Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)

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From Draft NOtices, April—June 2011

—Rick Jahnkow
    

It appears likely that Senate Bill 251, the proposal to use the California Department of Motor Vehicles to register males with Selective Service, will die in the senate appropriations committee for the fifth time in eleven years.

The first hearing for SB 251 was on April 12, 2011, in the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. At that time, the language of the bill was designed to automatically register males with Selective Service when they apply for their driver’s license. However, before the committee voted 7-2 to endorse the bill, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), had to agree to modify it so that it would only offer license applicants an opportunity to opt in if they wished to be registered. To institute such a procedure, the state DMV would have to revise all of its application forms and computer system, and begin forwarding registration information to Selective Service on an ongoing but selective basis.

Thirty-six other states have implemented some type of registration process for driver’s license applicants. A law passed in Maryland has never been implemented because it was made contingent on receiving full reimbursement for its expenses from the federal government. Selective Service has been unwilling to provide such reimbursement, which became relevant when SB 251 was  given its next hearing, on May 9, in the California Senate Appropriations Committee.

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From Draft NOtices, July—September 2011

— Ernie McCray
    

I was asked to see if I could rekindle (though I can barely keep a campfire going) energy for leafleting our high schools with information to help students understand and respond to attempts to militarize them. They encounter this not only in their schools but also in their communities and beyond, as anyone can see in commercials, video games, and every form of media.

Well, it should be obvious that there's a tremendous need for us, especially those of us who dare to refer to ourselves as "community activists." We look out for our children when Uncle Sam comes after them with his zest for war, even though some of the organizations and activities that counter the militarization of young people are shrinking nationwide.

For instance: the American Friends Service Committee no longer has staff in its national office working full time on youth and military recruitment. The work of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO) ceased in 2008 when the venerable, decades-old organization folded. And, for a brief while, Project YANO (Youth and Non-Military Opportunities) recently had to cut its sole paid organizer's position to half-time.

As I settle into my rekindling assignment, I do so with thoughts of children on my mind and I find myself humming and singing lines from my favorite song of all time: "War! Hunnh! Good God! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" Truer lines were never sung.

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From Draft NOtices, April—June 2011


[The following is compiled from information sent by the Center on Conscience and War, http://centeronconscience.org]
    

Representative Mike Coffman (R-Colorado) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives in February that would suspend the Selective Service System and draft registration for young men. HR 621, the National Emergency Selective Service Act of 2011, would deactivate SS, except during a national emergency declared by the President. While this leaves a potential loophole for continuing SS, the agency itself sees this bill as a threat, believes it may pass, and therefore is trying to stop it. If it became law, it would retroactively excuse persons who have failed to register with Selective Service.

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Ninth CIRCUIT COURT RULING: CONFRONTING MILITARISM BY USING EQUAL ACCESS TO HIGH SCHOOLS

When the military comes to your local high school, you have a legal right to give students an opposing view. This has been the position taken by federal district courts in Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois and two federal appellate courts. The most broadly-worded decision came from a case that COMD took to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the 1980s. Here is the background:

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