Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)

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From Draft NOtices, October-December 2024

— Rick Jahnkow

UPDATE ON THIS BILL: As of 12/10/24, the final version of the bill had not been sent to the House and Senate for floor votes; however, the joint conference committee did remove the provisions that would implement automatic draft registration and expand registration to include women. Technically, these items could be added back as amendments during the floor vote, but it's not it's not often done.

In early November, Congress will be voting on final language for the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which contains proposals that would dramatically change contingency planning for any future military draft.

Both the Senate and House have passed their own versions of the annual NDAA, which are now being considered for consolidation into a single final version. Both versions have language that would, for the first time, require automatic draft registration of 18-year-old men with the Selective Service System, the agency tasked with managing any military draft callup.

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From Draft NOtices, April-June 2024

— Rick Jahnkow

STATUS UPDATE: This bill was withdrawn by the author prior to a vote in the California legislature. It would have to be reintroduced to become active again.

The California legislature is considering a bill that would require the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to automatically register male residents with the Selective Service System (SSS), the federal agency that would conduct any future military draft.

The bill, SB 1081, was introduced on February 12 by State Senator Bob Archuleta (D-32). If enacted, it would amend the state vehicle code so that the DMV would automatically register individuals with SSS when they submit an original or renewal application for a driver’s license or state ID. This would include applicants between the ages of 16 and 26 who were male at birth (SSS does not register women or trans males). Since men are only required to register with the SSS at age 18, the DMV would delay registering younger applicants until they have reached that age.

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From Draft NOtices, April-June 2024

- Lauren Reyna Morales and Ana Yeli Ruiz

 The U.S. government’s unwavering support for Israel remains steadfast despite public outcry for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide directed at the Palestinian people. Admittedly, it's only been in the past few months that some of us have truly grasped the staggering sum of taxpayer funds directed towards supporting Israel, but now both left- and right-leaning individuals are speaking out against the government’s prioritization of funding for yet another endless war.

From Israel’s establishment in 1948 through the conclusion of 2023, the United States has provided Israel with a total exceeding $300 billion in contributions, and several more billion dollars may be sent later this year according to the latest aid package being negotiated in Congress. Make no mistake, the Republican and Democrat parties alike benefit from providing support to Israel. One of the most powerful lobby groups in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, backs politicians from both parties who support aid for Israel.

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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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