Army recruiting commercials really seem odd to me.

[bushwentawol]

The families shown in these spots appear to be all blue-collar working class folks. That's the inference I get anyway. I'd love to see a son talking to his dad the banker or mom the corporate exec. But I know the bias is intentional. Can't have the sons and daughters of the aristocracy actually getting their hands dirty or risk having their blood spilled overseas. Let the underclasses do the dying for the wealthy.

/rant

[CD3]

The families shown in these spots appear to be all blue-collar working class folks. That's the inference I get anyway. I'd love to see a son talking to his dad the banker or mom the corporate exec. But I know the bias is intentional. Can't have the sons and daughters of the aristocracy actually getting their hands dirty or risk having their blood spilled overseas. Let the underclasses do the dying for the wealthy.

/rant

This isn't a class matter.

This is a target audience matter.

i.e. Who is more likely to join Carl the Bankers son or Carlos the car repairmans son?

[bushwentawol]

Targeting the audience is a good point. But the idealist in me would like to see Carl the banker talking to his son about the obligation to fight for the country
that's given them so much. The realist knows that won't happen.

[The_Bammo]

The families shown in these spots appear to be all blue-collar working class folks. That's the inference I get anyway. I'd love to see a son talking to his dad the banker or mom the corporate exec. But I know the bias is intentional. Can't have the sons and daughters of the aristocracy actually getting their hands dirty or risk having their blood spilled overseas. Let the underclasses do the dying for the wealthy.

/rant

I hear ya' for sure bushwentawol, they prey on the kids that will be at the most - flipping burgers not the fortunate sons and daughters. Nothing has changed but the players.

Military Recruiting Sexual Misconduct Investigated

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Report: Military recruiting marred by aggressive tactics
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Military Recruiting Abuse Rose Last Year by 50%
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Sexual misconduct mars military recruiting

100 women preyed upon during past year

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Marine Recruiter charged in sex case
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

And the list goes on !

Hang Tough~

[bushwentawol]

I hear ya' for sure bushwentawol, they prey on the kids that will be at the most - flipping burgers not the fortunate sons and daughters. Nothing has changed but the players.

Military Recruiting Sexual Misconduct Investigated

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Report: Military recruiting marred by aggressive tactics
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Military Recruiting Abuse Rose Last Year by 50%
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Sexual misconduct mars military recruiting

100 women preyed upon during past year

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Marine Recruiter charged in sex case
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

And the list goes on !

Hang Tough~


Thanks The_bammo.

I see you served in the 101st. That was my dad's unit.

[The_Bammo]

Thanks The_bammo.

I see you served in the 101st. That was my dad's unit.

Your more than welcome bushwentawol. Your Dad was a Screaming Eagle? Do you have any idea who he was with in the 101st? When did he serve bushwetawol? No problem if you do not know.

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

Military recruiters easier to avoid
District 186 no longer ties armed forces' contacts to colleges'

[Only registered and activated users can see links]
STAFF WRITER

Published Friday, September 01, 2006
The Springfield School District is making it easier for high school students and their parents to turn down solicitations from military recruiters.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires schools that receive federal funds to give student names, addresses and phone numbers to military recruiters upon request. However, parents can withhold the information for their children by signing opt-out forms.
Previously, the district's form provided only one opt-out choice, which prohibited the release of information to anyone, including colleges and technical schools as well as military recruiters.
"There was some confusion last year when parents marked 'no' (to military recruiters) but then they also didn't receive any contact from institutions of higher education," said district spokeswoman Carol Votsmier. "This was a concern for some families, which I can understand."
The district revised its opt-out form for the new school year. Mailed out in early August, the new form allows parents to prohibit solicitation from the military, colleges or both.
That doesn't mean Springfield high school students who decline recruitment offers will not come in contact with military recruiters. Each of District 186's three high schools keeps an "open-door" policy when it comes to the military.
Recruiters from the Army have the strongest presence, visiting each school about every three to four weeks.
Each high school's guidance department and administrators set the tone for how the military interacts with students.
At Lanphier High School, guidance deans actively encourage some students to consider the armed forces as one among many post-graduation options.
At Springfield High School, while a career in the military isn't discouraged, school officials have clamped down on aggressive recruiters. At least one is not allowed to return to the campus. Springfield High guidance deans say they are seeing an increase in returned opt-out forms this year.
The U.S. military spends roughly $2.6 billion a year on marketing, $400 million more than the Walt Disney Co., but the money is thinly distributed.
"I get an advertising budget, but it's fairly small," said Capt. David Thompson, commander for the Springfield Recruiting Company, which oversees Army recruitment within a roughly 40-mile radius around Springfield. "I barely get enough for two radio commercials."
Thompson said his recruiters still are able to sign up about 100 soldiers a year, which puts his operation in the top 3 percent of the Army's 246 recruiting companies nationwide. He attributes the unit's success to the appeal the Army has to students with "traditional Midwestern values and patriotism."
Thompson said his recruiters stay clear from students with whom contact is prohibited. However, he said, the number "is not substantial" and doesn't hamper his efforts to fulfill what he calls his company's "annual mission."
Ashley Wylde, a junior at Southeast High School, said she doesn't recall receiving the district's opt-out form. She added that she is receiving a "ton" of military promotional letters.
But, while she sees the recruiters in Southeast's student commons area, mostly talking with male students, she's never been approached by one herself. "I don't think I look like the kind of person they want," she said.


