The Kerry Draft

disneydad2 · Oct 27, 2004

I'm not sure if this is old news are not, but its the first time I heard about it. The following is from the Cox and Forkum website:
http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000447.html

<html>
<body>
<h2 class="date">October 20, 2004</h2>

<div class="blogbody">

<h3 class="title">The Kerry Draft</h3>

<img alt="04.10.20.KerryDraft-X.gif" src="http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/04.10.20.KerryDraft-X.gif" width="520" height="382" border="0" />

<a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/" target="_blank">Charles Johnson</a> and other bloggers have tried to call attention to a contradiction in John Kerry's presidential campaign. Though Kerry and other Democrats keep raising the fake spectre of a Bush military draft, it is Kerry who has promised a plan for mandatory national service in the form of a community service requirement for high school students.

His proposal was touted during the Democrat primaries, but you will no longer find evidence of it on Kerry's web site. In <a href="http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=13038" target="_blank">Kerry's Vanished Draft Proposal</a>, Johnson provides links to a deleted Kerry web page and its replacement. The former said (all emphasis below has been added):

<blockquote>As part of his 100 day plan to change America, John Kerry will propose a comprehensive service plan that includes requiring mandatory service for high school students and four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of national service.</blockquote>

Though no longer on Kerry's web site, for while the above quote could be seen on a Kerry page archived online at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040210043828/www.johnkerry.com/issues/natservice/" target="_blank">Way Back Machine</a>. If you click on that link, you'll find that the page is no longer available there either. But since the proposal was part of speeches and at least one press release from Kerry, traces of it are found elsewhere on the Internet.

A web site called Bank of Knowledge archives Democrat campaign speeches. In a May 2003 speech on <a href="http://www.bankofknowledge.net/2004/archives/000144.html" target="_blank">National Service</a>, John Kerry said:

<blockquote>So I propose that all high school students should also be required to do community service before they graduate.</blockquote>

A New Hampshire political news web site reported on the speech: <a href="http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2003/may/5_20.shtml" target="_blank">Kerry pushes mandatory national public service</a>.

<blockquote>Speaking to veterans and to students at his former high school, Sen. John Kerry proposed a $3.5 billion national effort to involve more Americans in public service building on the framework of other programs and mandating that all high schools incorporate service requirements for graduation.</blockquote>

Slate magazine reported in July 2003 that <a href="http://politics.slate.msn.com/id/2085944/" target="_blank">The Agenda of John Kerry</a> includes:

<blockquote>3. Institute mandatory and voluntary national service. Kerry would provide four years' tuition at a public university to any American who performed at least two years of national service. He would make some sort of community service a prerequisite for graduation from any U.S. high school. The high-school programs would be state-designed but federally funded.</blockquote>

The online encyclopedia Wikipedia contains this line from their entry on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry_presidential_campaign,_2004" target="_blank">John Kerry presidential campaign</a>:

<blockquote>Kerry supports supplementing national service in nearly all aspects of American life, including requiring community service for high school students to graduate [...]</blockquote>

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Gazette posted a press release from the Kerry campaign dated November 20, 2003: <a href="http://www.gazetteonline.com/iowacaucus/candidate_news/kerry46.aspx" target="_blank">Kerry Presents Vision of 100 Days to Change America</a>. "As part of his Action Plan for the First 100 Days, Kerry vowed to ..."

<blockquote>Make national service a way of life by requiring mandatory service for high school kids and giving Americans the chance to earn four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of service.</blockquote>

Using Google, I found a <a href="http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_1121.html" target="_blank">dead link</a> for the above press release at the Kerry web site. But if you look at the first entry in this <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=kerry+%22first+100+days%22+%22action+plan%22+%22high+school%22" target="_blank">Google search</a>, you can still see what used to be on Kerry's site: "... national service a way of life by requiring mandatory service for high school kids and ...".

<a href="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13154631&BRD=1697&PAG=461&dept_id=44551&rfi=6" target="_blank">John Kerry</a> and some of his <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/19/opinion/19krugman.html?oref=login" target="_blank">supporters</a> continue attempts to scare up votes by saying that Bush will institute a military draft, even though Bush has <a href="http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=33&screen=news&news_id=36376" target="_blank">unequivocally rejected conscription</a> as an option, and even though a recent <a href="http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000425.html" target="_blank">Democrat draft proposal</a> was overwhelmingly defeated in Congress (2 votes for, 402 against).

