Selective Service tactics
By clrumfelt
@clrumfelt (5597)
Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
June 16, 2008 8:08am CST
The Selective Service evidently is harvesting commercial mailing lists to track down young men who are of age to register with them. It was a fake registration at an icecream stand by two young boys that brought this to someone's attention. Do you think it is a violation of privacy for the Secret Service to harvest draft-eligible names from commercial sources? Here's the link:
http://www.snopes.com/military/icecream.asp
3 responses
@clrumfelt (5597)
• Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
16 Jun 08
You are probably right. It wouldn't be easy to get a ruling against them in court.
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
16 Jun 08
What a question. The whole question of even having a draft in the first place is dubious. It has been ruled legal by the Supreme Court many years ago.
A draftee once objected to the draft on the grounds it was 'involuntary servitude' and hence the same as slavery which is unconstitutional and against the law. The Supreme Court ruled 'duty' is not the same as 'slavery'. One can have a 'duty' that requires 'involuntary servitude'. So, says the Sureme Court.
The above being true, and there being a law requiring registration, yes, the Selective Service could use commercial mailing list available legally to others to look for draft eligible names that are not registered.
In fact, the Selective Service could probably even get a search warrant with any kind of 'probable cause' to indicate draft eligible names were on any kind of list in anyone's computer. I suspect the Selective Service could in this way search any database. It would only take probable cause. Registration is the law.
1 person likes this
@clrumfelt (5597)
• Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
16 Jun 08
It's the law. I guess if someone really wanted to hide from the SS they could find a lot of ways to do it, so the commercial tracking of elibibles could be considered a valid means of finding them.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
16 Jun 08
I don't really like the trickery, no, but I have no problem with them obtaining information from schools and other organizations. There was a draft when I was a teenager and I'm so thankful that there is none now but, if for some reason this country needed to call up a large amount of recruits, they need to know who and where the draft age civilians are.
@clrumfelt (5597)
• Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee
16 Jun 08
The do need the information. I think it would be better to initiate contact with the youths with the parents' knowledge. I think most of them would be cooperative, and if they weren't, they the SS could go after the kids on their own.



