I'm sure that there are some people that are familiar with Rock The Vote, a site that keeps people informed about voting, things going on with the debates, anything you want to know about voting or the election. They have forms to register to vote, and links to volunteer to protect voters rights, and monitor the polls on November 2.. I just got an e-mail from the president of Rock The Vote about the Draft.. I will copy and paste the e-mail and all those who want to help out with getting real answers for the draft please log on to Rock The Vote. Dear Whitney,
We just received an outrageous letter from the Chairman of the Republican Party, demanding that we stop talking about the issue of the military draft.
He said that the draft issue is just an “urban myth” and Rock the Vote’s effort is being conducted with “reckless disregard for the truth.”
The truth is that we still haven’t received acceptable answers from the candidates to real questions affecting our lives. The possibility of a draft is not a hoax. It’s a real issue that deserves real answers.
An attempt to silence us by any politician—Democrat, Republican, Whatever—is unacceptable. This is one of the most important issues affecting our generation. And that’s why we need to stand up and make our voices heard right away.
Below is the letter that Rock the Vote sent back to the Chairman. Please read it.
If you like what we are saying, sign our petition to the Chairmen of both the Republican and Democratic parties asking them to answer some key questions that we have about the draft:
http://www.rockthevote.com/draft
We’re not going to stop talking about the issue of a draft simply because it makes the politicians squirm. We’re not going to let Congress think that a phony vote against the draft settles the matter.
By sending thousands of email draft cards and talking to your friends about the possibility of a draft, you ignited a national dialogue. If you have any doubt, just look at the last two presidential debates—both of which included questions for both candidates on the draft.
Click here to tell both parties that we need answers to some fundamental questions affecting our lives:
http://www..rockthevote.com/draft
Sincerely, Jehmu Greene President
PS. And please donate now to support our efforts to make the candidates address this issue. Donate to our campaign today.
http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_donate.php
______________________________________________ Here is our response to the Chairman ______________________________________________
October 14, 2004
Mr. Ed Gillespie, Chairman Republican National Committee 310 First Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
VIA FASCIMILE: (202) 863-8774
Dear Chairman Gillespie,
The letter I received from you yesterday was quite a surprise. It struck us as just the sort of “malicious political deception” that is likely to increase voter cynicism and decrease the youth vote. In fact, it is a textbook case of attempted censorship, very much in line with those that triggered our organization’s founding some fifteen years ago.
I am stunned that you would say that the issue of the military draft is an “urban myth” that has been “thoroughly debunked by no less than the President of the United States.”
I have some news for you. Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draft does not make it so. Just because Congress holds a transparently phony vote against the draft does not mean there isn’t going to be one. Anyone who thinks that the youth of America are going to take a politician’s word on this topic is living on another planet.
By your logic, there should be no debate about anything that you disagree with. There’s a place for that kind of sentiment (and your threats), but its not here in our country. There are questions that the politicians are running away from. How long can we keep 138,000 U.S. troops or more on the ground in Iraq? What if full-scale civil war erupts there, as the CIA has warned is a realistic possibility? Would the next President be faced with a choice of pulling out of Iraq rather than institute a draft? Would women be drafted? What exactly would the draft-age be?
According to the Pentagon’s own internal assessment, there are “inadequate total numbers” of troops to meet U.S. security interests. The current issue of Time magazine reports that, “General John Keane, who retired last year as the Army's No. 2 officer, says the continued success of the all-volunteer military is not guaranteed... Keane has told Congress that adding more than 50,000 troops to the Army would require thinking about a return to the draft.”
But you want young people to believe that the draft is just an “urban myth.” I was expecting that you were going to present some facts to back up your assertion. But, instead, you have demanded that we stop talking about it.
Although the draft may not be a discussion topic for someone of your age, we have found that young people - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - are very interested in this issue. We believe in the capacity of young Americans to make their own judgments when fairly presented with the facts. That is why we are actively promoting an informed, educated dialogue. I urge you to review the “Debunking the Myths” section on our website where we address misperceptions about the draft.
Mr. Gillespie, this is a generational issue. Nothing cuts closer to the core of the very reason Rock the Vote exists. We think young people deserve to know where the politicians stand on this issue—and that a generation that could be called to service deserves more than the phony debate they are getting. We believe that it is only by asking questions—not by censoring debate—that our democracy can remain strong and vital.
Issues such as jobs, health care, Iraq, taxes, and education have energized the electorate, and the draft issue deserves the same serious treatment and candor. Blanket denials do not square with the facts and do not level with the electorate. As far as the possibility that Rock the Vote’s efforts might “decrease the youth vote,” we are feeling very confident at this point that the opposite is true. More than 1.1 million people have used our website to fill out voter registration forms this election cycle. Our street teams and ground partners have registered hundreds of thousands more. Young voters are going to surge at the polls on Election Day and make the difference for whichever candidate does thebest job reaching out to them.
Despite the strong and often strident tone of your letter, I would hope that we could both agree that honest and open debate is the surest guarantor of our democracy and liberty.
Sincerely, Jehmu S. Greene President
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