"Don't Believe the Hype!" - Truth in Recruiting Now - TPF update/digest for Dec 2010

[Tony Nuspl]

"Don't Believe the Hype!" -- Truth in Recruiting
- Now!
The Tulsa Peace Fellowship's Counter-Recruitment Update/Digest, for Dec
2010
(scroll down for links to any story)

Lead Story from the past month's news:

U.S. Military's Recruitment of Minors - features Pat Elder of
NNOMY

summary of the relevant program segment:

"US military recruiters are so desperate for new people that their tactics are becoming a bit too personal. They’re going into American High Schools to convince students to enlist and
administer tests, sometimes without the parents’ knowledge. Pat
Elder, a DC-based counter-recruiting organizer said recruiters target
schools based more on income than race."

http://rt.com/About_Us/Programmes/The_Alyona_Show/2010-10-22/605278...

About 36 min. into The Alyona Show is an excellent segment about military recruitment of minors including the ASVAB and JROTC program.   A young person and his parents talk about
this decision and how he was coerced into
signing up.  Pat Elder a SC member of NNOMY,
the National Network in Opposition to the Militarization of Youth,
shares information and perspective about the network of activists
across the nation joining the anti-fascist movement. Check it out.

Thank you to the following, for bring the above to the attention of the Tulsa Peace Fellowship:

Arlene Inouye
Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools
(CAMS)
www.militaryfreeschools.org
office/fax: [phone], cell: 626-483-6160
www.projectgreatfutures.org

related op/ed piece, from Tribune
Peddling War to Children
by Robert Koehler, Chicago-based journalist and nationally-syndicated author

featured video
Before You Enlist! 
--The Real Deal on Joining the Military

excerpt:
"You have to be very meticulous in your method of question-asking when talking to a military recruiter.  It's like talking to the devil.  Because the devil only
tells you the piece of the truth he wants you to hear."
~Thomas Powers, U.S. Army Iraq veteran, interviewed for the above
counter-recruitment
video on YouTube

U.S. Destroying Entire Villages in Afghanistan
--U.S. military destroys hundreds of civilian homes in Kandahar push, claims it's a good thing
--Americans emulate Soviet communist wanton destruction of Afghanistan, 1980-1989

see illustration of Afghanistan in moving images:
"Charlie Wilson's War" (2007 film, directed by Mike Nichols, 97 minutes)
--scenes from Soviet occupation of Afghanistan look disturbingly similar to scenes of present-day U.S.
occuption of the same
--DVD available from the TPF lending library
--based on the the book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
(2003), by George Crile III.

featured TV program:
'Wartorn' examines combat's emotional toll on U.S. soldiers
--how families of returning soldiers have dealt with the largely ignored,
little-understood Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

notes in the margin:
Justin Raimondo made it back from the 2010 Antiwar.com Autumn/Winter Tour in one piece, but just barely.

--insights provided to gung-ho students in Connecticut

file under:  And you want to trust military recruiters with your child's future?
National Guard Recruiter Convicted in Sex Abuse Case
--story from Oregon: 12-person jury found him guilty on six counts
of sexual abuse, coercion and private indecency

file under: our monsters in Afghanistan
Hearing set in Afghanistan 'thrill kill' case
--Army sergeant accused of leading plot to kill for fun faces hearing in Wash
--3 Afghan civilians dead

Army court temporarily stays murder prosecution of soldier
--A military appeals court has ordered Army prosecutors to halt proceedings against one of
five U.S. soldiers charged with murdering unarmed Afghan civilians
and staging them to appear as combat

file under: sting operation
3 Marines Accused Of Selling Weapons To Gang
--Marines met a Florencia 13 street gang member, then sold two cases of weapons for $6,000, the ATF said.
--unbeknownst to the illegal arms-merchant Marines,
one of the buyers was working as an ATF informant.

file under: don't ask, don't tell
Appeals court extends life of gay military policy
--latest court decision means gay Americans who disclose their sexual orientations still can't enlist in the
armed forces
--also, gays can still be investigated and ultimately discharged if they already are serving

Guard recruiter admits fraud in collecting bonuses
--an Army National Guard recruiter has pleaded guilty to conspiracy
to defraud the government


featured op/ed
Peddling War to Children

We couldn’t wage our current wars without the all-volunteer military whose recruitment goals get fed
every year by idealistic young people, who continue, despite all
counter-evidence bursting off the front pages, to buy into the
romance and excitement of war and armed do-goodism that the
recruiters, with the help of a vast "militainment"
industry, peddle like so many Joe Camels.

