The Flow of Consciousness

Who did we just elect? Where Obama and I differ on social and economic policy, as well as civil liberties and philosophy of the role of government (read: just about everything), I thought we agreed on military service and conscription.

Apparently, that’s not the case.

Obama calls for US military mobilization.

But it’s also important that a president speaks to military service as an obligation not just of some, but of many. You know, I traveled, obviously, a lot over the last 19 months. And if you go to small towns, throughout the Midwest or the Southwest or the South, every town has tons of young people who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s not always the case in other parts of the country, in more urban centers. And I think it’s important for the president to say, this is an important obligation. If we are going into war, then all of us go, not just some.

I don’t know how I missed this back in September. I don’t know how I don’t know about this. It’s conceivable that I was on a mental vacation that day, but I would think that there would have been more hullabaloo about it on the news.

Oh, wait, the Republicans wouldn’t mind it, too. They’re just too smart to sponsor at this time H.R. 393, the Universal National Service Act of 2007, also known as the latest version of NY Democrat Chuck Rangel’s Draft Reinstatement Act.

Here are the particularly scary parts of H.R. 393:

SEC. 102. NATIONAL SERVICE OBLIGATION.

      (a) Obligation for Service- It is the obligation of every citizen of the United States, and every other person residing in the United States, who is between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform a period of national service as prescribed in this title unless exempted under the provisions of this title.
      (b) Forms of National Service- The national service obligation under this title shall be performed either--
            (1) as a member of an active or reserve component of the uniformed services; or
            (2) in a civilian capacity that, as determined by the President, promotes the national defense, including national or community service and service related to homeland security.
      (c) Age Limits- A person may be inducted under this title only if the person has attained the age of 18 and has not attained the age of 42.

SEC. 103. INDUCTION TO PERFORM NATIONAL SERVICE.

      (a) Induction Requirements- The President shall provide for the induction of persons described in section 102(a) to perform their national service obligation.
      (b) Limitation on Induction for Military Service- Persons described in section 102(a) may be inducted to perform military service only if--
            (1) a declaration of war is in effect;
            (2) the President declares a national emergency, which the President determines necessitates the induction of persons to perform military service, and immediately informs Congress of the reasons for the declaration and the need to induct persons for military service; or
            (3) members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps are engaged in a contingency operation pursuant to a congressional authorization for the use of military force.

The bill requires women to register for selective service, as well. It addresses conscientious objectors by placing them in noncombatant positions, meaning there is no way out of this.

The bill does not specify penalties for noncompliance, nor does it address post-secondary students (does allow high schoolers to continue until they earn a diploma, drop out, or turn 20).

What’s the likelihood of H.R. 393 suddenly getting passed? Slim and none. However, it exists, and Congress has been rather swift to move on things such as the PATRIOT Act, the DMCA, FISA Amendments, and the recent Wall Street bailout. Moreover, there is significant, indefatigable evidence that Obama supports the reinstatement of the draft.

The Daily Newscaster story Secret Service confiscates books, buttons from Ron Paul delegates should piss you of beyond all comprehension. After reading that story, you should be so livid that you could Hulk out and start flipping tables in a manner that Jesus would appreciate.

It shouldn’t matter if you are a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian, a Constitutionalist, a Green, or any other party. It shouldn’t matter if you are a capitalist, socialist, communist, constitutional monarchist, or anarchist.

The sneaky confiscation of materials from any delegate to a party convention—especially a federally recognized and federally funded convention—is an abomination and every single member of the party, and any competing party, should be up-in-arms and condemning of such illicit behavior.

This isn’t the Republican party I for which I signed up, and if you’re reading my blog and you’re a Republican, I’m sure it isn’t the party for which you signed up, either.

If it is, leave the party. Go start your own neo-conservative party based around the principles of censorship, control, and centrist propaganda. Better yet, leave the U.S. and go back to from whence you came. I don’t want you here and you are probably not my friend.

I’m taking my party back, and if there is no one with me, I’m gone.

Congratulations on your victory, Senator Obama.

Now, agree to abolish the IRS, sever the ties with the Federal Reserve, and end our overseas empire, among other things, and you could have my vote.

Update, 2011-12-10: PA no longer has this neat online form. You have a few options, but the easiest is to just to fill out another registration form and tick the “change of party” box.

Pennsylvania, as well as other states, conducts closed primary elections. I believe this to be illegal, but that’s a topic for another day, perhaps closer to May 2008. For those unfamiliar with the concept of closed primary elections, an explanation is due. American political parties generally must offer only one set of candidates for an office, so all of the competition within the party is resolved in the primaries. However, members of a party can only vote on candidates within their party—the hope is to keep saboteurs from voting a weak candidate into the spot for that party. It’s a lousy explanation, but it will suffice.

Herein lays the problem: I’m a registered Democrat. I want to vote for Ron Paul in the primaries because I want my vote to matter and you should want the same for your vote, too! In order to vote for Ron Paul in the primaries, I must do something I thought I’d never do: become a Republican.

Fortunately, this change of parties is merely for paperwork—it’s not like my ideals change overnight. Can you already see the flaws in the system?

Anyway, here’s how I changed my PA voter registration…somewhat on-line. These instructions can also be followed to register if you haven’t already done so. However, there may be a point where things diverge, so be warned: I’m only showing currently registered voters how to change their party affiliation.

1. Go to www.votespa.com.
2. Click on Voter Registration on the sidebar.
3. Click on Voter Registration Application Forms.
4. Click on Onscreen Voter Registration Application.
5. Login with your PAPowerPort ID, or create one and login with it.
6. Once you’re entirely into the system, click Modify Voter Registration on the sidebar.
7. Leave the information in question #1 alone. It should be correct.
8. For question #2, check the box beside Change of Party. If you’re a new registrant, check the obvious box.
9. Inspect the information for questions #3 to #8. I had to fill in my driver’s license number.
10. Question #9 is the biggie: Change the drop down to REPUBLICAN.
11. Click the Continue button at the bottom of the page. You may be redirected back to the page and asked to fill in a captcha.
12. Click Download and Print Form. Print it out and send it in as marked—the elections office still needs your signature to actually change the information.
13. Click Finish.

Send in that print-out ASAP, as your change isn’t permanent until the office receives your signature.