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[The_Bammo]

Military Recruiters Are Professional Liars


[Only registered and activated users can see links]


The Army at work. Be all you can be.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


Encourage your sister to enlist. She can be a leader of men.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

is that a joke? I mean, its not like the LOCAL RECRUITERS have to worry...

talk about some UBISOFT games ... TV... have you NOTICED that SpikeTV is a heavily advertised station?

especially for Ultimate Fighting events...

ref RRMB ignoring the issue ([Only registered and activated users can see links])... corporate responsibility ([Only registered and activated users can see links])...

[CD3]

is that a joke? I mean, its not like the LOCAL RECRUITERS have to worry...

talk about some UBISOFT games ... TV... have you NOTICED that SpikeTV is a heavily advertised station?

especially for Ultimate Fighting events...

ref RRMB ignoring the issue ([Only registered and activated users can see links])... corporate responsibility ([Only registered and activated users can see links])...

Spike, commedy central, amtv.

basicaly any channel frequently watched by males in their late teens.

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

Military Recruiters Are Professional Liars


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

The Army at work. Be all you can be.Encourage your sister to enlist. She can be a leader of men.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Let's roll back to video ([Only registered and activated users can see links]) I posted a while ago... you'll like this ([Only registered and activated users can see links]).

oh yeah... sign 'em up ([Only registered and activated users can see links])!

[lil]

is that a joke? I mean, its not like the LOCAL RECRUITERS have to worry...

talk about some UBISOFT games ... TV... have you NOTICED that SpikeTV is a heavily advertised station?

especially for Ultimate Fighting events...

ref RRMB ignoring the issue ([Only registered and activated users can see links])... corporate responsibility ([Only registered and activated users can see links])...
most of the UFC events participants and spectators are into the message.

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

How I caught my husband..

watching wrestling?

he called me downstairs to show me a segment with some 'mexican' characters who were PROTESTING THE US ESTABLISHMENT.

we couldnt' figure out if it was a good thing, or creepy...

but when POLITICS gets into WRESTLING... something's DEEPLY interesting...

[The_Bammo]

I must come clean here , I watch UFC and I get a chuckle at Wrestling But I see what you mean.

Any sporting event has this military swagger to attract kids - including bull riding. Look how the NFL pumped up Pat Tillmans death. They all support the military aimed at the bait that they like.

So who's your favorite Wrestler? (LOL) Of all tme - I'll go with 2 - Jesse Ventura and Randy Macho Man Savage. LMAO
UFC - Royce Gracie. LOL - Now give me the soap box for awhile.

That was not what got me to join the military and end up in Nam. I personally thought as a 17 year old it was my duty as an American as was pumped by sayings like "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country". Not to smash on JFK, but that type of rhetoric did make a lot of kids bite for military bait, and no direction in life as well - very low paying employment - War Storys of the Big One from relatives and friends. A lot of factors is what Recruiters feed off. These recruiting drives of the military to the type they want - young and dumb, like I was - cannot be blamed on just a few things. Recruiting is a big time advertising part of this country. They prey where they can sign up the most kids, not in the rich part of towns (which they do go but not as much-educated officer material there) but in the lower middle class and poor sections of towns and city's. (grunts and crotch there)

I do see where your coming from - seriously . The military has many ways of getting to kids with their propaganda. We as adults, parent, and grand parents got to do our best to show the kids the lies these snakes present.

ARMY RECRUITING (slow loader but decent)
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Marines recruiting on MySpace


My what a big profile you have! All the better to recruit ([Only registered and activated users can see links] zg) you with, my dear.


So far, over 12,000 Web surfers have signed on as friends of the Corps in response to the latest military recruiting tactic. Other military branches may follow.
...The Marine Corps MySpace profile -- featuring streaming video of barking drill sergeants, fresh recruits enduring boot camp and Marines storming beaches -- underscores the growing importance of the Internet to advertisers as a medium for reaching America's youth.[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Seriously, these predators will get to kids anyway they can, believe that!!
They are trained and paid to do so!

