The Tulsa Peace Fellowship's Counter-Recruitment Update/Digest, for Jan 2011

[Tony Nuspl]

"Don't Believe the Hype!" - Truth in Recruiting
- NOW!

Lead Story from the past month's news:

San Diego Schools Restrict Military Recruiters
The Associated Press
December 1, 2010.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego schools have voted to rein in aggressive military and college
recruiters.

The school board voted Tuesday night for a policy that allows recruiters to visit high school campuses only twice each
school year. They must stay in assigned areas and wait for students
to approach them. Recruiters can pass out contact information but
can't collect a student's contact information.

City News Service says one student told the board that Army recruiters set up
games and an obstacle course at her school, told her she needed to
register to play, took her photo and asked for personal
information.

The policy also bars recruiters from using confidential information taken from students' career aptitude
tests.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/01/san-diego-schools-re...

related story:
Youth in Oakland Win Against Army Recruiters in their Schools

OAKLAND, California -- American Friends' Service Committee in partnership with BAY-Peace have been supporting Oakland
Youth in taking a bold step to demilitarize their schools. 
Watch the video "Youth Manifesto AFSC" on
YouTube.

http://afsc.org/video/youth-oakland-win-against-army-recruiters

page 1

(scroll down for details about any story)

Two towns attempt to ban military recruitment of minors, citing international law
--circuit court strikes down municipal restrictions; appeal being considered

University President Named "Faust" Makes Deal with the Devil
--Harvard to allow ROTC recruitment on campus; not since the Vietnam War

facts & figures:
A potential barrier to Harvard getting its own unit is lack of student interest. Over the past two years, the Army ROTC has
enrolled only one Harvard freshman. The university is considered a
bastion of liberalism.  Meanwhile, Harvard alumni subsidize
student involvement in ROTC, poneying up between $100,000 and
$400,000 a year, for the U.S. military's soft-sell.

quote:
‘While I do have some interest in this, I really want to be a doctor. and I
don’t see how this can fit into my future right now.’
~Harvard freshman participating for only half a semester in ROTC on-campus
programme

Don't Go, Don't Kill!
--DADT repeal is not a rights victory, says Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Mom & Peace Activist

Yet More Homeless Among Returning Veterans of Foreign War
(VFW)
--veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan Wars forced to live in cars upon returning to America

related story:
Veterans of Recent Wars Confront Grim Employment Landscape
--The Washington Post reports: "Unemployment rates for combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have
been higher than the overall rate since at least 2005."

--veterans often earn less than comparable workers - an income gap that lingers long after they leave active duty
--people in the civilian job market perceive many combat veterans to be
troubled, e.g. by PTSD

featured: antiwar radio interview
Losing Faith in the Civic Religion
Frank Dorrel, publisher and distributor of the antiwar
comic book Addicted to War,
discusses how he turned to antiwar activism after serving in the US
Air Force

Cable reveals US behind airstrike that killed 21 children in Yemen
--wikileaks discloses information about 'covert ops' that lead to 'blowback'

Afghans Fume as Petraeus Ramps Up Air War
--under Gen David Petraeus, Afghan anger over air strikes is soaring

facts & figures:
Planes recently tallied 2,600 attack sorties between June and October, a 50 percent increase over the same period in 2009.

related story:
file under: Do airmen do any good?
Civilian Casualties Create New Enemies, Study Confirms
--air attacks have been provoking deep hostility toward the U.S. and the Kabul government

quote:
"If the U.S. is killing innocent civilians — however accidentally, and however in pursuit of dangerous fanatics — what story can Washington tell to reassure the relatives
of the innocent dead?"

file under: an increasingly aerial occupation
An Estimated 700 Civilian Deaths each year from U.S. Drone Attacks since Obama Assumed Office
--Both the U.S. and Pakistan underreport civilian deaths in Drone War, according
to latest report

facts & figures:
In the month of September 2010 the Central Intelligence Agency more than doubled the monthly bombings by drones in Pakistan, "an ally," to 20 attacks,
for a total of 74 so far this year.

quote:
Drone warfare is "so cruel as to be beyond the pale of human tolerance."

~Lord Bingham, one of Britain's most senior judges, 2009.

TPF comment: When will U.S. judges declare drone warfare a war crime,
according to existing U.S. law?

