Open public hearings in Washington, DC, on April 24-25, 2019, are your chance to be heard on the future of compulsory military conscription.
As a result of a Federal court decision that it is unconstitutional to require men, but not women, to register with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft, Congress will soon have to decide either to extend draft registration to young women as well as young men, or to end it entirely.
A "National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service" (NCMNPS) had already been appointed to study and make recommendations to Congress and the President on this issue. The NCMNPS is taking written comments from the public through the end of 2019, and is holding two days of public hearings on April 24-25, 2019, in Washington, DC.
Trying to salvage draft registration by expanding it to women as well as men would mean doubling down on decades of failure of draft registration in the face of widespread noncompliance. Both feminist and anti-feminist women will be even more likely to resist being forced into the military than men have been, and more people will support them in their resistance.
Women have played key roles in resistance to military conscription, even when only men were being drafted. There’s a long tradition of anti-war and anti-draft feminism. For some past and present statements by feminists and allies against a draft of men or women, see the new 1-sheet leaflet at:
http://resisters.info/NCMNPS-women.pdf
But the chair of the NCMNPS, Brigadier General Joe Heck, has said that he thinks women and young people support expanding draft registration to women as well as men, rather than ending it for all.
The NCMNPS and Congress need to hear from anti-war and anti-draft feminists and from young people who oppose forcing anyone into the military. Any draft serves war, militarism, and patriarchy, and enhances the ability of the US to fight unlimited, endless wars in more places around the world. They need to hear from the resistance: women who will resist signing up to go anywhere and fight anyone Commander-In-Chief Trump orders them to consider his enemies. They need to hear from allies, men and women, young and old, who will support those who resist being drafted or registered for a draft.
You can submit short written comments through the NCMNPS Web site (inspire2serve.gov), submit longer written statements by e-mail to “info@inspire2serve.gov” (please send me a copy if you would like your statement published on Resisters.info), and/or show up in person April 24-25 in Washington.
NCMNPS events are open to the public. I've been invited to be part of a panel of expert witnesses on whether draft registration should be ended or extended to women (probably alongside pro-war, anti-feminist witnesses from organizations like Focus on the Family who support a draft, but only for men), but there will also be time for open-mike public testimony (two minutes per person) livestreamed and broadcast on C-SPAN. Attendance at NCMNPS events has been sparse, and the most recent NCMNPS hearing adjourned early because only one member of the public signed up to speak!
Any anti-war or anti-draft turnout-- especially by anti-draft feminists and allies -- will be noticed and have an impact on the NCMNPS, the press, and the terms of debate when Congress takes up this issue.
The NCMNPS hearings on Selective Service will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, April 24-25, 2019, at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. Full details of the agenda will only be announced 1-2 weeks in advance, but please help spread the word, start preparing written statements, and plan to attend if you can.
For more about the NCMNPS and the hearings, see:
https://resisters.info/commission.html
Peace,
Edward Hasbrouck
-------------------- Draft Registration and Draft Resistance: http://www.resisters.info
Health Care Workers and the Draft: http://www.MedicalDraft.info
