C ommentary
4 • T he C lackamas P rint
M arch 3, 2004
New draft bill reaches Congress
How do you
feel about
the re
instatement
of the draft?
“I don’t
think the
draft is as
applicable as
it may have
been... since
the techno
logical
explosion.”
Adam
Omidpanali
-Clark
“I think it
would be
time to run to
Canada if
they reinstate
it.”
Brent
Georgeson
“I think that’s
a bad idea.
You should do
it of your own
free will.”
Melissa
Campobasso
“I think it’s
good that
they’re
including
girls with it,
but I don’t
think it’s
right.”
Leevan
Arellano
“1 don’t think
girls should be
included. 1
don’t know
why!”
Tracy
Morgan
Proposa/ is an abomination to youth of America
Ben A
O pinion
itor
It appears that those who said
that there would never be a draft
again were wrong, for even now,
the federal government is prepar
ing to reinstate the draft in as lit
tle as a year..
Twin bills S 89 and HR_163,
both aptly titled “Universal
Service Act of 2003” arc current
ly pending legislation. If passed,
for the first time in almost 40
years, all young U.S. citizens
would face being shipped off to
fight and even die, against their
will..The bills collectively have
15
co-sponsors—all
Democrats.
This
c r u c
joke;
t h c \\
e x 1 s -
fence o
th'csc
bills was
verified by
the
U.S.
Congress
website
( w w w. c o n
gress.org).
In addition
reinstating
Victnam-era draft,
||||
this bill goes above
and beyond to amend
the Military Selective
Service Act to include
women
and
non
American citizens between
the ages of 18 and 26.
This should come, as no
surprise. The National Guard
(keyword being “national”) has
already been sent overseas, and
according to The Washington
Post, soldiers have been forced to
keep serving after their contracts
have run out.
Signs have been pointing to a
draft for months now. In
September,
the
Defense
Department posted a want-ad on
www.defcndamerica.mil, wanting
people to join local draft boards
19600 S Molalla Ave.
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 657-6958 ext. 2309
The Clackamas Print is a weekly student
publication and is distributed every
Wednesday, except during I Inals week.
signed
a
“Smart
Border
Declaration ” with U.S. Homeland
Security Director, Tom Ridge,
This would effectively keep
would-be draft dodgers in
country by, among other
things, requiring a
“pre-clear-
a n c c
agree
ment”
for
those
traveling
between the two coun
applicable,
By reforming
draft to make it
more “ tair"
fair” along class
lines, it has been made so that
underclassmen would only be
given a deferment until the end of
the current semester, seniors until
the end of their academic year.
Planning to relocate to
Canada? Sorry. In December of
2001, Canadian Minister of
Foreign Affairs, John Manley
tries.
The financial aspect of a draft
must also be brought up. We are
now in a terrible recession. The
government cannot afford to
properly equip the troops that arc
currently in hostile combat, even
down to the ceramic plates for
their Kevlar flak jackets not being
supplied. Some parents have gone
as far as to purchase the plates on
eBay for their children and have
them shipped out. With the multi
trillion dollar debt we are in, how
can we except draftees to be
properly equipped to preserve
their own lives?
Now .it seems that riot only is
our generation supposed to pay
for the financial bill for these
escapades, but we arc also sup
posed to pay with our lives?
Those .who are deciding on this
bill will not be affected by a draft.
Yes, some may have children, but
unfortunately it may come back
to the fortunate son (and now
daughter)
complex—the
middle and lower class being
forced to fight, while those
with the money and
power get light duty
stateside, if forced to
serve at all.
So far this bill
has made no ripples
in the pond that is
America, but the
< reason for this
still remains to
c seen. 11 is
ridiculous to
think that
the
American
public
| would
r not be
interested
in these dis-
dcvclop-
tressing
ments, and the existence of
these bills is public knowledge. It
is also ridiculous to think that we
should idly sit by and put up with
our fates being determined by
those who arc above the repara-.
tions of their actions on this mat
ter.
America is a democracy, and
now is the time to take an active
part in the democratic process,
before it is too late.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D) can be reached by
calling (202) 224-5244, or visit:
http: I/iyyden.senate.gov/ contact.html
Sen. Gordon Smith (R) can he reached
at (202) 224-3753 or visit:
http:/ /gsmilh.senate.govI ivebform.htm
One’s respective'representative can be
determined and contacted by visiting:
http:/ / ivnnv.honse.govl write rep.
FCC cracks down after recent TV fiascos
place to set a standard for decen
cy on public airwaves. They don’t
know what that standard is, but
they’re there tex set it.
It’s high time someone set
specific rules and started enforc
ing them. There- should be no
questionings discussing or trying
to find loopholes Lin the rules,
because it only wastes time and
diminishes the effectiveness and
intent of the rules as a whole.
Asking the F(C(C why they exist
in the first place would likely pro
duce, a single answer: “because.”
Well,“because” might be a good
enough answer when kids ask
parents why they have to clean
their rooms, but it’s not when it
comes to a commission that’s
responsible for controlling our
nation’s media content.