This has nothing to do with real war, but the adults with a self-interest in its
perpetuation continue to sell it to the young as though it were. What
an obscenity, it seems to me, to exploit the yearning of the young,
and feign a solidarity with it, in order to perpetuate a system that
will in all likelihood simply chew them up.

(c) 2010 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES,
INC.
http://original.antiwar.com/robert-koehler/2010/11/18/peddling-war-...

TPF solicits your response to the above editorial; send your letters to
the editor at [e-mail]. 
Letters to the Editor will be published/circulated in next month's
TPF counter-recruitment digest.

U.S. military destroys hundreds of civilian homes in Kandahar push, claims
it's a good thing
by Rethink Afghanistan
November 12, 2010

Reports from Kandahar indicate that the U.S. military is destroying large amounts of civilian property in their push to
establish a farcical “security bubble” in that province. Despite
rhetoric claiming that they seek to “protect the population,”
U.S. and allied forces continue to damage the lives and livelihoods
of Afghans in areas where they seek to confront Taliban insurgents.
This sort of destruction stokes popular anger against the U.S. and
their allies, making Americans less
safe.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/rethink-afghanistan/destroying-the-vi...

Please share this note with your friends and invite them to join us at
http://facebook.com/RethinkAfghanistan


more coverage:
US Military Destroying Hundreds of Civilian Homes in Kandahar
Military Bulldozing Houses in Oft-Occupied Zhari District

The Obama Administration made much of the Kandahar offensive’s success hinging on winning hearts
and minds to the side of the occupation forces. As usual this goal is
falling by the waysde as the military actually arrives on the scene,
as civilians in the Zhari District are up in arms at the military’s
actions.

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/11/10/us-military-destroying-hundreds-...

yet more coverage:
Pentagon blows up thousands of homes in Afghanistan

U.S. is repeating the horrors of the Vietnam War

“In Arghandab District, for instance, every one of the 40 homes in the village of Khosrow was
flattened by a salvo of 25 missiles, according to the district
governor, Shah Muhammed Ahmadi, who estimated that 120 to 130 houses
had been demolished in his district,” reported the New York Times,
Nov. 16, 2010.

On Dec. 16, 2010, anti-war veterans and people of conscience will stand up in a dramatic action in opposition to the
terror campaign waged from the White House and Pentagon. Join us in
Washington, D.C. on Dec. 16 and be part of history.

rec'd via email from : [e-mail]

featured op/ed
Dissecting the Perpetual War Machine
Review of Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War by Andrew
J. Bacevich
by Gareth Porter

In attracting a broad readership to his critique of U.S. militarism, Bacevich has
transcended both the arid tone of most academic writing on the
history of foreign and military policy and the Right-Left divide over
social and political values. As a former army officer, a Catholic,
and a social conservative from the Midwest, he has appealed to both
conservatives and progressives unhappy with the militarized pursuit
of power abroad and the encouragement of unlimited individual
self-gratification at home.

(Inter Press Service)
http://original.antiwar.com/porter/2010/11/08/dissecting-the-perpet...


featured TV program:
'Wartorn' examines combat's emotional toll on U.S. soldiers

Had HBO's Veterans Day documentary concentrated on the fallout from the Iraq and Afghanistan
conflicts on soldiers and Marines, it would have been a powerful
statement about the emotional suffering of modern-day
war.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2010-11-11-wartorn11_S...


notes in the margin:
Justin Raimondo made it back from the 2010 Antiwar.com Autumn/Winter Tour
in one piece, but just barely.
Nov 16, 2010
excerpt from his travel log:

Danbury, Connecticut – This event, organized by the heroic Richard S. Land and the Ridgefield Liberty Coop, was a rousing
success – over 120 people, mostly non-aligned students, and
garnered a bit of publicity. The event was held at Western
Connecticut State University. I spoke for an hour. Controversy
erupted when the student veterans’ group raised a ruckus because my
widely-publicized talk was scheduled one day before veterans’ day!
I have to admit, this was not anticipated by the organizers or
myself. The vets attended, in uniform, and one young lady in fatigues
got up and read a poem all about how our rights to free speech and
free assembly depend on soldiers doing their duty and defending the
nation against the threat of a foreign-imposed tyranny. I answered
her by pointing out that the exercise of those rights is a tribute
rather than an insult to those serving in uniform, and went on to
elaborate that an army engaged in wars of aggression is very
different from a military whose function is to defend the nation: it
is the difference between a soldier in the Continental Army and a
Roman centurion. In any case, a useful discussion was had after my
talk, particularly with one intelligent young man in uniform who had
served in Iraq and wanted to know why, if rights are universal, we
don’t have an obligation to defend them in Iraq. Boy, what that
ever a good conversation! And we all parted
friends.

