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Can you imagine being Drafted?
It’s a thought that does not cross our minds as much as it probably should. On his 18th birthday, every young man in America must register for the military draft by law. Those who do not register can be charged with a felony, fined up to $250,000 dollars, and serve up to 5 years in jail.
All of this can be read on the Selective Service System’s website, SSS.gov, the SSS being the government organization that runs the draft.
As with any felony, besides being on a permanent record every time you apply for a job, your right to vote is taken away.
An overwhelming number of Americans don’t even know that there is a current draft registration.
Why do you never hear about this?
The story begins with Jimmy Carter. After instating this current draft in 1981, Carter's government learned pretty quickly that convicting Conscientious Objectors, (those that refused to register on religious or ethical grounds,) was getting them bad press.
They stopped punishing CO’s altogether, though never removed the threat of punishment.
Instead, in the late ‘80s, they passed new laws that linked draft-registration to federal funding for education. Now, those who were not wealthy enough to afford college tuition had to register with the SSS before they could receive financial aid.
Suddenly, where registration rates were initially low, they shot up to more than 90% of all young men.
These days the SSS maintains a low profile. You hear very little about draft registration, and their rates of compliance stay high.
It is the mission of Register for Peace to spread the word about registration and to ask questions.
What are we signing up for?