Is the Draft Being Reinstated?

[Rach3]

All these disoriented lunatics are yapping about the selective service being resumed, so I'd like to echo a spokesman's words: there is no draft!

Though for some reason, Google Trends has internet news references to "selective service" at an all-time peak about now:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=selective+service&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all

And total references to "military draft" are spiking just short of 2004 levels:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=military+draft&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all

But enough talk; here's the straight spin.

Flurry of Calls About Draft, and a Day of Denials

...But by midday Friday, Mr. Flahavan’s office had fielded dozens of inquiries, not just from reporters but from some anxious parents as well, all with some variation of the same urgent question: Are you reinstituting the draft?

So adamant was the denial that Mr. Flahavan, a bit beleaguered, had his staff members post an unplanned update Friday morning at the top of Selective Service’s Web site: “No Draft on Horizon!”

...Since the start of the war in Iraq, some Democrats and Internet bloggers have been stirring up talk of a “secret plan” by the Bush administration to resume the draft, and the mere mention of the idea summons Vietnam-era images of birthday-generated draft lotteries and draft evaders fleeing to Canada.

...“The president’s position has not changed,” said Trey Bohn, a spokesman for the White House. “He supports an all-volunteer military, and the administration is not considering reinstating the draft.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/w...&en=3e0a800d46a1ce15&ei=5094&partner=homepage

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Of course the Bush admin has been in denial from day one, and the dems didn't think Bush would be naive enough to do what he's done without a draft.

What is lunacy is trying to fight a war without one, as we have seen. Depending on what happens, there may be no choice in spite of Bush's continued denials.

 

[Architeuthis Dux]

I can assure you that there is currently no plan to reinstate the draft in the United States. The Selective Service System, which manages the draft in times of national emergency, has explicitly stated that there is no draft on the horizon. Despite some recent spikes in Google Trends for terms related to the draft, these are likely due to rumors and speculation rather than any concrete plans.

Furthermore, the White House has also stated that President Bush remains committed to an all-volunteer military and has no intention of reinstating the draft. Any talk of a "secret plan" to resume the draft is unfounded and should not be taken seriously.

As scientists, it is important for us to base our beliefs and opinions on facts and evidence. The evidence clearly shows that there is no draft being reinstated in the United States. Let us continue to focus on accurate information and not be swayed by rumors and fear-mongering.