The “Selective Service System” in the US? Anyone else ever heard about it?

I know I haven’t ever heard of it, but you really think I would’ve known about something like this. It’s a program in the US that’s been going on since time immoral, apparently, which requires (almost) all men living in the country (not even necessarily citizens) to register with this organization, and keep their information up-to-date, from the age of 18 to 26.

They’ve got a website. It features a black guy in a tie and a white guy with an electric guitar. That’s right - SSS is hip, cool, AND responsible all at the same time. Bitchin’ - I’ll be takin’ my sweet axe down to register post haste, good sir.

[caption id=”attachment_950” align=”alignleft” width=”219” caption=”OH GOD WHY ANIMATED GIF?”][/caption] They even have an animated GIF so they can have people link to them from their own website. It’s a new program. I know it’s new because there was a flashing “new” animated GIF next to the link I used to get to that page. Their web designer should have something particularly nasty happen to them. They should be made to surf every site called “My First Site” for the rest of Web 2.0.

All this is to ensure that they know who you are, where they can find you, and what you can do in the event of a draft.

Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It’s important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical and moral fitness by the military before being deferred or exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces.

The other strange thing is that reading through their site, they always say things like, “A man can apply to be a conscientious objector if…”, “Can deliver untrained manpower…”. Why can they use such sexist terms? Why, because women aren’t required to register. How can they possibly justify such a thing? Well, women aren’t allowed to be front line combat troops in the US. How can they justify such a stance? I donno… maybe they think women wouldn’t come out of their foxholes unless they’ve spent an hour on their makeup, or some other sexist notion…

Isn’t it just a little bit scary, though, that an organization exists JUST to ensure that all men in the United States are prepped and ready to be drafted?

I admit I haven’t looked into it too closely, but it’s my impression that Canada views a draft as something unlikely, a special one-time circumstance that will be undertaken should it be absolutely necessary to ensure the safety and well being of Canada and its people in the event of the need for a full-scale war for which our military is understaffed. And that’s just it - it should be something rare and unprecedented, not something you’ve got waiting in the wings at all times.

Not to mention, of course, that they have 185 civilians on staff at all times to administer this thing. 185 * $75,000 = about $14 million per year, and presumably they’d need marketing budgets, offices and photocopiers and staplers and what have you as well, which probably bring the total up by a few million. All that to get information that’s in license registries and birth certificates already. Sure, I don’t like the idea that my license will be used to draft me - but if there’s a clear and present danger to the state, one that requires every man from 18-25 to be on immediate call, I think an exception to privacy regulations in that regard should be OKayed. Besides, it’s against the law to not register on your 18th birthday.

I just can’t believe I’d never heard of it before!