Conscientious Objector Status

[redcannon]

So, I'm turning 17 on monday, and it lead to me to think about my 18th birthday. For those who don't know, all US men are required to sign a document allowing the US to draft them if need be. I don't want to do this. My teacher told me about Conscientious Objector Status, but what exactly is it? As I know it, they still throw you in jail, but I'm very confused?
I'll be damned if I sign myself to slavery, though, so I'm looking for any way out.

[lvleph]

To have conscientious objector status you will have to prove that your religious beliefs do not allow you to join the military.

[The Douche]

Being a conscientious objector doesn't prevent you from having to register for selective service. It stops you from being drafted.

You can't get out of registering for the selective service as far as I know...unless you didn't have a social security number. I'm in the army, and I enlisted before I was 18 and I still had to register for the selective service once I hit my 18th birthday.

Don't worry, there won't be a draft again.

[lvleph]

I never registered for the selective service and I was in the military. lol

[Lenin II]

I registered for selective service in order to receive federal aid for college. The fact is, if there's a draft I have a small nest egg to leave the country immediately. You can try to get out of service on a technicality, for example a past injury, use of antidepressants or perhaps religious beliefs. I doubt there will be a draft anytime soon, since if they had one, about 20% of the population would leave overnight. But that unfortunate fact remains that if you do not register, you cannot receive government aid for school and will have to take out a much bigger loan. I can't remember if registering is required by law or not.

[lvleph]

Well, I answered that I did register for selective service on my financial aid app, but I don't remember actually doing it. Registering is compulsory.

[counterblast]

Originally posted by [email protected] 28, 2007 07:39 am
So, I'm turning 17 on monday, and it lead to me to think about my 18th birthday. For those who don't know, all US men are required to sign a document allowing the US to draft them if need be. I don't want to do this. My teacher told me about Conscientious Objector Status, but what exactly is it? As I know it, they still throw you in jail, but I'm very confused?
I'll be damned if I sign myself to slavery, though, so I'm looking for any way out.
Conscientious objector status merely makes it where you're not required to fight. You still assist the state by shipping food/supplies, making weapons, and rehabilitating soldiers so they may protect the state's interests.

EDIT: If you're looking to get out of any potential draft; tell them you're homosexual or apply to get your sex changed on your birth cetificate, under the guise that you're a pre-op transgirl.

[lvleph]

They are talking about allowing openly gay men in the military now.

[mikelepore]

I went through the process in the Vietnam War days, but as of that time there were two separate classifications (U.S.A.), which were called 1O [that's an oh, not a zero], where they don't draft the C.O., and 1AO, where they draft the C.O. into a non-weapon job like cooking or medical. After I sent in a registration card they sent me more forms to fill out, and they explained what all the classifications were. They told me to write an essay explaining my principles, and then they asked me to get a letter of reference, so I asked a priest to write a letter about me to the draft board.

[Labor Shall Rule]

I have read that many conscientious objectors have been in combat. A few years, ago a conscientious objector was actually court marshalled for firing a rifle while he was under hostile fire and his unit was pinned down.

[redcannon]

so, fuck, there really is no way out of this?
dammit.

i really hate the idea of the whole thing. How about this:

My girlfriend has dual citizenship between the US and Canada. If we get married, do I get Canadian citizenship automatically (or at least will it make the application process a lot easier)? and with that canadian citizenship, can I go to Canada for the duration of the war (or at least the draft assuming there is one, which I know is unlikely but its risky business) without any penalties upon my return to the US?

EDIT: is it reasonable to spit this into a new thread since this question is very different then my original question? granted, i can't split the thread, but if an admin (or mod, i don't know who does these things) sees this an thinks its reasonable can they split it, please?

[Raúl Duke]

I think Canada hands back draft dodgers now (or at least in the news recently they hand back AWOLed soldiers escaping redeployment, etc).

However, once you get the Canadian citizenship you could just renounce the US citizenship ( :P ) and live in Canada.

[lombas]

If there would ever be a mandatory military service over here again, I'm off to Nicaragua.

[Marsella]

I honestly wouldn't make a big deal of this.

I remember a thread which I think was on this, and basically, if you don't want to sign it, don't sign it. There are another 150 million males in America. You are just a raindrop in a storm. The FBI has enough problems to be worried about a million or so draft-dodgers.

Simple enough, yeah?

There is more info here (http://hasbrouck.org/draft/#links).


"I don't want to be drafted. What should I do?"

1. If you haven't registered for the draft, don't.

2. Don't panic. The government can't prosecute you unless they can prove that you knew you were supposed to register, which requires them to get you to sign for a certified letter, or to send FBI agents to personally notify you and give you a chance to register. Make them work: Don't register unless the FBI finds you and tells you that you have to.

3. Don't give the government evidence against yourself. "You have the right to remian silent. Anything you say will be used against you." Don't sign for any letters from the government, and don't talk to the FBI. Tell your parents, family, and friends to do the same.

4. If you have to register, give the address at which an induction notice will be least likely to reach you. Don't tell the Selective Service System if you move. Don't give the Postal Service a forwarding address to pass on to the Selective Service System (and other junk mailers).

5. Ignore any letters about the draft from the Selective Service System, Department of Defense, or Department of Justice that you don't have to sign for. They may sound scary, but unless you have to sign for them, they are junk mail.

6. Don't sign for any letters from the Selective Service System, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Justice. You are not required to accept or sign for their letters, and you don't have to give the mail carrier a reason why you refuse a letter.

7. Tell your parents or anyone else who lives at the address you gave when you registered not to sign for any letters for you from the Selective Service System, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Justice. Tell them not to talk to any Feds who come looking for you or asking questions about you. They are not required to say anything to the Feds, or answer any questions. Anything they say can, and will, be used against them as well as against you.

