The little man from the draft board.

[vakkotaur]

I expect this will be spun as something more than what it is, especially by those who like to use words like quagmire and try to scaremonger by making poor comparisons to Vietnam. One important bit would be overlooked if, or rather when, they do.

The Selective Service as it is now known started in the early 1980s. I remember that. I was around and had to register not just too long after it started. That was nearly 20 years ago. And here's the important bit from the page linked above (emphasis mine):

Once identified as qualified candidates for appointment, prospective Board Members are recommended by the Governor and appointed by the Director of Selective Service, who acts on behalf of the President in making appointments. Each new member receives 12 hours of initial training after appointment, followed by 4 hours of annual training for as long as he or she remains in the position. They may serve as Board Members for up to 20 years, if desired.

So all that's going on is that the original 20 year terms of service have ended or will soon be ending. So now replacements are needed to keep things in a state of presumed readiness, just like the last twenty years.

Comments

[taper.livejournal.com]

Oh, I imagine they've been doing similar things in newspapers et al on a smaller scale over the last 20 years. If the ad said "We're going to need 10,000 new board members in the next year, get in on this growth opportunity" I'd be concerned, but not at this.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

No, you wouldn't be concerned at this. And I wouldn't. But some, like The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1077906,00.html?=rss), would.