Organ Donation among Troops Declared Brain Dead
--Jeremy Barnett died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany on Feb.
24, 2007, of wounds he sustained in Iraq. His heart was donated to a
51-year-old woman in Europe, saving her life.

file under: Why did U.S. get involved in occupying Iraq?
A Lot of Blood for Little Oil
--Neoconservatives in Washington lied in order to find political support for the
invasion, saying that the money from Iraq's oil would be used to pay
for the war and the reconstruction.
--There is evidence that ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, the three largest privately-held oil
companies, and at least two smaller firms, were in on discussions
that led to the invasion and occupation.
--See below for the Consumers Guide to Blood-free Oil &
Gasoline

file under: the militarization of civilian life

Selling the wars (link to You Tube video)
--The Pentagon budgets half a billion dollars to market its wars in the US. Call it public
relations or call it propaganda, it's
meant to win the hearts and minds of Americans. But does this
agitprop come at the price of the
truth?
--and is it legal for the Pentagon to propagandize the American public?

comment from Tulsa-based poltician:
"Selling the wars to sell the weapons to make the profits that pay for the congressmen."
~Mark Manley, former Democratic candidate in OK1 primary, 2008

follow up: U.S. dirty bombs in Iraq
Iraq, Kuwait dust may carry dangerous elements
--no explicit mention of “depleted uranium” in this news article;
likely heavily redacted (censored)
--studied refusal to mention radioactive munitions used by the U.S. in Iraq,
both in 1991 and in 2003

related event, in Washington D.C.:

 

JANUARY 15, 2011: 20 YEARS OF US WAR ON IRAQ!

WE COMMEMORATE 20 YEARS OF US WAR ON IRAQ & RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO DR KING’S DREAM

January 15, 2011 marks the 20^th
year since the United States began to bomb Iraq. Since then millions
of Iraqi people have been militarily occupied, injured, starved,
killed, tortured, and imprisoned. Millions more have become
internally displaced or refugees in other countries.  Come to
Washington, DC Saturday, January 15, 2011 to commemorate the US
slaughter, and rededicate our lives to living out Dr. Martin Luther
King’s dream of abolishing war and injustice.

Join Pax Christi Metro DC for a Mass celebrated by Bishop
Thomas Gumbleton
tentatively set for 9AM. We will then march at 11am to The
White House for a public witness. 
Other
events are being planned for this day that will end with a
7PM candlelight
vigil
at The White House that will mark the time the Tomahawk missiles
exploded in the center of Baghdad.  
Contact:  [e-mail]
 

Co-sponsoring groups: The January 15 Peace Committee, Witness Against Torture, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Gold Star Families Speak Out, Code
Pink, United National Assembly Committee, Consistent Life,
 WARISACRIME.ORG,
Peace-Action, Pax Christi Metro DC, Little Friends for Peace, Dorothy
Day Catholic Worker (DC),
Father
Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker (NC), Northern Virginians for
Peace & Justice, Peace-Action Montgomery County (MD), Jonah House
(MD).

page 2

U.S. Medic Jailed For Firing on Unarmed Afghans
--TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - nine months in prison after pleading guilty to shooting
at unarmed Afghan farmers
--U.S. Army Medic agreeing to testify against other U.S. soldiers accused of
terrorizing civilians.

Justices Hear Case on Denial of Help to Veteran
--Did Congress intend to deny help to veterans because of the very disabilities for which they sought help?

quote:
“a Kafkaesque adjudicatory process in which those veterans who are most deserving of service-connected benefits will frequently be those least likely to
obtain them.”
~according to a dissent written by three judges on the court

further recommended reading:
Kafka. The Trial. (fiction, an existential classic, written in 1925 -
original title in German: Der Prozeß )

also see film adaptations:
In the 1962 Orson Welles movie adaptation of The Trial, Josef K. is played by Anthony Perkins. Kyle MacLachlan portrays him in the 1993 version.

follow up: threat of sexual violence in the military
More sex assaults reported at military academies
--at the three U.S. military academies, sexual assault reports
rose 64 percent in the 2009-10 academic year

file under: rape and abuse in the U.S. military
Military sexual abuse rates 'staggering'
--U.S. service women are "citizens minus" with their rights denied, when
it comes to being a victim of rape

facts & figures:
In 2007, there were 2,200 reports of rape in the military. Two years later, in 2009, there was an increase, up to 3,230 reports of sexual assault.

