The next step is a military draft

Posted by David DeGraw at 2:52 PM on August 24, 2006.

The recent involuntary recall of thousands of Marines from the reserves to active duty is an ominous sign that the military draft will be reinstated.

Cox news reports:

"For the first time since the war against Iraq began more than three years ago, the Marine Corps is calling up its last line of reservists, men and women so removed from active duty they're no longer even attached to a unit.

Unless volunteers step forward, the Marines will soon issue orders requiring up to 2,500 such troops to report for training, a rare move analysts regard as a troubling omen this far into the conflict and a clear sign of a long haul ahead."

The call up has prompted Jon Stoltz, former Amy captain in Iraq and head of VoteVets.org, to make this statement to ABC news:

"This move should serve as a wake-up call to America. Today's announcement that thousands of Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve will be called back to go to Iraq is proof that our military is overextended, and there is no plan for victory in Iraq. Today's actions speak louder than words… [This is] one of the last steps before resorting to a draft."

Even though Republicans claimed during the last election cycle that there would not be a draft, now their spokesmen, like uber-crazy-man-conservative-war-monger Glen Beck, are suggesting that the draft may be a good and necessary idea.

If you are in your late teens or early twenties, or have a child that is, you might want to start getting politically active. If Cheney and co. decide to attack Iran, they might come a-knockin'.

Note on the video: Notice how Beck deceivingly starts out the clip by trying to minimize the involuntary recall and falsely claims that they are only calling up 1200 reserves.

David DeGraw is AlterNet's video blogger.