Citizens United Ad On DADT Repeal Warns Of Reinstatement Of Military Draft

The smear champions at Citizens United are out with a new advertisement connecting the repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell to a potential reinstatement of the draft.

The ad created by Citizens United, the conservative group behind the eponymous Supreme Court decision that dismantled campaign finance rules earlier this year, features stock footage of young people rallying at an anti-DADT event headlined by pop star Lady Gaga in Maine in September, and cautions that such activism may come back to haunt participants when they are later drafted into the military themselves.

"The Pentagon says four out of 10 Marines may leave the service if Don't Ask, Don't Tell is repealed," the ad warns, referencing a recent survey which, military leaders have admitted, showed some Corps resistance to repealing DADT. "During the global war on terror we can't afford to take that chance."

The fear mongering doesn't stop there.

The next scene shows a DADT protester receiving a draft registration card from a mysterious, gloved man.

"Be careful what you rally for because Uncle Sam may end up drafting you," the ad concludes.

The spot, however, seems poorly timed. Legislation to repeal DADT was successfully passed in the Senate this weekend. A questionnaire filled out earlier this year by more than 100,000 active servicemembers showed that there was unlikely to be damage caused by the integration of openly gay troops into the military.

WATCH:

Comments

[Schoolgirl666]

04:47 PM on 01/02/2011

Please, let's reinstate the draft.....no exceptions....no student deferments....no children of politicians exempt.....This will be the quickest way to end the wars.

[CAHertzfe]

06:02 PM on 12/31/2010

Leave it to ring-wing conservative blg0ts to bring down our nation.

[lj9283]

08:50 AM on 12/22/2010

Even when the draft was in effect, young men were never drafted into the Marines. The Marines have always been a volunteer Branch of the Military.

To those who are on the sidelines snickering at the timing of the release of this ad, you miss its purpose.

Its purpose is not to defeat the repeal of DADT, but to continue to stir up homophobia which is an effective campaign tool of the Right Wing.

Never underestimate the lack of morals of the Right Wing.

[rextrek]

08:36 AM on 12/22/2010

America's Allies MUST BE LAUGHING thier collective heads off........ "Look at America.....the SUPPOSED Land of Liberty & Justice for ALL....such hang-ups over something that the ALLIES have done years ago! What a Disgrace America is...."

[Stefan Dembowski]

08:04 AM on 12/22/2010

A little late for Fear and Schmear tactics, no?

[ladyearth]

07:48 AM on 12/22/2010

If the GOP plans ever materialize to disband the Veteran's Administration, don't be surprised if the draft is brought back. Who would volunteer to serve in a military where the country one is serving refuses to provide for them.

[oldetripreal]

07:09 AM on 12/22/2010

Don’t ask don’t tell repeal: How Europeans have reacted to the news

http://olderime.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/don%e2%80%99t-ask-don%e2%80%99t-tell-repeal-how-europeans-have-reacted-to-the-news/

[OldBear]

04:13 AM on 12/22/2010

Bring back the draft, sounds like a good idea. Scary, scary. Now all we need is a window to throw this crock out of....

[SitandStay]

03:17 AM on 12/22/2010

Now is the perfect time for the youth to connect with students and youth of other countries. Great Britain had students recently protesting in the streets about the rise in the cost of education. Peace and prosperity will come about through common citizens, not governments and oligarchies.
President Carter and his wife in 1977 formed a cultural exchange organization called Friendship Force for individuals in a way of building friendship between countries.
Carter's simple statement sums all of this up, "We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children."

[craig asia]

02:55 AM on 12/22/2010

Be careful how far you push the people, or we just might end up nationalizing the oil companies. We the people have rights too, even if we are not corporations protected by a citizens United Ruling!

[SitandStay]

02:36 AM on 12/22/2010

Citizens United (gee, that sounds like WWII propaganda from Germany) has decided to attach their smear campaign to the DADT repeal. Actually, they are only continuing their segue into more media coverage for their campaign to reinstate the draft to protect their MIC investments.
Sadly, everyone pretty much missed the real reason Charles Rangel was censored. Charlie was the voice in the wilderness of denouncing the Iraq War and he called for votes 3 times to force the Republicans to declare they were against reinstating the draft, which we all know they aren't and are just mad because Charlie Rangel was brilliant enough to outsmart all of those plodding, yet evil, minds. The Republicans aren't worried about the public opinion of this war any more and since so MANY soldiers will not be re-enlisting because of the corruption in our government, they are ready to go full bore in a sales job on the younger generation to get them to enlist. We have Charles Rangel to thank for the draft not having been reinstated until now.
DADT has nothing to do with the draft otherwise. The "money bag MIC" just want free publicity and to try to make this a issue of fear. Being a child of the 60's, I will say, nothing focuses a young mind like the threat of being shipped of to an old mans war of profit and entertainment.

[SitandStay]

02:34 AM on 12/22/2010

The threat of a draft will bring about a political awareness in the younger generation that no amount of advertising could imbue. Just make sure that any new citizens to our shores are required to participate equally....or maybe that's already planned.

[SitandStay]

02:29 AM on 12/22/2010

Citizens United (gee, that sounds like Nazi propaganda) has decided to attach their smear campaign to the DADT repeal. Actually, they are only continuing their segue into more media coverage for their campaign to reinstate the draft to protect their MIC investments.
Sadly, everyone pretty much missed the real reason Charles Rangel was censored. Charlie was the voice in the wilderness of denouncing the Iraq War and he called for votes 3 times to force the Republicans to declare they were against reinstating the draft, which we all know they aren't and are just mad because Charlie Rangel was brilliant enough to outsmart all of those plodding, yet evil, minds. The Republicans aren't worried about the public opinion of this war any more and since so MANY soldiers will not be re-enlisting because of the corruption in our government, they are ready to go full bore in a sales job on the younger generation to get them to enlist. We have Charles Rangel to thank for the draft not having been reinstated until now.
DADT has nothing to do with the draft otherwise. The "money bag MIC" just want free publicity and to try to make this a issue of fear. Being a child of the 60's, I will say, nothing focuses a young mind like the threat of being shipped of to an old mans war of profit and entertainment.

[kinger50]

02:24 AM on 12/22/2010

I am pretty surprised by all this love of the idea of conscripting "other people". Just like "other peoples' money (OPM), why not other peoples' lives. You are lost to think that feeding the war machine more cannon fodder will fix this. It just feeds the beast.

[Peanut Santiago]

01:17 AM on 12/22/2010

Gay and bi people are estimated to be 5-10 % of the population.

From what I can see, they are born that way just like straights are born and not made.

In many (most?) cases, I am sure fellow soldiers have a good idea who is or may be gay.

Of course, propaganda and scare tactics work with people who can't think for themselves.
Luckily, all Obama has to do is sign the bill into law.

And do NOT hold your breath waiting for all those angry soldiers to leave the military..... Most likely, it will be talked about for a while and then become a non-issue. And military life will go on.

There was a time when white and minority soldiers were often kept apart....yet that is now a non-issue (except maybe for a handful of racists).