The f’(XC needs to start doing
their job, or disband and stop
wasting tax money. They need to
pick one side of the fence and
stick to it, or we may never see
the end of this incessant bicker
ing that wastes time while our
children are growing up too
cocky to realize how confused
they’ve become.
After late-night leniency and
describing the b’-word as an
“adjective,” it took a bare breast
in the middle of the single, high
est-rated broadcast in the world
for the federal Communications
Commission (b’(LC) to shed their
“Barney Fife” exterior and do
their job.
Janet Jackson and Justin
Timberlake have been losing one
gig after another, sending their
credibility beyond “rock bot
tom.” But whether it was their
place to tal«Taction or not, some
thing needed to be done to show
just how lackluster the F(L(L has
become.
(Committees and
lawyers spent so much time dis
cussing decisions to be made that
nothing was actually accom
plished. Thanks to all that wasted
time, our nation’s youth has new
ideas on what body parts arc cool
to pierce and how. Nice work.
Yes, this classic example of an
“Oops, 1 did it again” was pre
sented by the same folks who
allowed rock singer Bono to
throw out an b’-word on a nation twiddling their thumbs about it,
ally broadcast award ceremony as every single affiliate of (CBS in
if he were tossing a fish.ing-Jin'F^ the entire country (around 150)
He’s been trying io throw back would have been fined $275,000
called the
what he caught on that particular for
cast, but itjjt&i^Thke that is one ,“Hidftfmt! Show” Qne can only
fish willing- to die for a worthy Jfflagi^^.^yjt^tffl^V'hcre the
cause.
'S'TT'*'
* p ri ma ry , words In im I ’< >we 11 ’s
The F( C& q|les
profanity : mouth were, “1,told you w ”
Ayjjip it’s ^^gifoWtrA tijjiknow
and
cor^^nOty directly or TtydiTJ that at least one guy in a position
rcctly with public triads (tddud-- of powet Is tiying to do his job,
a
ing journalists). ManjAfcerwey^ ^S^^hiOtriok so lung?
restrict Th gl rights of an-«
Americans freedom of speech. has tuined America’s children. It
whieh:W^>ri^ fiir-fc|ch<xi\6xtent .. is not the TV itself, but the con
tents ohr &ldrenXview on the
caffebc true, »he t cal issue with
the 1(1(1, however, is noMmeir magic, glowing box that has
mtSsipn statci^nt,
hovX^cll warped tltctr realirv into the vio
lctit, profane and sexually libgrat-
theyflo their job of earning out
X® bchafiluo^ todjds d^fisid-
thatWtte^mt. «OA a
JgX
()ti Jan. 1 -^20OT^|^ighly X8C ^fijed “cciriSi
An „ts^Blent -XBampffeiof our
days before the Stq^^Towj^,
(LN N.cotii posted ah;^arttelh that ashjWWnTs n%|kalitv Q^Sirred at a
f (C( C
(ImefA ' (X $riijhissioncr . rggQBtlA^W^TCe in Oregon (City.
Michael PowblJ^iad Sillied ,for;^' A young gjrf^made sexual
dramatic incrcasTfqyfintis cliangrf advances ar theT)|’s assistant for'
for broadcast obsccnttygjSjftlrcs^ must of the ievening. Denied his
maximum charge of $27,5(10 w®*“ ^atrcntion, she finally asked if she
set “decades ago,” and Powell could have his children. The girl
wanted to multiply that number is in the eighth grade.
The f (CC was originally put in
tenfold. If the 1*’(C(C weren’t still
Co Editors-in-Chief:
Advertising Manager:
Production assistant:
Goals: The Clackamas Print aims to
(Lyndec Mady and (Lory Price
Copy Editor: Katie bunk
News Editor: Karlin Johnson
Opinion Editor: Ben Maras >
Feature Editor: Karen Hill
A&E. Editor: Isaiah Creel
Sports Editor: Nie Delzcll
Mark balling, ext. 2578
Photo Editor: Jesse Lamond
Staff Writers: Shannon
Armstead, Sara Atkeson, Amy
(Lashman, Faye Dodds, Prank Jordan,
Jessica LcGlaire, Bethany Monroe,
Jeff Sorensen, Jadon Triplett
Michaele (Looper
report the news in an honest, unbiased,
professional manner. The opinions
expressed, do not necessarily reflect those
of the student body, college administration,
its faculty or The Print. I i-mail comments
to chicfcd@clackamas.edu.
Jeff Sorensen
T he C lackamas P rint
T he
C lackamas P rint
“should a draft become neces
sary.” After the notice began to
draw some media attention
(including
that
of
The
Oregonian), the notice was
removed. In addition, the
Selective Service System has
requested $28 million for their
2004 budget—five million more
than their last budget request.
How does- this affect" college
students? The classic dodge
of being a college stu
dent would no
longer be
Photographers: Truman
Anderson, Angela Gerhart
Adviser: Linda Vogt
Department assistant:
]<auren Vuylsteke
. The Clackamas Print © 2004