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

Think First!
Countering the Military Presence in Our Schools




Military Recruiting: their Tactics, Tools & Lies

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[The_Bammo]

CounterRecruiter ([Only registered and activated users can see links])


The Nation: "Military Recruiters Are Now Targeting Sixth Graders. Who's Next?"

[Only registered and activated users can see links]



[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[The_Bammo]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[101Scout]

CounterRecruiter ([Only registered and activated users can see links])


The Nation: "Military Recruiters Are Now Targeting Sixth Graders. Who's Next?"

[Only registered and activated users can see links]



[Only registered and activated users can see links]


Good post Bammo! Remember back in the ole swamp forum how we brought this up about how BushCon Pentagon had really geared their recruiting tactics to the much younger kids in preparing them for their wars in the future? Then we got gang banged by the RAs in that forum.... how we were wrong and against what the military does...blah blah blah. Remember that horseshit bro? Funny how the truth in a lot of political forums just doesn't fly well does it? That's because too many are so blind to the truth and they seek after the fake feel good stuff that computer nerdie marines and fake swabbies lay out there in these political forums.

See, some forums are just like the commercial ads in it's affect. It's a place where many eyes will read information contributed by willing posters/viewers. Unfortunately, like such given swamp forums, the make believe stories start to rule the forums until the weak minded sheeple take it all in as the truth or how things should be. Like commercials on tv, it's up to the viewers to stand up to and say no to the bs!! Raise some hell about it! For those who do have kids.... turn their eyes away from this propaganda bs!!!

Commercials and tv in general has all become a major brainwashing tool. If anything, these military ads that tries to target the kiddies.... well doesn't that tell the sheeple something about our govt's plans for us to be in wars for a long long time? Yes, that's exactlly what the commercials/ads are letting us know.... for they need 6th graders to start planning now for their role in the great empire's crusade. The handwriting is all over the wall bro... we are heading into a military complex for life......until death.

[Christine]

When I was a kid, there were GI JOE dolls....the Viet Nam war was full blown and they started making these GI JOES with all the killing accessories. They were grooming the next generation of troops. Now they have video games, played realtime online. Call me crazy, but don't you see the link?

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

I do, but then people tell me I'm IMAGINING THINGS...

uh huh...

That '10 reasons" is a great & postable review...

have you SEEN some of the 'new recruitment' videos?

I think you'll like them ([Only registered and activated users can see links])...

It drivees me nuts that I've appareently no design sense... [Only registered and activated users can see links]

[The_Bammo]

Good post Bammo! Remember back in the ole swamp forum how we brought this up about how BushCon Pentagon had really geared their recruiting tactics to the much younger kids in preparing them for their wars in the future? Then we got gang banged by the RAs in that forum.... how we were wrong and against what the military does...blah blah blah. Remember that horseshit bro? Funny how the truth in a lot of political forums just doesn't fly well does it? That's because too many are so blind to the truth and they seek after the fake feel good stuff that computer nerdie marines and fake swabbies lay out there in these political forums.

See, some forums are just like the commercial ads in it's affect. It's a place where many eyes will read information contributed by willing posters/viewers. Unfortunately, like such given swamp forums, the make believe stories start to rule the forums until the weak minded sheeple take it all in as the truth or how things should be. Like commercials on tv, it's up to the viewers to stand up to and say no to the bs!! Raise some hell about it! For those who do have kids.... turn their eyes away from this propaganda bs!!!

Commercials and tv in general has all become a major brainwashing tool. If anything, these military ads that tries to target the kiddies.... well doesn't that tell the sheeple something about our govt's plans for us to be in wars for a long long time? Yes, that's exactlly what the commercials/ads are letting us know.... for they need 6th graders to start planning now for their role in the great empire's crusade. The handwriting is all over the wall bro... we are heading into a military complex for life......until death.

Oh do I remember the VFW Stool Sittin' Club (RA) getting down on our Azz's for spreading this anti american poison Bro' (LOL). Who backed their play for such action Bro'? You got it - Super Mod of CGCS Sandra Dearie.

How many times did she tell us we were out of line or delete our posts with nothing said on this subject ? Plus back her lacky followers for spreading their pro war stance and when we posted against such rubbish she came down on us like a hammer, like we really cared! LOL From where I stood Bro' sheet stunk and her oder was not sweet.

This is the so called anti Bush supporting person of the Swamp, letting those "SHRUB" propaganda machines spit their venom.

Sandy Babe is just another worthless troll from where I sit Bro'. And she and her scumbag troopers are still out there playing their game as you know in many forum while they are on R & R ---LOL!

You got it Bro', the recruiters and the Government that pays them has no concience as far as targeting kid for their War Games. Only thing Bro' both you and I know war is no game!