Bradley Manning's Detention: UN Probing Whether Case Counts As Torture
--Private first class in U.S. military being held without trial by the U.S. Marines, for more than 7 months
straight, in solitary confinement

backpage

Okinawans Try to Vote US Base Out!
--victory of a Japanese prefect governor opposed to the base on Okinawa give Japan’s
national government a powerful bargaining stick in negotiations with
the US over the military base
--some question whether the base will exist on the island or not, as part of collective security

No safe haven for displaced Iraqis
--More than seven years after the United States and United Kingdom-led invasion of Iraq, millions
of displaced Iraqis have nowhere to go.

facts & figures:
Of the estimated 4 million displaced persons (D.P.), some 2 million are internally displaced within Iraq, and some 2 million have taken refuge in countries
outside of Iraq

Epitaph for this edition of "Truth in Recruiting"
~from Norman Mailer, d.2007 (see last page, or scroll down to bottom of this document)

upcoming event, in Tulsa:

Tulsa Peace Fellowship
      TPF
will be participating as an official parade entry in the annual
MLK Parade,
down N. Greenwood Ave., in Tulsa, on Martin
Luther King Day,
a holiday for many that falls on Monday this year, on January 17th
2011.
Come join us! The parade passes right by Peace House Tulsa,
at 1314 N. Greenwood Avenue. The theme of this year's parade is:
"Honoring Our Heritage, Inspiring Change!"

The Tulsa Peace Fellowship is
directly inspired by the antiwar advocacy of Martin Luther King Jr..
TPF aims to help make peace, social uplift, and nonviolence the
nation's top priorities, rather than militarization.

lead story

Restricting military recruiting becomes focus of new San Diego schools policy

By Hailey Persinger

December 1, 2010

SAN DIEGO — A policy aimed at balancing post-graduation recruiting efforts across
the San Diego Unified School District has placed the spotlight on
military recruiters armed with gifts for students who relinquish
personal information.

School board members approved a policy Tuesday that limits the frequency of campus visits to twice a year
for all recruiters, including those from universities and for-profit
colleges. But some parents and students have focused their arguments
against the presence of military recruiters on campus, some of whom
have had — until now — unfettered access to students as they
determine their post-high school plans.

Instead, the policy restricts all recruiters — for the sake of equity — to two yearly
school visits and prohibits them from requiring student contact
information as a condition to participate in activities or take home
gifts.

Tim Johnston, a retired military recruiter who worked primarily on college campuses offered unlikely support for the
policy.

“It’s necessary to ensure that students’ privacy is not invaded, that these students are not pressured into going into
areas that they will later regret,” he told the board, noting he
has seen first-hand attention-grabbing methods used to recruit
students to the military.

The policy is set to take effect within the next 30
days.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/01/military-recruiting-...

Court upholds ruling on military recruitment bans in Eureka and Arcata
C. Johnson
12/17/2010

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A federal appeals court is upholding a decision to strike down measures in two North
Coast cities barring military recruitment of minors.

Eureka and Arcata overwhelmingly passed the Youth Protection Act in 2008. 
A trial judge [struck down the legislation], and the 9th U.S.
District Court of Appeal upheld that decision Friday.

Brad Yamauchi, a lawyer for the cities, said his clients are still
considering their next step.

The cities previously said the case gave them chance to air concerns about U.S. compliance with a
2002 international treaty that they say bans children under 17 from
being recruited by armed forces.

The Associated Press
Copyright 2010
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=112600

file under: the militarization of civilian life
After four decades, Harvard lifts ban on ROTC recruiting on campus

By Tracy Jan, Boston Globe Staff
December 21, 2010

Harvard University will welcome ROTC back to campus now that Congress has
repealed a ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military,
university president Drew Faust said.

The move will end a four-decade standoff between one of the nation’s most prestigious
universities and its armed forces. The tension began over the Vietnam
War.

“At Harvard, ROTC has been like the crazy uncle in the attic: We know he’s up there but we don’t want to tell anyone
that he’s there,’’ said Paul E. Mawn, a 1963 Harvard graduate
and retired Navy captain who is chairman of Harvard Advocates for
ROTC.

Harvard alumni subsidize student involvement in ROTC, paying MIT between $100,000 and $400,000 a year, a cost that Mawn
said Harvard should pick up if the university is serious about
recognition.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/12/21/...

