Back to the original Selective Serivce Q
Interesting article in yesterday's SF Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/08/MNGH0PMVID1.DTL&hw=VA+hospital+selective+service&sn=001&sc=1000
Whether you think it is fair or not, it is what it is. He's losing his job, he isn't going to win an appeal and he'll have to go find a job doing the same stuff elsewhere. So, if you want to work for a government agency and registering applies to you, you'd better do it.
Tess
Even if you're a veteran -- and over 45 years old -- you will have to dig up a copy of your DD-214
It's hysterical
What is really sad is that the Federal Government can practice sex discrimination (which this is), whereas most states (the ones with an Equal Rights Amendment) cannot.
A woman can hold a Federal job without registering for the draft, but a man cannot. Blatant discrimination based on sex.
I find it ironic that in this day when just about any source of job discrimination leads quickly to a lawsuit, you have here a situation where hiring and firing decisions are not merely permitted but *required* to be made on the basis of gender.
It's even worse -- the Selective Service Board's own web site states "A man who fails to register may, if prosecuted and convicted, face a fine of up to $250,000 and/or a prison term of up to five years". Furthermore, there are a number of STATE laws that deny some benefits to men who don't register. Minnesota denies DRIVER'S LICENSES to non-registrants. Since you can't register after age 25, it sounds like if you're a male living in Minnesota who is 26 or over and hasn't registered, you can't legally drive in the state for the rest of your life unless you get an out-of-state license.
I'd have to wager that if the shoe was on the other foot and this story was about a woman rather than a man, the NOW would be absolutely up in arms over it. They'd sue like crazy and if the courts didn't change the laws, they'd go after Congress.
Well, here I am, a feminist who is up in arms about this blatant sex discrimination against men. My husband has certainly run into it -- in other forms as well.
The problem is that most men are not speaking out about it. It's not NOW's problem, it's men's problem. If you don't like sex discrimination, SPEAK UP. DO NOT TOLERATE IT. The ball is in YOUR court here.
Getting blown up anywhere would be a real inconvenience! I hate it when that happens.
I try to keep my balls out of court.