Hang Tough~ (Good Day for a cruise Bro' --Get my motor runnin' - LOL)

[The_Bammo]

When I was a kid, there were GI JOE dolls....the Viet Nam war was full blown and they started making these GI JOES with all the killing accessories. They were grooming the next generation of troops. Now they have video games, played realtime online. Call me crazy, but don't you see the link?

I do see the link in a big time way Christine. War toys are a popular profit making and grooming item for the younger American. We did not have the video games but we used our imaginations. Seriously, I look at the video games out there, Call To Duty, Medal of Honor etc. and see the G.I. Joe in a new and improved concept. Your not crazy friend, you shoot from the hip and I respect that! LOL

BlueBerry Pick'n, your not imagining anything. Think the ones telling you that are the ones being brainwashed.

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


Wanna Play? What rubbish ---for sure!

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

kinda... dare I say... validating, but sorta sad...'ish'...

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


Wanna Play? What rubbish ---for sure!

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

I blogged that...

[101Scout]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

kinda... dare I say... validating, but sorta sad...'ish'...

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

That's how certain cliques in forums takes over BBP. That's also part of what some of us in Revelations expose who we do in their efforts to promote neocon tactics in such political forums. Thanks to BJerr here in DW, we are able to help others to recognize such 'cliques' that are operating in such 'neocon' style forums. Usually, these cliques have several mods/admins in their pockets as well ... of which is why they are allowed to operate like they do against good posting members of most forums.

Funny how these 'cliques' tend to have 'techniques' that relates closely to how the Repugs thinks and operates too. Sometimes, like commercials on tv, those neocon type forums will sport threads to promote the sell of gadgets and products that they claim is to support 'our' troops leaving many to feel as if they are unpatriotic if they don't follow suit and or agree with these sorts of 'sales' campaigns inside forums. Buy those yellow ribbons... keep those Republican ribbon makers all rich and happy!

Our society on a whole has fallen to the mercy of propaganda pushing via tv commercials and the media bs hr every evening on tv. Then as you and Bammo have pointed out also, such propaganda also invades the toy market as well as the clothing market too. Even the car manufacturers has gotten in on that tgrend that memmicks military vehicles as well. It's all about 'force' advertising with how we all must get behind the big BushCo efforts... and smash all 'terror' networks. Too bad that those terror networks happens to be more of them than us around this globe. As far as our young generation, they will probably buy into this horseshit and grow into these military camps thinking they are cool for doing so. That's what the Repugs and Neocons want.... kids for the NeoCon's PNAC future.



:icon_evil: :fighting0066[1]:

[bushwentawol]

Your more than welcome bushwentawol. Your Dad was a Screaming Eagle? Do you have any idea who he was with in the 101st? When did he serve bushwetawol? No problem if you do not know.

Hang Tough~


Yes he was The_Bammo. Still a core repug at nearly 80 y/o, but he served in the 101st. Too young for WWII he was in Ky. during the Korean Conflict. I remember him talking briefly about meeting Al Haig and having an officer or two still owing him $$ from a card game. He used to get Xmas cards from a couple of Army buddies but I don't know if they're still alive or not. The one person I remember was someone from a nearby town who served with him in the same unit but he passed away a number of years ago.

[The_Bammo]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

kinda... dare I say... validating, but sorta sad...'ish'...

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

BlueBerry Pick'n this war and its recruitment tactics are sad. As far as criticism - I been on that end many times. Say your piece - and sometimes criticism is good for the soul. LOL Kida like Chicken Soup when ya' got a cold.

Hang Tough!

[The_Bammo]

That's how certain cliques in forums takes over BBP. That's also part of what some of us in Revelations expose who we do in their efforts to promote neocon tactics in such political forums. Thanks to BJerr here in DW, we are able to help others to recognize such 'cliques' that are operating in such 'neocon' style forums. Usually, these cliques have several mods/admins in their pockets as well ... of which is why they are allowed to operate like they do against good posting members of most forums.

Funny how these 'cliques' tend to have 'techniques' that relates closely to how the Repugs thinks and operates too. Sometimes, like commercials on tv, those neocon type forums will sport threads to promote the sell of gadgets and products that they claim is to support 'our' troops leaving many to feel as if they are unpatriotic if they don't follow suit and or agree with these sorts of 'sales' campaigns inside forums. Buy those yellow ribbons... keep those Republican ribbon makers all rich and happy!

Our society on a whole has fallen to the mercy of propaganda pushing via tv commercials and the media bs hr every evening on tv. Then as you and Bammo have pointed out also, such propaganda also invades the toy market as well as the clothing market too. Even the car manufacturers has gotten in on that tgrend that memmicks military vehicles as well. It's all about 'force' advertising with how we all must get behind the big BushCo efforts... and smash all 'terror' networks. Too bad that those terror networks happens to be more of them than us around this globe. As far as our young generation, they will probably buy into this horseshit and grow into these military camps thinking they are cool for doing so. That's what the Repugs and Neocons want.... kids for the NeoCon's PNAC future.