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/11/16/a-sustainable-empire/


file under:  And you want to trust military recruiters with your
child's future?
National Guard Recruiter Convicted in Sex Abuse Case
--story from Oregon: 12-person jury found him guilty on six counts of sexual abuse, coercion and private
indecency

Fox could face up to five years in prison on the first-degree attempted sexual abuse and coercion charges, class C
felonies. He was also convicted of two counts of private indecency,
third-degree sexual abuse — reduced from first-degree sexual abuse
— and third-degree attempted sexual abuse. All are
misdemeanors.

http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_8bddc36c-eefa-11df-9...


Hearing set in Afghanistan 'thrill kill' case

Army sergeant accused of leading plot to kill 3 Afghan civilians for fun faces
hearing in Wash

The Article 32 hearing is similar to a civilian grand jury proceeding, with a military judge looking into
charges to see if there is enough evidence to send the case to a
court martial.

Source: AP News
http://wire.antiwar.com/2010/11/08/hearing-set-in-afghanistan-thril...


Army court stays murder prosecution of soldier

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A military appeals court has ordered Army prosecutors to
halt proceedings against one of five U.S. soldiers charged with
murdering unarmed Afghan civilians and staging them to appear as
combat
casualties.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AJ1I620101120?feedType=RSS&a...



file under: gangs and the military, what's the difference?
3 Marines Accused Of Selling Weapons To
Gang

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131201379




Appeals court extends life of discriminatory policy against gays in the
military
--latest court decision means gay Americans who disclose their sexual orientations still can't enlist in the
armed forces
--also, gays can still be investigated and ultimately discharged if they already are
serving

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gays_in_military


Guard recruiter admits fraud in collecting bonuses

HOLLAND, Mich. ­-- An Army National Guard recruiter has pleaded guilty to
conspiracy for collecting a share of recruiting bonuses he was
ineligible
for.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-guardrecruiters-f,0,12...



‘I fought for my country now the Army wants its money back’

A FORMER soldier who completed two tours in Iraq has been left stunned
by Army demands to return overpaid wages more than a year after his
service
ended.

http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/news/8619987.___I_fought_for_my_cou...


sidebar:
Germany May Scrap Military Intelligence, Handelsblatt Reports

Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- German lawmakers are considering scrapping the
country’s military-intelligence service as part of defense budget
cuts, Handelsblatt said, citing a parliamentary proposal.


http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-01/germany-may-scrap-milit...


from the archives
file under: uninvited guest
Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs
red-faced

American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart
of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk
- a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on
board.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492804/The-uninvited-guest-...



epitaph, for this edition of "Truth in Recruiting."

“I remember distinctly seeing the bombs explode in the town, flaring like matches struck in the fog. I was completely unaware of the human chaos below.”
~Howard Zinn, d.2010.

Taken from his last book, finished one month before his death, entitled, The Bomb. Once again he was
wrestling with his experience as a B-17 bombardier during World War
II, especially his last mission in 1945 on a raid to take out German
garrisons in the French town of Royan. For the first time the Eighth
Air Force used napalm, which burst into liquid fire on the ground,
killing hundreds of civilians.Twenty years later he returned to Royan
to study the effects of the raid and concluded there had been no
military necessity for the bombing; everyone knew the war was almost
over (it ended three weeks later) and this attack did nothing to
affect the outcome. His grief over having been a cog in a deadly
machine confirmed his belief in small acts of
rebellion.
http://www.truth-out.org/bill-moyers-money-fights-hard-and-it-fight...

related upcoming event, in Tulsa:

Tulsa Peace Fellowship

The next monthly anti-war demo in Tulsa
is scheduled for
Saturday Dec 4th, 2010, 12noon to 2pm, with the theme:
"U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now!"
corner of 41st & Yale (since 2002, ongoing)
Details online: https://tulsapeacefellowship.ning.com/

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rights remain with the various authors/publishers cited above. The
Tulsa Peace Fellowship does not necessarily endorse the views
expressed in the articles appearing herein.

further information

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EXIST.


THE 10 REASONS NOT to enlist

Ten excellent reasons not to join the military:
a.. You May Be Killed, Even By Mistake
b.. You May Kill Others Who Do Not Deserve to Die
c.. You May Be Injured
d.. You May Not Receive Proper Medical Care
e.. You May Suffer Long-term Health Problems
f.. You May Be Lied To
g.. You May Face Discrimination
h.. You May Be Asked to Do Things Against Your Beliefs
i.. You May Find It Difficult to Leave the Military
j.. You Have Other Choices, including the Choice to Learn a Marketable Skill

for more info:
http://www.10reasonsbook.com/medcare.htm