In what could possibly the greatest case of be careful of what you ask for, every female citizen of the United States as well as female immigrants residing in the United States, ages 18-25 could find themselves very, very soon made to register for Selective Service, AKA: The Draft. As reported by the Christian-centric media portal WorldMag.com on May 3, 2016, and also the everything political The Hill on May 4, 2016, the move to force women into possible military service is well underway, but as it turns out, not without opposition.
Initially a move by California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter to stop Barack Obama’s full steam ahead executive orders to place members of the fairer sex into direct combat roles, Duncan’s adding a certain amendment to the soon to be voted on National Defense Authorization Act very well could force women into true equality with men whether they like it or not. Wanting to keep at least the Combat Arms roles (infantry, armor, and artillery) restricted to men only, the San Diego legislator was banking on the House of Representatives to have at least some say-so regarding Obama’s moves to an androgynous armed forces.
“It’s our families who we represent who are affected by this, and we should give them a say,” Hunter said. “This should not be a unilateral decision made by the commander-in-chief. This should be our decision.”
Himself no stranger to the horrors of war, Rep. Hunter quit his job right after 9/11 to join the Marine Corps. After two combat tours in the Middle East, Hunter is still a Major in the Marine Corps Reserves.
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Initially of the opinion his amendment requiring by law that women must register for Selective Service would get shot down while still in the House Armed Services Committee. But despite his best efforts it turns out that enough of his fellow Republicans have jumped ship and sided with the committees Democrats who champion the notion of young ladies being ordered into direct combat MOSs.
And with those direct combat roles comes what many Americans may be unaware of. Such as those assigned to Combat Arms more often than not find themselves slogging 20+ miles at an Olympic speed walking pace carrying the the very same implements of war, such as the more-than-just-a-little heavy .50 caliber HMG (Heavy Machine Gun) and also 81mm and 60mm mortars, just to name a few.
Echoing the sentiments of all but one Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., stated “So, while you may be offering this as a ‘gotcha’ amendment, I would suggest that there’s great merit in recognizing that each of us have an obligation to be willing to serve our country in time of war.” Not alone, six other members of the GOP decided to saddle up with the Democrats. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., sounded more like a member of the other side of the aisle by publicly stating “The fact of the matter is, we have a standards-based force now and we don’t have a standards-based selective service and I think it needs to change, so I plan on voting for it.”
However, Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said she will advise Rep. Hunter that his amendment is “too big a gamble because too many lawmakers misunderstand the purpose of the military.” She also added, “The military defends civil rights, but it is not subject to civil rights law and there’s a good reason for that. The military is there to defend the country. You don’t have labor unions in our military for good reason. It involves infringements on individual rights all the time, and it’s done for reasons of national security.”
In the meantime, a curious petition by the group Care2 is on its way to The House demanding that while women should be drafted if need be, neither males nor females should be drafted into any of the Combat Arms fields. Possibly not understanding what the purpose of the military or the draft is, Julie Mastrine, the petition’s author and and head honcho for Care2’s activism marketing and social media released a written statement “I can’t imagine a more tragic loss of liberty than forcing a citizen, whether male or female, to fight in a war with which they may disagree. Equality is a moot point if personal choice and bodily autonomy must first be eliminated to achieve it.”
Maybe of the belief that future wars will be won by administrative clerks paper-working the enemy to death, the petition itself declares, “Right now, every man has to register for the Selective Service at age 18, and they can be drafted for war until they reach age 26. Not so for women. While this is unfair and sexist — women should be allowed to serve in combat roles just as men are — it is immoral to force people to go to war, no matter their sex.” Thus far, a mere 11,521 people have signed Mastrine’s petition.