:icon_evil: :fighting0066[1]:

There it is Bro' exactly! and your right on owing BJ and DW thanks for support which he knows I extend.

These cliques that invade forums Bro', to lay down smoke for there BS is pure scum and they operate to gain power and control like the NeoCons do - no different. How many times we see these maggots penetrate a good forum and create chaos? And its happening while we BS here !

I really think those slugs missed their calling in life Bro' - recruiters for the "SHRUB" military and his fiasco. They fit the mold with their sewerage Bro' - for sure.

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

Yes he was The_Bammo. Still a core repug at nearly 80 y/o, but he served in the 101st. Too young for WWII he was in Ky. during the Korean Conflict. I remember him talking briefly about meeting Al Haig and having an officer or two still owing him $$ from a card game. He used to get Xmas cards from a couple of Army buddies but I don't know if they're still alive or not. The one person I remember was someone from a nearby town who served with him in the same unit but he passed away a number of years ago.


I take it the Trooper has passed away bushwentawol, am I correct? Hardcore Repug, does not surprise me at all. LOL

My late father in law was a member of the 101st and made the jump on D Day. He was a hard core Democrat bushwentawol. But he was a proud to have been in the 101st Airborne Division. This I know as fact.

Hang Tough ~

[The_Bammo]

I blogged that...

Really Blueberry Pick'n, excellent! If its still in cyber world, share it with us if that is not a problem.

Hang Tough~

Bammo's Bunker [Only registered and activated users can see links] Let me know what ya' think.

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

10 Excellent Reasons...
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

The Man Who Has Seen America & Escape to Canada:
(still uploading full documentary, but currently has only a TRAILER)
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Crusaders!:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Eating from a DUMPSTER now a crime in Colorado:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

BlueBerry Pick'n this war and its recruitment tactics are sad. As far as criticism - I been on that end many times. Say your piece - and sometimes criticism is good for the soul. LOL Kida like Chicken Soup when ya' got a cold.

Hang Tough!

one of the Chicken Soup guys spoke at my university. we had coffee & I told him the story of how I lost my fear of public speaking.

We worked on it a while, but its a great story ... that we couldn't make fit the maximum 'word count' for a Chicken Soup story... not so amazing, Barry Spilchuk is from North Bay & he was a friend of one of my terrific professors.

[bushwentawol]

I take it the Trooper has passed away bushwentawol, am I correct? Hardcore Repug, does not surprise me at all. LOL

My late father in law was a member of the 101st and made the jump on D Day. He was a hard core Democrat bushwentawol. But he was a proud to have been in the 101st Airborne Division. This I know as fact.

Hang Tough ~

Yes The_Bammo, the Trooper passed away. Thank you to you and your father for your service.

[The_Bammo]

10 Excellent Reasons...
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

The Man Who Has Seen America & Escape to Canada:
(still uploading full documentary, but currently has only a TRAILER)
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Crusaders!:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Eating from a DUMPSTER now a crime in Colorado:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]


Some very interesting blogs Blueberry Pick'n - your a very good writer and activist to boot. Excellent work and I am saving them to my favorites. I strongly recommend these blogs to anyone who wants to know whats going down.

High Five Blueberry Pick'n and Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

Yes The_Bammo, the Trooper passed away. Thank you to you and your father for your service.

bushwentawol, you show me your dad meant a lot to you, and justly so.
This is a little something from me to your dads legacy as a member of the 101st Airborne. Division.

Hang Tough~bushwentawol and thanks for the words


[Only registered and activated users can see links]



[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

a[Only registered and activated users can see links] you make me all shy...

I'm blushing all over!

[The_Bammo]

one of the Chicken Soup guys spoke at my university. we had coffee & I told him the story of how I lost my fear of public speaking.

We worked on it a while, but its a great story ... that we couldn't make fit the maximum 'word count' for a Chicken Soup story... not so amazing, Barry Spilchuk is from North Bay & he was a friend of one of my terrific professors.

Very interesting Blueberry Pick'n. Know very well about the word count. What university did you attend Blueberry Pick'n?

Losing fear of public speaking is a very hard thing to accomplish - way to go!

Did not know who Barry Spilchuk was, so did a little search. Quite an accomplished man your friend and professor is. [Only registered and activated users can see links]

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

a[Only registered and activated users can see links] you make me all shy...

I'm blushing all over!