Don't Go, Don't Kill!
--DADT repeal is not a rights victory, says Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Mom & Peace Activist

The repeal of don't ask, don't tell for gays in the US military is not a
positive step for equality, activist says.

by Cindy Sheehan
23 Dec 2010

While the children of war profiteers and politicians are protected from any kind of sacrifice, this Empire preys on the
rest of our youth - gay/straight; male/female - and spits their
mangled or dead bodies onto the dung heap of history, without a qualm
or a twinge of conscience.

Joining the US military should never be an option for the socially conscious while our troops are
being used as corporate tools for profit, or hired assassins for
imperial expansion. Soldiers are called: "Bullet sponges,"
by their superiors and "dumb animals" by Henry Kissinger,
the former secretary of state.

While soldiers are dehumanised and treated like dirt, they are taught to dehumanise "the
other", and treat them as less than dirt. It is a vicious cycle,
and the way to stop a vicious cycle is to denounce and reject it, not
openly participate.

full article here: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/12/20101223140438...


Homelessness Among Veterans
Veterans From Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Seek Homes Upon Returning to America

By Bob Woodruff and Ian Cameron
Dec 26, 2010

Washington - Jose Pagan is a decorated veteran who survived two tours of duty in Iraq as a road clearance
specialist. Just three days after leaving the military he was
homeless and living on the streets of the Bronx.

Jose says being homeless after his service is something he never would have
imagined. "It was embarrassing," Pagan says.

Returning service members face another challenge: the economy. Unemployment for
young veterans is twenty percent, double the national average. That
makes the transition back from war even more difficult.


http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/coming-home-homeless-homeless-vetera...

related story:
Veterans of Recent Wars Confront Grim Employment Landscape
Michael A. Fletcher, The Washington Post

The Washington Post reports: "Unemployment rates for combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have
been higher than the overall rate since at least 2005."

While their nonmilitary contemporaries were launching careers during the
nearly 10 years the nation has been at war, troops were repeatedly
deployed to desolate war zones. And on their return to civilian life,
these veterans are forced to find their way in a bleak economy where
the skills they learned at war have little value.

Some experts say the grim employment landscape confronting veterans challenges the
veracity of one of the central recruiting promises of the nation's
all-volunteer force: that serving in the military will make them more
marketable in civilian life.

The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans was 10 percent in November, compared
with 9.1 percent for non-veterans, according to the federal Bureau of
Labor Statistics. Unemployment rates for combat veterans of the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan have been higher than the overall rate since
at least 2005, according to the bureau.

More than one in five recent combat veterans claim service-related disabilities, including
post-traumatic stress disorder. That has left veterans burdened with
a complicated legacy: Although the public admires their service, it
also sees combat veterans as especially prone to mental illness,
substance abuse and violence.

Some analysts say that stigma is one reason that veterans often earn less than comparable workers - a
gap that lingers long after they leave active duty. 

"A lot of people when they look at Afghanistan and Iraq vets, the first
thing they think is post-traumatic stress," said Janssen, adding
that he suffers no fallout from his time in Iraq. "Is he normal?
Can he sleep at night? Is he reliable? I think that's what employers
think."

http://www.readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/52-52/4429...

further reading, available for download:
http://www1.va.gov/VETDATA/docs/SurveysAndStudies/Employment_Histor...




antiwar radio:
Losing Faith in the Civic Religion
Frank Dorrel on what he's learned about foreign policy
interviewed by Angela Keaton
December 25, 2010

MP3 here. (19:23)

Frank Dorrel publishes & distributes Addicted to War, Why The U.S. Can’t Kick Militarism by Joel
Andreas. This anti-war comic book is a history of U.S. militarism and
has become one of the most popular books in the Peace Movement. It is
being used in hundreds of high schools and colleges all over the
country.

He put together the 2-hour film titled “What I’ve Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy: The War Against The Third World,”
which has been seen by as many as 2 million people since
2000.

Dorrel is a US Air Force veteran and member of Veterans For Peace, both local and national
chapters.

http://antiwar.com/radio/2010/12/25/frank-dorrel/

Cable reveals US was behind airstrike that killed 21 children and 14 women in Yemen

By Eric W. Dolan
December 2nd, 2010

A diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks shows that the US military covered up the killing of dozens
of civilians during a cruise missile strike in south Yemen in
December 2009.

On December 17, 2009, an alleged al-Qaeda training camp in Abyan was hit by a cruise missile, killing 41 local
residents, including 14 women, 21 children, and 14 alleged al-Qaeda
members.

Amnesty International is calling on the US to investigate.