8. Don't report for induction. As with registration, they can't prosecute you unless they can prove that you got an induction order, which they can't do unless you sign for a certified letter, or unless they send the FBI to serve you with an order in person. Make them work: Don't report unless the FBI finds you and tells you that you have to.

9. Organize against the draft. Let people know that you don't want to go. You aren't alone.

And if all else fails, say you're a Jehovah's Witnesses. ;)

[RedKnight]

Originally posted by [email protected] 29, 2007 10:39 am
I honestly wouldn't make a big deal of this.

I remember a thread which I think was on this, and basically, if you don't want to sign it, don't sign it. There are another 150 million males in America. You are just a raindrop in a storm. The FBI has enough problems to be worried about a million or so draft-dodgers.

Simple enough, yeah?

There is more info here (http://hasbrouck.org/draft/#links).


"I don't want to be drafted. What should I do?"

1. If you haven't registered for the draft, don't.

2. Don't panic. The government can't prosecute you unless they can prove that you knew you were supposed to register, which requires them to get you to sign for a certified letter, or to send FBI agents to personally notify you and give you a chance to register. Make them work: Don't register unless the FBI finds you and tells you that you have to.

3. Don't give the government evidence against yourself. "You have the right to remian silent. Anything you say will be used against you." Don't sign for any letters from the government, and don't talk to the FBI. Tell your parents, family, and friends to do the same.

4. If you have to register, give the address at which an induction notice will be least likely to reach you. Don't tell the Selective Service System if you move. Don't give the Postal Service a forwarding address to pass on to the Selective Service System (and other junk mailers).

5. Ignore any letters about the draft from the Selective Service System, Department of Defense, or Department of Justice that you don't have to sign for. They may sound scary, but unless you have to sign for them, they are junk mail.

6. Don't sign for any letters from the Selective Service System, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Justice. You are not required to accept or sign for their letters, and you don't have to give the mail carrier a reason why you refuse a letter.

7. Tell your parents or anyone else who lives at the address you gave when you registered not to sign for any letters for you from the Selective Service System, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Justice. Tell them not to talk to any Feds who come looking for you or asking questions about you. They are not required to say anything to the Feds, or answer any questions. Anything they say can, and will, be used against them as well as against you.

8. Don't report for induction. As with registration, they can't prosecute you unless they can prove that you got an induction order, which they can't do unless you sign for a certified letter, or unless they send the FBI to serve you with an order in person. Make them work: Don't report unless the FBI finds you and tells you that you have to.

9. Organize against the draft. Let people know that you don't want to go. You aren't alone.

And if all else fails, say you're a Jehovah's Witnesses. ;)
If you claim religious objection, you must bring a signed letter from your pastor, stating that you are a member of your church. And you are required by federal law to register. I did, though I now wish that I hadn't, since they gave out my address to the military. Now I keep getting recruitment information in the mail. :angry:

[counterblast]

Originally posted by RedKnight+November 29, 2007 05:03 pm--> (RedKnight @ November 29, 2007 05:03 pm)
[email protected] 29, 2007 10:39 am
I honestly wouldn't make a big deal of this.

I remember a thread which I think was on this, and basically, if you don't want to sign it, don't sign it. There are another 150 million males in America. You are just a raindrop in a storm. The FBI has enough problems to be worried about a million or so draft-dodgers.

Simple enough, yeah?

There is more info here (http://hasbrouck.org/draft/#links).


"I don't want to be drafted. What should I do?"

1. If you haven't registered for the draft, don't.

2. Don't panic. The government can't prosecute you unless they can prove that you knew you were supposed to register, which requires them to get you to sign for a certified letter, or to send FBI agents to personally notify you and give you a chance to register. Make them work: Don't register unless the FBI finds you and tells you that you have to.

3. Don't give the government evidence against yourself. "You have the right to remian silent. Anything you say will be used against you." Don't sign for any letters from the government, and don't talk to the FBI. Tell your parents, family, and friends to do the same.

4. If you have to register, give the address at which an induction notice will be least likely to reach you. Don't tell the Selective Service System if you move. Don't give the Postal Service a forwarding address to pass on to the Selective Service System (and other junk mailers).

5. Ignore any letters about the draft from the Selective Service System, Department of Defense, or Department of Justice that you don't have to sign for. They may sound scary, but unless you have to sign for them, they are junk mail.

6. Don't sign for any letters from the Selective Service System, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Justice. You are not required to accept or sign for their letters, and you don't have to give the mail carrier a reason why you refuse a letter.

7. Tell your parents or anyone else who lives at the address you gave when you registered not to sign for any letters for you from the Selective Service System, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Justice. Tell them not to talk to any Feds who come looking for you or asking questions about you. They are not required to say anything to the Feds, or answer any questions. Anything they say can, and will, be used against them as well as against you.

8. Don't report for induction. As with registration, they can't prosecute you unless they can prove that you got an induction order, which they can't do unless you sign for a certified letter, or unless they send the FBI to serve you with an order in person. Make them work: Don't report unless the FBI finds you and tells you that you have to.

9. Organize against the draft. Let people know that you don't want to go. You aren't alone.

And if all else fails, say you're a Jehovah's Witnesses. ;)
If you claim religious objection, you must bring a signed letter from your pastor, stating that you are a member of your church. And you are required by federal law to register. I did, though I now wish that I hadn't, since they gave out my address to the military. Now I keep getting recruitment information in the mail. :angry: [/b]
Get certified as a minister.

There are hundreds of sites which allow you to get officially ordained online. Then, you can write the letter yourself; saying you have duties and beliefs as a "man of the cloth" that prevent you from serving. Plus, you get some minor tax cuts.

Heres one site:
http://www.universalministries.com/