LOL - I meant what I said - excellent blogs. Not a blog person Blueberry Pick'n, but who knows what holds in store for me. I just might give it a test drive. LOL

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

Minorities pay heavy toll in Iraq


It is unfortunate that 38 young New Yorkers have already been killed in the Iraq war.
And now that, in full electoral mode, President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are again trying to put the blindfold back over the eyes of Americans, only God knows how many more will be lost.
That is why a three-part series by Eva Sanchis, a reporter for the Spanish-language daily El Diario-La Prensa, published last month, is so important.
Sanchis shines a powerful light on the disproportionate contribution in blood and guts of immigrant and minority communities to this senseless war. According to her second article, dated Aug. 29, of the 38 New Yorkers killed, 21 were Hispanic, eight black, four Asian and five white.
"The impact of the war on minority communities has been brutal," Sanchis said. The figures "confirm that minorities are making a greater sacrifice."
A large number of the dead are immigrants, although the rabid anti-immigration crowd conveniently ignores this fact. Directly related to this tragic toll are Sanchis' findings about how intense recruitment efforts are in minority communities.
"An analysis of the location of the Armed Forces' 26 recruitment centers in the city, listed in their Web page, show that most are located in the poorest neighborhoods."
Recruiters find fertile ground there.
"Poor young people need work, training, scholarships, but these are so scarce that they join the military not realizing that this is an institution created for war and not an employment program," said Anne Durston, of the pacifist organization American Friends Service Committee.
Three of the five recruitment centers in the Bronx are in the South Bronx; six of eight in Brooklyn are in Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush, Fort Green, East New York and Greenpoint, and the four in Queens are in the immigrant neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Flushing, Jamaica and Long Island City. In Manhattan, three of six centers are in Hispanic and black areas.
In Morris Heights, in the South Bronx, 58 people joined one of the three branches in 2004.
"Yet, in the upper East Side, the richest neighborhood in the city, which is 77% white and has a per-capita income of $67,010, only seven people enlisted in 2004," Sanchis said. Not one center is located in this area.
An Armed Forces spokesperson told Sanchis that they "are not trying to go after any specific ethnic groups."
But Sanchis disagrees. She quotes 2004 Defense Department statistics published by the American Friends Service Committee's Peacework Magazine: Although 51% of city residents are Hispanic and black, a whopping 70.4% of the recruits in 2004 belonged to these two groups. Hispanics made up 37% of the recruits and blacks 33.4%.
The series struck a nerve with El Diario readers. Sanchiz has received an inordinate amount of e-mails and phone calls. Some, like a Dominican father who we will not identify, shared their own bitter experience with the recruitment tactics.
"My only son was seduced three months ago and joined, but by what I read in his letters he is tired of the Army. I don't know where they are sending him. The sergeant who recruited him told me that it would be for only three months. "From the day he left I have been in great pain, he is my only son. I would like to get in touch with some groups that oppose this kind of recruitment. Please, send me their addresses if at all possible. Thank you." Let Sanchis' findings be a wakeup call for immigrant and minority young people and their parents all over the city.



[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[The_Bammo]

Army Uses Aggressive Tactics to Recruit Teenagers

From Deborah White ([Only registered and activated users can see links]),
Your Guide to Liberal Politics: U.S. ([Only registered and activated users can see links]).
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! ([Only registered and activated users can see links])
May 29 2006
Military Recruiting on High School Campuses and at Homes

"An effective sales approach would be to tailor a program to fit the needs and interests of the individual (high) school," exhorts the US Army's School Recruiting Program Handbook.
"For example, one school may place a premium on its music program; another may give prominence to its athletic program. One school may place more emphasis on its academic scholarship program. Each school has a distinct chain of command structure."
Thus, the handbook, first published in Fall 2004, directs Army recruiters on how to strategize an high school program to maximize enlistment among students. And if that's not enough to entice teenagers, in June 2005, the Defense Department began working with an outsourced direct marketing company to develop a database of personal and private information about every American aged 16 to 25.

Included in the database are Social Security numbers, ethnicity and racial data, email addresses, birth dates and grade point averages.
High School Campus Recruiting Buried in President Bush's much-touted No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 was Section 9528, a requirement that all public and private high schools receiving federal funds must "provide access to students' names, addresses and phone numbers" to military recruiters. It also mandates that high schools must allow military recruiters the same campus access to students as is granted to college recruiters and prospective employers.
High schools that don't comply with these requirement will lose federal funding, which would likely force closure of the school. The only exceptions to this law are private schools that can prove a "verifiable historical historical objection to military service."
Advice dispensed in the Army's School Recruiting Program Handbook includes :
- "Cultivate coaches, librarians, administrative staff and teachers.
- Be so helpful and so much a part of the school scene that you are in constant demand.
- Know your student influencers. Students such as class officers, newspaper and yearbook editors, and athletes can help build interest in the Army among the student body.
- Attend athletic events at the HS.
- Coordinate with school officials to eat lunch in the school cafeteria several times each month.
- Deliver donuts and coffee for the faculty once a month.
- Coordinate with the homecoming committee to get involved with the parade.
- Get involved with the local Boy Scouts. Many scouts are HS students and potential enlistees or student influencers.
- Attend as many school holiday functions or assemblies as possible.
- Offer to be a timekeeper at football games.
- Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday is in January. Wear your dress blues and participate in school events commemorating this holiday.
- Contact the HS athletic director and arrange for an exhibition basketball game between the faculty and Army recruiters.
- Hispanic Heritage Month (in September). Participate in events as available.
- Have the Commander present certificates to those faculty and staff members who have aided you in your HS recruiting efforts."
Parents may opt out of allowing their students' data from being released to military recruiters by signing an optional form. However, many parents are unaware of the optional form, and many schools have not made the form readily available to parents.
To enlist in the US armed forces, one must be a high school graduate, of reasonable intelligence and in good health. As recruiters fail to meet recruiting quotas, parents and students claim these rules have been bent.
One Arvada, Colorado high school senior famously tested the recruiting system by posing as a high school drop-out with a drug habit. After considerable coaching by two recruiters, he gained a phony diploma and transcripts from an online diploma mill. They also offered to pay half the cost of a self-detox kit.
At a Bell, California high school, 500 juniors were required to take the 3-hour Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery test, which is prime part of the recruitment process. Only after they took the test did parents and students discover that it was optional.
Complaint files are rife with stories of recruiter promises made and not kept, impossible commitments made to naive teenage recruits, and of frequent phone calls and surprise home visits by military personnel to potential recruits.
And the military recruiters give items to high school students....t-shirts, mouse pads and computer accessories, even violent video games and other teenage-cool trinkets. And there's that Defense Database on every American age 16 to 25.....

(continued) [Only registered and activated users can see links]


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[The_Bammo]

Uncle Sam Guns for High School Students as Army Enlistees

From Deborah White ([Only registered and activated users can see links]),
Your Guide to Liberal Politics: U.S. ([Only registered and activated users can see links]).
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! ([Only registered and activated users can see links])
May 29 2006
Pentagon Develops Detailed Database of US Teenagers

The Database of Potential Recruits In late June 2005, the Defense Department gave notice that it began working with a top-tier direct marketing firm, BeNOW Inc, to create a database of high school students ages 16 to 25, and all college students, ostensibly to aid the military in identifying potential recruits.
Data being amassed by the US government includes Social Security numbers, ethnicity and racial data, email addresses, birth dates, grade point averages, subjects being studied by the students and even known personal habits. This data is being gathered from drivers license records, financial institutions, government agencies and commercial data brokers.
According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon believes it has the right, without notifying citizens, to share this data outside the military, including with law enforcement agencies, tax authorities and Congress. zSB(3,3)
A Pentagon spokeswoman claims that anyone can opt out of the system by providing detailed personal information that will be kept in a separate "suppression" file, which will be regularly matched to the full Pentagon database.


Privacy advocates are furiously aghast at these plans, and have great concerns over both privacy and identity theft issues. A coalition of privacy groups wrote to the Defense Department, "...the collection of this information is not consistent with the Privacy Act, which was passed by Congress to reduce the government's collection of personal information on Americans."
Another objection is the collection of ethnic and racial data. Many claim that the Pentagon is targeting African-American and Hispanic students, which would be discriminatory. Such racial targeting would seem to be corroborated by the Army's School Recruiting Program Handbook, which particularly urges recruiters to attend Black History and Hispanic Heritage events.
Nonetheless, the Bush Administration is charging ahead in supporting this outsourced firm in compiling, processing and analyzing a myriad of personal information on all US high school and college students.
What can we do? Not much. Other than the opt-out options presently offered, the only remaining course of action for those who don't want to be in the military is to be extremely aware and wary of military recruiters and their tactics.
All branches of the armed forces have missed their new recruit quotas for the first half of 2005, so recruiting efforts have/will become more aggressive.
How can the Pentagon use this database information? In almost any manner it chooses. A spokesman says that the data will be openly available to "those who require the records in the performance of their official duties." It will maintained online, password protected.
Can this data be used for a military draft? Yes. In fact, some argue that this database is being developed to effectively track draftees. It's rumored that thousands of potential soldiers for the Iraq War have vanished and become untrackable. The Pentagon wants to avoid that in future wars.
How can I stop this? Many parents turn to Leave My Child Alone.org, a coaliton of reputable peace groups including Sojourners, Veterans for Peace, and the American Friends Service Committee. Leave My Child Alone.org educates parents and community groups about military recruiting and the No Child Left Behind Act.
And, of course, write, call or email your Senators and Congressmen. Support the organizations fighting these causes. And give peace a chance.

[Only registered and activated users can see links] ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

Never guess who sponsored these articles, the U.S. Military - serious!

[BlueBerry Pick'n]

he wasn't my prof, he was in speaking for the Prof for a class.

[bushwentawol]

bushwentawol, you show me your dad meant a lot to you, and justly so.
This is a little something from me to your dads legacy as a member of the 101st Airborne. Division.

Hang Tough~bushwentawol and thanks for the words


[Only registered and activated users can see links]



[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


[Only registered and activated users can see links]



Thank you very much The_Bammo! :icon_biggrin:

[The_Bammo]

he wasn't my prof, he was in speaking for the Prof for a class.


I understand now Blueberry Pick'n, I get things confused at times. (a lot of times)

Hang Tough~

[The_Bammo]

Thank you very much The_Bammo! :icon_biggrin:

bushwentawol, your more than welcome.

Hang Tough~

[Christine]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Excellant site for Opting Out your child....I used it and recommend it!

[The_Bammo]

Excellent post Christine, that there need more exposure friend, hope you don't mind Christine - awesome! Hang Tough ~
---------------------------------------------


[Only registered and activated users can see links]


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Did you know... ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

... that the notorious No Child Left Behind Act includes a sneaky section that requires high schools to turn over private information on students to military recruiters?

And that the Pentagon has created an illegal database of 30 million 16-25 year-olds, including names, addresses, email addresses, cell phone numbers, ethnicities, social security numbers, extracurricular activities, and areas of study?

Yikes. What do we do? Any way you look at it, this is a family privacy nightmare, another strong-arming of our local schools, and a creepy warm-up to a possible draft. However, it's also a great reason to get together and take action.

So, whether you're a parent, teacher, school administrator, veteran or just another adamant American concerned about privacy rights, look for an action that you like and JOIN US!

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Christine]

Excellent post Christine, that there need more exposure friend, hope you don't mind Christine - awesome! Hang Tough ~
---------------------------------------------


[Only registered and activated users can see links]


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Did you know... ([Only registered and activated users can see links])

... that the notorious No Child Left Behind Act includes a sneaky section that requires high schools to turn over private information on students to military recruiters?

And that the Pentagon has created an illegal database of 30 million 16-25 year-olds, including names, addresses, email addresses, cell phone numbers, ethnicities, social security numbers, extracurricular activities, and areas of study?

Yikes. What do we do? Any way you look at it, this is a family privacy nightmare, another strong-arming of our local schools, and a creepy warm-up to a possible draft. However, it's also a great reason to get together and take action.

So, whether you're a parent, teacher, school administrator, veteran or just another adamant American concerned about privacy rights, look for an action that you like and JOIN US!

[Only registered and activated users can see links] :a075: :a075: :a075:

I'm talking to my state senator about better education for parents on this very issue...keep those rats away from our kids!!!! Spread the info...it needs to be spread!

[The_Bammo]

MONTGOMERY SCHOOLS

Parents To Give Opt-Out Reminder

Personal Data Can Be Kept From Military Recruiters


By Lori Aratani ([Only registered and activated users can see links])
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 5, 2006; Page B02
A group of Montgomery County parents and peace activists will use back-to-school nights to hand out forms that allow parents to block information about their children from being released to military recruiters.
The opt-out forms are distributed to all of Montgomery's 139,000 students at the beginning of the school year. But Pat Elder, a parent at Walt Whitman High School, said he and others want to be sure families know their options when it comes to controlling who has access to their children's personal information.

"People get so much information at the beginning of the year that we want to make sure this doesn't get lost in the crush," he said.
Elder was one of several parents who successfully lobbied the school system last year to revise student privacy forms to give parents a choice of who would be allowed access to students' personal information. A parent can prevent the information from being released to military recruiters but give colleges access to phone numbers and addresses.
The previous form gave parents two options: to allow the release of all of their children's information or none.
Military recruiters have been allowed to visit high school campuses for decades, but their presence has drawn more scrutiny in recent years largely because of the war in Iraq.
When reports surfaced that a little-known provision of the federal No Child Left Behind law required schools to release student information to the military or risk losing federal funding, several prominent groups, including the National PTA, launched campaigns to let parents know they could block school systems from releasing the information. No school has lost funding for refusing to turn over information.
Laura Steinberg, director of the Department of Reporting and Regulatory Accountability for Montgomery County Public Schools, said the system is working to ensure that parents are aware of their options. This year, the opt-out forms were included in back-to-school packets, posted on the system's Web site and printed in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and French.
Several families have chosen to restrict the release of information to the military, Steinberg said, but a total was not available.



[Only registered and activated users can see links]