Gates Aims to Lessen Forced Extensions ( break out the popcorn this should be interesting

[wakeme2008]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Gates-Troops-Tours.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

January 28, 2007
Gates Aims to Lessen Forced Extensions
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 5:05 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In an action branded a backdoor draft by some critics, the military over the past several years has held tens of thousand of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the job and in war zones beyond their retirement dates or enlistment length. It is a widely disliked practice that the Pentagon, under new Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is trying to figure out how to cut back on.

Gates has ordered that the practice -- known as ''stop loss'' -- must ''be minimized.'' At the same time, he is looking for ways to decrease the hardship for troops and their families, recruit more people for a larger military and reassess how the active duty and reserves are used.

..more at link.....

Could somebody close the window , I am getting a Draft

[w4rma]

1. He's only blowing hot air unless he's quietly stopped supporting the war chimp's escalation. (nt)

[saigon68]

17. Lets armor up some more Humvees

[ClintonTyree]

2. It nakes me wonder....

what type of enlistment bonuses the armed forces will have to offer in order to persuade America's youth to offer their bodies at the altar of Big Oil? Enlistments are scraping the bottom of the barrel as it is. They've lowered every standard they possibly can, so larger enlistment bonuses are all that's left.......besides reinstating the draft, that is. The current enlistment bonus stands at $20,000 for the Army National Guard. They're going to have to up the ante again. $50,000 enlistment bonus? Like Bush cares about the money, he just puts everything on the national credit card anyway. For many young people the armed forces are all that's out there as far as employment goes. It's a sad, sad state of affairs when many of our country's youth have only one choice at a better life. IF they live to enjoy it, IF they're ever allowed to leave.

[Irreverend IX]

11. Join the army and get a free Nintendo Wii! nt

[maddezmom]

3. quite a few articles on The Draft today

U.S. EXPECTS A SMALL GROUP `TO DO EVERYTHING'
Some say draft should return, spread burden
Privileged offspring serve far less often than those in middle class
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/16564347.htm?source=rss&channel=charlotte_news

The draft: just a crisis away?The question is being debated: Is an all-volunteer military sufficient to meet challenges, including the struggle against al Qaeda and potential new threats?
BY DREW BROWN
McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/16563738.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_nation

[saigon68]

4. When the DRAFT starts

Let the rioting in the Streets Begin

[Rebellious Republican]

5. I f everyone here wants a quick end to the war, then everyone here

should be pushing for a draft. That will get many more in the streets protesting, I know it is not widely accepted here. Think about it, among the freeper youth, war is fine as long as someone else is fighting it. Soldiers dieing is fine as long as some one else is dieing. When they understand that they will have to go away and possibly return in a body bag, or missing body parts, they will get on board the anti war movement. You can take that to the the bank!

:think:

[Vinca]

6. I agree with you.

I don't want to see the draft again, either, but the real threat of it would motivate millions. Actually, there won't be a real threat of it as long as the chickenhawk's daughters are on the line.

[aquart]

7. I don't want a mere "threat."

This is our nation. There are inherent responsibilities in that. We've become like the Saudis, paying others to do our dirty work, to do OUR jobs. If there's fighting or anything else, it's for US to do.

[Nostradammit]

8. I can send you some enlistment forms if you'd like.

It's not my job to further the imperial ambitions of a handful of rich men.

[crickets]

9. If the volunteer military is too small and no one supports a draft -

what about these "contractors" we have so many of? That's the ticket! I'm worried we'll end up with a privatized military, with mercenaries who only owe allegiance to whomever pays their wages. We're halfway there already and Congress has done precious little to oversee, much less stop it. Lovely.

[tabasco]

10. Stop-loss is the only thing preventing a major military personnel crisis.

Good luck with that Gates. I'm sure the troops believe every word you say after Rumsfeld lied to them for six years.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Pentagon Trying to Cut Forced Extensions (Stoploss Backdoor Draft)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2830073

In an action branded a backdoor draft by some critics, the military over the past several years has held tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the job and in war zones beyond their retirement dates or enlistment length.

It is a widely disliked practice that the Pentagon, under new Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is trying to figure out how to cut back on.

Gates has ordered that the practice known as "stop loss" must "be minimized." At the same time, he is looking for ways to decrease the hardship for troops and their families, recruit more people for a larger military and reassess how the active duty and reserves are used.

"It's long overdue," said Jules Lobel, vice president of the Center for Constitutional Rights and lawyer for some in the military who have challenged the policy in court.

"It has created terrible problems of morale," Lobel said last week. "It has in some cases made soldiers feel that they were duped or deceived in how they were recruited."

[babylonsister]

13. Four words: Get The Fuck Out, or how 'bout GTFO, an acronym for the military? nt

[tabasco]

14. Read the fine print, recruits!

They basically own your ass.

Stop-loss is the only thing preventing a major military personnel crisis, and you can't use it forever.

[gratuitous]

15. Morale? Hardship?

Aren't the troops like those little pieces in Risk? You need more, you just get some more out of the little box. Morale? Hardship? Rotations? R-n-R? Little plastic board game pieces don't need that! This is just crazy talk. The Decider knows how long the troops can go.

[happyslug]

16. IT has been SIX years since 9/11, how many people CAN THEY STILL CALL UP?

Remember 9/11 occurred in 2001, we invaded Iraq in 2003. Most soldiers enlist for four year hitches leaving four years in their inactive Reserve Commitment. Many Soldiers enlist in the National Guard during that period of inactive Reserve Commitment. Given all of this HOW MANY SOLDIERS STILL HAVE TIME TO BE CALLED UP THAT HAVE NOT BEEN CALLED UP?

This statement of ending "Stop loss" sounds more and more like spin in that Stop Loss is ending for the Pentagon has very few people it can Stop Loss anymore. It is like GM and Ford saying "We are going to shift from selling SUVs to small cars" given that SUV sales have DROPPED over the last few years. This is a way to make a negative (i.e. NO MORE TROOPS TO STOP LOSS) to a Positive ("WE WILL NOT STOP LOSS YOU FOR WE HAVE ALREADY DONE IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN").