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"K.M. Rowley" kmrow...@tenet.edu
Last night on the local news here they were making a big deal about the restaffing of local draft boards. Not that there is going to be a draft anytime soon they said - they just want to be prepared if they needed one.
Mentioned this to some of my soon to be graduated senior students this morning and they just laughed and said that being on Ritalin was going to keep them from ever having to worry about being drafted.
Martin http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sss092203.html http://www.sss.gov/fslocal.htm
"SumBuny" sumbunyTHIS_DOES_NOT_BELONG_H...@cox.net
Neither one of these shows the supposed military regulation that states this exemption--care to clue us in on the number of the reg?
Buny
halcon7r ...@yahoo.com (RH)
That maybe the way it is now. If it gets bad, they won't be so picky.
It'll probably get worse, since 'they' have a 'permanent war strategy'. Many conservative people in power think that the world's greatest problem is overpopulation. So, in their warped view, war is good since it attacks the problem.
Everyone should know that the US National Security Strategy -- now includes attacking possible future competitors first, ***uming regional hegemony by force of arms, controlling energy resources around the globe, and maintaining a permanent-war strategy.
Permanent war strategy. As if peace were not possible! If tens of thousands of our soldiers get killed then they'll need to draft replacements.
This strategy comes directly from neo-conservatives of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) who are in charge of US foreign policy --
Rebuilding America's Defenses, Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New American Century was commissioned by Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and others in the year 2000, before they became part of the current government. PNAC is #1 on the the list of Project Censored's Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2002-2003 with the title The Neoconservative Plan for Global Dominance.
http://www.projectcensored.org more information about it can be found here: http://pnac.info/ http://pnacrevealed.com/ http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin//bulletin13.html http://home.earthlink.net/~platter/neo-conservatism/pnac.html Project for the New American Century. -this is their site - it's often down - keep trying: http://www.newamericancentury.org/
"K.M. Rowley" kmrow...@tenet.edu
You really think that some 17-18 year old high school students would be basing their opinion on actual facts?
Martin
"SumBuny" sumbunyTHIS_DOES_NOT_BELONG_H...@cox.net
I have heard such "facts" bandied about with disturbing regularity on the alt.support.attn-deficit boards by *adults*, who also fail to back them up.
Your post appeared similar. If it was not your intention to bait as they do, I apologise. Since my sons and I are ADHD, your post hits far too close to home.
Why *did* you make the comment?
Buny
"K.M.Rowley" kmrow...@swbell.net
Not really making a comment myself - just reporting what they (the students I mentioned this to) said. Sorry if you found that offensive in some way.
Martin
"SumBuny" sumbunyTHIS_DOES_NOT_BELONG_H...@cox.net
Now I ask another question...are you doing anything to correct the ignorance? *That* is why I have responded the way I have. To do otherwise is to allow the fallacy to continue, to become more of "truth." *Each* time I hear of this, I respond the same way. "Please, tell me what specific regulation states this." I have been doing this for years now, and no one (not even military recruiters) has been able to supply an answer.
Buny
"K.M. Rowley" kmrow...@tenet.edu
Problem is they can't handle the truth - or probably more accurate they don't want to know the truth, as that might make them consider the fact that they could possibly be drafted.
I tried to poke holes in several of their ideas - one thought that he wouldn't be considered as he was an only child. Keep in mind that a lot of kids (people) simply refuse to accept anything presented as the truth - especially if it contradicts their own perception of how the world "should" work.
Well, I found one page.
Selective Service and the Draft http://www.specialservices.ucr.edu/ssdi.html and http://people.howstuffworks.com/us-draft.htm Martin
"Magi D. Shepley" ma...@catsincyberspace.concentriccircles.net
I just asked my father this question (was on the phone with him while I was reading this), and he says that depending on the recruit, and the last time they took the medication as well as the medication, it COULD be a reason for non-acceptance. There is no specific reason that a person that takes Ritalin would be barred from the military. I'm more likely to be barred, he says, because I am allergic to insects and take Benedryl for the allergy.
He was a recruiter for most of my life, and an instructor.
Magi
"SumBuny" sumbunyTHIS_DOES_NOT_BELONG_H...@cox.net
Nothing in here supports the fallacy listed above....
Couldn't see anything on this page either....
Buny
"SumBuny" sumbunyTHIS_DOES_NOT_BELONG_H...@cox.net
There are many reasons that one could be barred--being "non-deployable" is one (if the job one has demands that cl***ification). I have a friend who had to take an early retirement when he was diagnosed diabetic (he was in aircraft maintainance--his job required that he be deployable).
One thing that strikes me is this: If taking ritalin is all one needs to avoid being drafted, and the medication has been around for over 50 years, then why did no many people run to Canada to avoid the draft during the Korea- and VietNam conflicts? If this medication is as easy to get as so many claim? (Notice that those making *that* claim are also often the ones making the claim that taking this medication is an automatic military exemption---and consistantly fail to be able to *prove* that it is an automatic exemption)...
Buny (who has had several members of family in the service, covering all branches of service, over several generations)
Lee REM0VElbspamt...@cox.net
SumBuny said: It's been around for over 50 years, but wasn't prescribed for ADHD until the 70's, and then only rarely. Before that it was just another stimulant that almost nobody knew about. It didn't really explode in popularity and availability until long after the draft had ended.
"SumBuny" sumbunyTHIS_DOES_NOT_BELONG_H...@cox.net
I am sorry...I was under the impression that ADHD had been treated with mehtylphenidate as early as the 1950s, with it becoming more accepted as treatment in the 1960s.: http://www.focusonadhd.com/about_ADHD/ADHD_history.jhtml 1937: Medical Treatments May Help In 1937, doctors discovered that amphetamines could be used to reduce hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.
1950s: Stimulants First Used as Therapy In the 1950s, stimulant medication (i.e., amphetamines, methylphenidate) became used as therapy for hyperactivity and impulsive disorders.
1960s: Stimulants Became Widely Used Dr. Ford noted that it was only after researcher Stella Chess coined the term "Hyperactive Child Syndrome" in the early 1960s, that stimulants became a widespread treatment. He also said that Chess felt the "syndrome" had a biological cause, even though many others at the time believed the cause to be anything from poor parenting and food additives to environmental toxins.
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FWIW, I did find something that discusses ritalin and the military in the fashion I asked about...it discusses that it *can* be a reason for not being able to enlist, but it *can* be waivered...
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http://www.dbpeds.org/section/fall98/adhd_military.html The entrance examination at the Military Entrance Processing Station involves (among other things) a medical/psychiatric history and a physical examination performed by a physician. Problems arise when candidates misrepresent their history. If the recruit has not previously revealed that he or she has been treated for ADHD, and it comes out that they have misrepresented their medical/psychiatric history, this can be grounds for separation from duty.
The diagnosis of ADHD, per se, does not appear to be a disqualifying condition, depending on the problems that the individual has experienced, his/her history, and their status regarding medication. The military policy of disqualification for the use of daily medication applies to any chronic disorder or condition that requires daily medication (such as medication for thyroid disorders, asthma, and diabetes, as well as stimulant medication for ADHD). Again, the rational behind this military policy is that any condition requiring regular medication may place the individual at risk in a combat situation ...................................................
The military does grant waivers to enter the service for conditions such as ADHD in certain circumstances. If the recruit with the history of ADHD has outgrown the need for medication and has be successful in school or employment for three years without being on medication and can p*** all of the required entrance exams, the recruit may apply for a waiver. If the recruit is still in high school, a waiver may be granted if the individual has been in school and off ADHD medication for one to two semesters, is mainstreamed, does not require untimed tests, and does not have an Individualized Educational Plan in place. If the recruit is out of school, he or she must be off medication, show documentation of one year of stable employment, and have no history of significant problems with the law.
Various branches of the military have shown different degrees of strictness regarding the disqualifying policy and the granting of waivers for ADHD. The Army has a history of being somewhat less strict, while the Marine Corps is the strictest military branch in this regard. The most consistent part of the DOD policy (which applies to all branches) is that a person cannot join the military if they are on methylphenidate (or a similar medication) at the time of enlistment. The DOD directive is a minimum standard, which all Armed Forces must meet. Each branch of the military can set up more stringent requirements, based on the operational environment of the respective service.
The DOD is in the process of developing a more specific and consistent policy for all the branches of the Armed Forces regarding waivers. The Armed Forces have also clearly indicated, however, that these rules may be revised "in the event of mobilization or a national emergency" (DOD directive 1304.26).
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Do pay attention to that last line....if the military thinks it is important, they can change the rules.....so there is no such thing as "ADHD automatically exempts one from military service".....
Buny
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