Recruitment Numbers Down = America Votes No On The War

[eleny]

I'm listening to Ray Taliaferro's program of this morning via the KGO archives. He said that the May recruitment figures have not yet been released. Monthly figures are usually released right at the beginning of the following month, so the * administration may now be withholding the numbers. Ray went on to say that a recruiter recently spoke anonymously asserting that it's parents who are counseling their kids not to enlist in the armed services.

I always thought that if there was a draft there would be one major difference between now and the way it was back during the Vietnam era. This time, parents would accompany their kids in demonstrations and civil disobedience around the issue. Seems like I need to revise that to the parents leading the cause against a draft.

And to me, this current reduction in recruitments is one way Americans are voting that the neocons can't fudge with their machines.

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Let's face it, to make war you need two things. Troops & Money.

The repubs winning all over the country is a referendum on taxes, and no one wants to PAY. On the other side, as you have posted, recruitment is down.

So next time you see an idiot with a "Support the Troops" ribbon on their car tell them: the only support that matters to a soldier is another guy with a gun in his foxhole watching his back, and money for body armor & bullets. So in which of those 2 ways is the idiot in question supporting the troops? None, I bet!

[eleny]

7. I'm going to remember that!

They're "starving the beast" of war in their own way.

[Karenina]

18. What if they gave a war...

and NODODY came??? :think:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[tabasco]

6. Tell him to keep believing that. Ignorance is bliss.

25% do not wash out of basic training. In addition, how would he know that the ones not signing up are the ones not qualified. Please explain how anybody could know that. The answer - they couldn't. So your brother is full of shit.

Even if his theory was accurate,which it isn't, how does that cover:

42% shortage in April?

< 50% (my guess) in May ?

Continued shortfalls of over 50% ?

Even better yet, tell him to get his ass down to the recruiter. They are taking newbies and vets under 40.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[tabasco]

12. Sounds like your brother is a bit of an asshole.

I served in the Army infantry for twelve years. Airborne Ranger with a CIB. Still in the reserves.

I'm still curious how he would know who is declining service at this time. Even recruiters would like to know that.

Ask him to explain how we are getting people killed by exercising our free speech rights. The last person that I know of that actually came close to doing that was a Fox News reporter giving unit locations.

Whatever. Godspeed to your high-speed Air Force brother on his super-secret missions.

edit typo dammit

[eleny]

17. One more thing to back your assertion

Someone posted this in another thread of today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1499164,00.html
"US lowers standards in army numbers crisis
The US military has stopped battalion commanders from dismissing new recruits for drug abuse, alcohol, poor fitness and pregnancy in an attempt to halt the rising attrition rate in an army under growing strain as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Edit: elehhhna's thread url here at DU http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3786030

[Arugula Latte]

10. Yeah -- when is he going to sign up?

You should tell if he supports this neocon agenda so much he should put his body where his mouth is ... in Iraq.

[BlueEyedSon]

11. No, its the OTHER 25%. So now they have to keep the losers.

unless they still let the least qualified 25% go, in which case 75% of a smaller number is a much smaller number. Plus, demand is UP (massive troop deployment in progress, many active servicemen killed and injured out of the service).

[Flying Dream Blues]

14. That is flawed logic.

I'd be willing to bet that what they're getting now are those with more potential to wash out, due to military service having much less appeal than before.

[tabasco]

3. It's odd that they are delaying the report.

I'm trying to figure out what they are doing. Maybe they are figuring out a way to distort the numbers. Distorting the numbers doesn't help the line units in need of troops, though.

Maybe the generals are telling Rummy how bad it is and coming up with a way to start talking about a draft with setting off a firestorm.

Maybe they are making last minute appeals to college republicans to sign up and help the numbers.

I dunno. It's going to get interesting, though. I'm sure they wouldn't be withholding the info if the numbers were good.


edit typo

[bpilgrim]

4. Guess they ain't the MARKETING GENIUSES they thought they were - lol

i am very excited with this development for it means that weTHEpeople with OUT all the powerful tools (M$M) that the elite have for getting their MSG out we can STILL whip their A$$ :bounce:

thank GORE he 'INVENTED' the INTERNETs :bounce:

peace

[nevergiveup]

5. This is a great point........

reduction in recruitments is a silent yet powerful dissent.....and what can the administration do? the draft? no way as there would be riots in the street and they know this........slowly but surely this war is going to bite W in the ass.

[tabasco]

8. It is an Achille's heel for them.

The only alternative to a draft will be scaling back military operations. I'm not so sure the neocons are willing to do that. They may feel invincible since they control all three branches and the media. I think a draft, after a gigantic propaganda campaign, is a distinct possibility.

[dogday]

13. Figures are being withheld for more than a week

see this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3773301&mesg_id=3773301

[eleny]

15. Ray was reading an article from the NY Times of today

I don't get the paper, so I don't have it here to quote. So, I guess it's an ongoing issue about how the numbers might be down and how parents are at the heart of it.

Thanks for the link to yesterday's thread!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. Heard a guy on NPR say that they're saving the draft until '06 vote.

But, hell, they won't need it. They're scoring all those "victories" in Iraq, and the insurgency is "failing".

If you consider that killing a bunch of "suspected" insurgents and throwing another 700 in jail, whose families and friends are really happy about it, is a "victory".

And, that the "insurgency" will soon be a civil war as the end of the "insurgency".