Tempe Friends Meeting is forming a committee to counsel young men and women who want information about the military draft, especially those who believe they may be conscientious objectors. You may wish to make copies of this page and pass it along to people who might be interested!

If you think you may be a conscientious objector, please do contact or visit us.

WEB SITES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE MILITARY DRAFT AND CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

Four days before the election, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that the United States does not need to use compulsion to attract and retain the people we need to serve our country. But he failed to mention that the armed forces are currently using compulsion to retain over 10,000 members through stop-loss orders, a kind of "back door draft." While over 40 percent of the troops currently in Iraq are Army Reserves or National Guard, recruitment in those two forces has fallen by 45 percent. The American Medical Association recently expressed its concern about the probability that health-care professionals may soon be drafted because of an increasing need for them in Iraq. The draft is likely to include women as well as men because over 15 percent of the current armed forces are women. Young people need to be informed about the draft, especially if they believe they might be conscientious objectors. The Internet offers abundant information.

FRIENDS PEACE TESTIMONY

This site explains Friends peace testimony and contains articles where some contemporary Friends express their views. It also links to other sites containing information about the Friends' peace testimony.

NONVIOLENCE

This site contains many articles about Quaker beliefs in nonviolence and pacifism. It has a chat room and "Quaker blogs." It has links to many other sites, such as Nonviolence Help.

CENTER ON CONSCIENCE AND WAR

This organization was formed in 1940 as the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objection, hence the Web address. It is an association of many religious organizations to which Friends belong. Its purpose is to defend and extend the rights of conscientious objectors to war and violence. The Web site contains current articles, such as "Basic Draft Registration Information." It has an online store containing pamphlets and books about the draft and conscientious objection. The organization holds conferences around the country that explain CO status and provide training for draft counselors. A valuable free Internet periodical is "Action Alerts." This site has many links to other sites providing information about conscientious objection.

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM HOMEPAGE

This site provides a wide variety of information about the military draft. Of particular interest are the annual reports to Congress; see the sections of the reports that deal with alternative service for conscientious objectors.