Military Conscription is Coming...

The writing is on the wall.

Here is yet another informed source who says the "army is broken." Phillip Carter is not arguing for a draft, but the thrust of his article in Slate makes the prospect clear. You don't have to get off the tracks immediately just because a train is coming, but if you don't get out of the way when it gets here, your ass will get creamed. By the same thinking, we don't need a draft....right this minute. But it is clear that one will be required in the foreseeable future.
.
So who is Phillip Carter?

Prior to joining McKenna Long & Aldridge, Phillip served as an officer in the United States Army, including nine years of active and reserve service with military police and civil affairs units. While on active duty before law school, Phillip played a key role in the fielding, testing and evaluation of the Army's digital battle command systems. In 2005-06, he took a leave of absence from the firm to serve in Iraq with the Army's 101st Airborne Division as an adviser to the Iraqi police.
.
Phillip contributes articles on law and national security to Slate, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Monthly, among other publications. He has been featured as an expert in many newspapers and magazines, and has also appeared as an expert discussing legal or military affairs on CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and PBS' Jim Lehrer NewsHour.
.

He knows whereof he speaks.

Today's Army is stretched past its breaking point by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The sounds of its collapse may be faint enough for policymakers in Washington to ignore, but they are there. An exodus of junior and midlevel personnel illustrates the crisis. Their exit has forced the Army to apply tourniquets like "stop loss" to halt the hemorrhaging, and it has also dropped its standards for recruiting and retention.
[...]
Of all the signs of breakage, perhaps the most acute is the decision to redeploy Army brigades to Iraq sooner and for longer tours in combat. The entire active-duty force is either deployed, set to deploy soon, or within one year of coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan. Short of conscripting millions of Americans to rapidly build a larger military, contracting out for a larger force, or mobilizing the entire reserves at once, military leaders say they have no other choice—to surge in Iraq, they must reduce the time soldiers spend at home between deployments and lengthen their combat tours from 12 to 16 or 18 months. But sending troops to Iraq after such a short time to reorganize, refit, and retrain is a recipe for disaster.
.

More links in the complete article.

Again, a 3Quarks catch.

Now is the time for young people to start contemplating how they will respond to a draft. The last time conscription was used was afout forty years ago. That's about as distant from the minds of young people as ancient history. The era of an "all-volunteer military" has led a whole generation to a false sense of safety and no personal responsibility for national security. The country is in a state of denial and when the time comes today's hawks a gonna look pretty foolish. It will be a bleeding shame, to coin a phrase, that an old conscientious objector's voice was among the few who saw it coming and said so.

John Murtha, the whipping boy for respectable patriots, is speaking out. I'm listening for others to say bad stuff about him, but all I get is a deafening silence. At some level, smart people know he's right, but no one wants to say so out loud.

◄◄◄§§§§§§►►►

The mechanisms are already in place.
REPEAT:
THE. MECHANISMS. ARE. ALREADY. IN. PLACE.

The Selective Service System is an independent federal agency operating with permanent authorization under the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq.). It is not part of the Department of Defense; however, it exists to serve the emergency manpower needs of the Military by conscripting untrained manpower, or personnel with professional health care skills, if directed by Congress and the President in a national crisis. Its statutory missions also include being ready to administer an alternative service program, in lieu of military service for men classified as conscientious objectors.

Today, the Selective Service System continues to satisfy its statutory obligations while providing the only time-tested mechanism to backup the all-volunteer military when needed.

Got that?
Not "if" needed, but "when" needed.
Not only that, but the opportunity for undocumented aliens to be considered for citizenship is mentioned in writing.

If you are a man ages 18 through 25 and living in the U.S., then you must register with Selective Service. It’s the law. You can register at any U.S. Post Office and do not need a social security number. When you do obtain a social security number, let Selective Service know. Provide a copy of your new social security number card; include your complete name, date of birth, Selective Service registration number, and current mailing address; and mail to the Selective Service System, P.O. Box 94636, Palatine, IL 60094-4636.

Be sure to register before your 26th birthday. After that, it’s too late!

Selective Service does not collect any information which would indicate whether or not you are undocumented. You want to protect yourself for future U.S. citizenship and other government benefits and programs by registering with Selective Service. Do it today.

That's right.
You can be drafted even if you are not documented. At least that's what it looks like to me.

How many young people know about this?
My guess is very few.