Next question: Must women register for the draft?
Panetta was right that the Pentagon doesn’t have the authority to mandate that women ages 18 through 25 register for Selective Service, as their male counterparts must do today. Only Congress can change that law. But the Pentagon is not totally off the hook.
Whenever the defense secretary opens new combat positions to women, he’s required by law to provide Congress with a detailed analysis of the legal implications for the constitutionality of the Military Selective Service Act.
Senior defense officials acknowledged last week that providing Congress with that report would be the next step the Pentagon would take but did not have any other details.
Although the Selective Service law is inherently discriminatory — requiring something of men that it doesn’t require of women — it was considered constitutional because women were excluded from combat. Since women wouldn’t be conscripted, they didn’t need to register. Now that women will be joining at least some combat units, Congress eventually must determine how to handle that new reality.
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Yes.
After all, equal rights means equal LIABILITY too.
You can’t demand full access to the military without also taking the obligation to register for the draft.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:02 PM
Yes, and if they don’t they’ll most certainly be a lawsuit.
reddevil on January 28, 2013 at 10:06 PM
Yes. 14 amendment and all that.
nobar on January 28, 2013 at 10:09 PM
Only fair.
thebrokenrattle on January 28, 2013 at 10:09 PM
I’m surprised Obama doesn’t have women all riled up and marching down to their local Selective Service Offices, throwing away their bras, busting windows, demanding to get a draft card. EQUALITY!! EQUALITY!! EQUALITY!!
Glenn Jericho on January 28, 2013 at 10:10 PM
If there was to be a draft again, I believe that it should START with the sons and daughters of the President and Congress between 18-35.
Next group would be the sons and daughters of governors and the state legislatures.
After that, the sons and daughters of government employees.
After that they can start drafting everyone else.
The “ruling classes” should be represented in any war they decide to undertake.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:21 PM
What’s sauce for the Gander…
trigon on January 28, 2013 at 10:24 PM
It would be the most clear cut case of discrimination and unequal rights in law if they don’t.
After all, why should men be OBLIGED to register for a draft if women are allowed into combat?
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:26 PM
Either require women to register, or repeal Selective Service.
malclave on January 28, 2013 at 10:40 PM
I’ve always thought that combat or no, soon as they started allowing women into the regular military at all they should have had to register.
After all, support non combat people are as needed (actually more so) than combat soldiers in any war.
As soon as the military became an OPTION for women the LIABILITY should have also been theirs.
But the female drive to “equality”, like all others has been a SELECTIVE one.
wildcat72 on January 28, 2013 at 10:46 PM
better yet, let all young men and women do mandatory military service just like israel. lol!
nathor on January 29, 2013 at 3:11 AM
Beat me too it!
Not sure that is a good idea here, the liberals will just turn it into a nice little indoctrination program worse than the school systems.
gdonovan on January 29, 2013 at 6:01 AM
Everybody should register for the draft and give the nation two years service before going on to other things. National Health Service, Peace Corps.,Military service al need people. If they won’t serve in any of those branches, then no employment in government, no SBA loans, no bidding for government contracts etc.
The military should get first choice.
1. This will help keep military adventuring down.
2. This will be a cheaper solution than Peace Corps.
3. Most of all this will be fair to everyone unlike during Vietnam where all manner of deferments for all kinds of reasons were handed out.
Spots the Dog on January 29, 2013 at 6:06 AM
We’ve defacto declared women the physical equals of men. Of course they need to register.
Which means there will never be another draft because next time we’ll be drafting the high school football players and the cheerleaders both. Think it’s hard to draft a man wait until you have to draft someone’s daughter!!
HondaV65 on January 29, 2013 at 6:09 AM
There d@mn better be.
And then try to get that daughter to care about anything besides makeup, clothes, and boys. Try to make a room full of them wake up anytime before nine in the morning. (parents know what I’m talking about)
I bet half of female draftees will be sent back before they even make it to boot camp just because they turn into whiny, sobbing wrecks and are utterly useless.
MelonCollie on January 29, 2013 at 10:12 AM