AP: Iraq insurgency larger than thought
There are upwards of 20,000 well-armed, dedicated guerillas in Iraq. Homegrown guerillas. Not foreign, and not jihadists either. Just Iraqis who want the US out.
<A US> official and others told The Associated Press the guerrillas have enough popular support among nationalist Iraqis angered by the presence of U.S. troops that they cannot be militarily defeated.
Most of the insurgents are fighting for a bigger role in a secular society, not a Taliban-like Islamic state, the military official said. Almost all the guerrillas are Iraqis, even those launching some of the devastating car bombings normally blamed on foreigners.
Sunni resistance to US presence hardens
Which, of course, leads us to:
“So put down your books / and pick up a gun /we’re gonna have a whole lotta fun”
U.S. must get out of Iraq or draft will soon follow
But fear not, the Selective Service says not to worry, right on their homepage, uh huh, and they wouldn’t fib to us, would they?
Notwithstanding recent stories in the news media and on the Internet, Selective Service is not getting ready to conduct a draft for the U.S. Armed Forces
Factually, the above is true. The orders to re-institute the draft haven’t been given yet. However draft boards are in full mobilization mode, restaffing offices, etc. I’m guessing there’s a reason for this.
In this election year, both President Bush and Kerry are declaring that they would not reinstate the draft, but there are two bills in Congress that would start forced conscription in June 2005.
It’s interesting to note that the machinery for a draft, the Selective Service System, remains in place, used primarily to register 18-year-olds in case of an emergency call-up. Congress recently added $28 million to the Selective Service implementation budget, presumably to re-establish draft boards throughout the country.
And a satirist finds his previous jest, an article mocking the Bushies by saying those over 50 should be drafted, has now mostly come true, as the military is now drafting retired soldiers.