully opposed bringing back the draft, and the White House said Thursday that its position had not changed.

A day earlier, President Bush said he is considering sending more troops to Iraq and has asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to look into adding more troops to the nearly 1.4 million uniformed personnel on active duty.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, increasing the Army by 40,000 troops would cost as much as $2.6 billion the first year and $4 billion after that. Service officials have said the Army wants to increase its force by 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and the Marine Corps would like 5,000 more troops.