The truth is that John Kerry has publicly promised a special draft of his own, and it now appears he wants to hide it. The immorality of a draft does not arise from the fact that it is military service. A draft is immoral because it is involuntary service, and involuntary servitude is a violation of individual rights whether it occurs in fox hole or a soup line. And it is exactly involuntary servitude that Kerry has planned for high school students.

John Kerry's use of a trumped-up draft scare is sleazy enough as it is. Turns out it's hypocritical, too.

UPDATE I -- October 22: A reader named Marj has directed us to an online archive that contains both the missing <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040210043828/www.johnkerry.com/issues/natservice/" target="_blank">Kerry page</a> and the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040218014020/www.johnkerry.com/issues/100days/" target="_blank">press release</a>.

<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="political cartoon, editorial cartoon, feel-good draft">

<a name="more"></a>

</body>
</html>

BuckNaked · Oct 27, 2004

I wouldn't consider "national service" to be a draft, especially since if you don't want to do the national service, you don't have to.

As to the other item, the mandatory community service in order to graduate from high school, I'm opposed to that. There are plenty of opportunities for community service if students want to participate, but they shouldn't be forced to in order to graduate.

Breezy_Carol · Oct 27, 2004

I am opposed to mandatory community service but it is already a requirement for graduation in the state of Maryland, thanks to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

BuckNaked · Oct 27, 2004

I had heard that about Maryland - that's too bad.

supermom2 · Oct 27, 2004

i just checked out the rest of the CoxandandForkum website. It's excellent!! Their daily editorial cartoons are hilarious, and each one is accompanied with well thought out analysis.

caitycaity · Oct 27, 2004

Though Kerry and other Democrats keep raising the fake spectre of a Bush military draft, it is Kerry who has promised a plan for mandatory national service in the form of a community service requirement for high school students.

give me a freaking break. this is common around the united states. many schools require community service and have for some time now. my opinions on that aside, it is NOT a draft. let's get real here.

supermom2 · Oct 27, 2004

How about stats on how common Community Service requirements are needed for high school graduation? I've never heard of that in my tiny part of the world.

Kerry makes a distinction between National Service and community service. The former is rewarded with 4 years of college education. What exactly falls under National Service?

caitycaity · Oct 27, 2004

How about stats on how common Community Service requirements are needed for high school graduation?

here is a copy of a report you might like to read from the national center for education statistics (part of the department of education).

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000028.pdf

some facts from the report (which is actually now outdated - data was collected in 1999):

19% of students in a nationwide survey reported that their schools both required and arranged community service. 2% go to schools that require but do not arrange community service. 67% attend schools that their schools arrange but do not require community service, and 12% say their schools neither arrange nor require community service.

of these categories, all are trending downwards over time or remaining stable except for the schools that require and arrange. these have seen a statistically significant increase over time. it appears to be a growing trend.

in terms of private schools: 42% of religious private schools require and arrange community service and 41% of non-religious private schools require and arrange it.

6_Time_Momma · Oct 27, 2004

Originally posted by supermom2
How about stats on how common Community Service requirements are needed for high school graduation? I've never heard of that in my tiny part of the world.

Kerry makes a distinction between National Service and community service. The former is rewarded with 4 years of college education. What exactly falls under National Service?

I live in a sheltered world, too, because I hadn't heard of it until now either!! For the record, I don't believe it should be mandatory.

Nancy · Oct 27, 2004

Originally posted by 6_Time_Momma
I live in a sheltered world, too, because I hadn't heard of it until now either!! For the record, I don't believe it should be mandatory.

Me too..I never heard of this except for my Dd's confirmation class...they have to do community service. My DD's HS does have a community club but it is all volunteer and certainly not mandatory and I would hope it never would be.

Now National Service sounds like military to me..so if you want to take advantage of a tax credit you have to join the military for 2 years? Nope..I'll continue to save for my DD's like I've been doing the past few years thanks to the extra money in our pay every week. BUT if my DD's wanted to join the military of their own free will..more power to them! They would have my support 100%..I just don't want someone telling them they have to!

The Kerry Draft

disneydad2

Earning My Ears

BuckNaked

Naked can be good!

Breezy_Carol

Who needs doors when you can use windows

BuckNaked

Naked can be good!

supermom2

Mouseketeer

caitycaity

<font color=009999>Accidentally deleted her tags<b

supermom2

Mouseketeer

caitycaity

<font color=009999>Accidentally deleted her tags<b

6_Time_Momma

<font color=blue>Still crazy after all these years

Nancy

Wasting away in Pegulaville

Share this page

News & Updates

New Threads

New Posts

New Posts