"There must be an immediate investigation into the dozens of deaths of local residents in the Abyan air strike,
including into the extent of US involvement," Luther said.
"Those responsible for unlawful killings must be brought to
justice."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/cable-reveals-airstrike-killed-2...

Afghans Fume as Petraeus Ramps Up Air War
--under Gen David Petraeus, Afghan anger over air strikes is soaring

A new poll from the Washington Post, ABC News and the BBC finds that 73 percent
of Afghans say that U.S. air strikes are “unacceptable.”

NATO’s own statistics from October show a bump in civilians killed or
wounded by coalition forces compared to those killed this time last
year.

Afghans don’t see a lot of effort from NATO to protect them. A 39 percent plurality say NATO’s gotten worse at preventing
civilian casualties, with only 30 percent saying international troops
have gotten better.


http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12/afghans-fume-as-petraeus-ra...

file under: Do airmen do any good?
Civilian Casualties Create New Enemies, Study Confirms
--air attacks have been provoking deep hostility toward the U.S. and the Kabul
government
By Spencer Ackerman
July 6, 2010

A new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research
finds “strong evidence for a revenge effect” when examining the
relationship between civilian casualties caused by the U.S.-led
military coalition in Afghanistan and radicalization after such
incidents occur.

“When ISAF units kill civilians,” the research team finds, referring to the U.S.-led coalition in
Afghanistan, “this increases the number of willing combatants,
leading to an increase in insurgent attacks.” For instance, in a
district of 83,000 people, the average of two civilian casualties
killed in ISAF-initiated military action leads to six additional
insurgent attacks in the following six weeks.

“An incident which results in 10 civilian casualties will generate about 1
additional IED attack in the following 2 months,” the researchers
write.

The researchers found that ISAF-caused civilian casualties corollate with long-term radicalization in Afghanistan.
Plotting reprisal incidents of violence in areas where civilians died
at coalition hands, the data showed that “that the Coalition effect
is enduring, peaking 16 weeks after the event. This confirms the
intuition that civilian casualties by ISAF forces predict greater
violence through a long-run effect.” That’s consistent with
intuitions that civilian casualties “are affecting future violence
through increased recruitment into insurgent
groups.”

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/civilian-casualties-create-...

file under: an increasingly aerial occupation
US, Pakistan Underreport Civilian Deaths in Drone War
Report Shows Major Civilian Toll
by Jason Ditz, December 09, 2010 

Of those killed in US drone strikes against North Waziristan (Pakistan), how many are civilians? It is a question without an
answer, but a new report by a Pakistani NGO suggests that the answer
is “most of them.”

The US killed some 700 civilians in the drone strikes in 2009, and the limited evidence suggests that they
haven’t gotten any more accurate in 2010, meaning the toll is
likely at least as high.

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/12/09/report-shows-major-civilian-toll...

more coverage:
Why would distance from the crime scene ameliorate a war crime?

By Hiroaki Sato
Oct 31 2010

The Sept. 27 New York Times article on a "drastic" expansion of drone deployment did not mention it,
but the carnage resulting from bombings and missile attacks by the
drones necessarily include a large number of people who have nothing
to do with anything except that they happen to be in the wrong place,
be it Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iraq, in each of which the U.S. does
as it pleases.

When it comes to the slaughtering of human beings, the question is this: Why make a distinction between the
killings on the ground and the killings from the air? Why let the
users of aerial means, be it a manned bomber, a missile or a drone
manipulated thousands of miles away, go scot-free?

For a war crime to have any meaning, no distinction should be made between the
means of
killing.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?mode=getarticle&a...



New guidelines help increase organ donation among troops declared brain
dead
By Seth Robbins, Stars and Stripes
December 5, 2010



LANDSTUHL, Germany  — Jeremy Barnett died on Feb. 24, 2007, but his heart saved the life of a 51-year-old
woman living in Europe. Michele Barnett would never know the woman’s
name or the country she lived in.

“It’s a very hard thing to lose your child like this. I still think about him every day,”
said Michele Barnett, his grieving mother. “But it’s a comfort to
know that part of him is still alive, and what better part than his
heart?”

http://www.stripes.com/new-guidelines-help-increase-organ-donation-...



US Involvement in Iraq
A Lot of Blood for Little Oil

By Cordula Meyer
12/06/2010

[Despite the lobbying to go to war by the "Big Three" oil companies]
the Iraq war provided few advantages for the US oil industry. The
diplomatic cables show that, in most cases, it was competitors to the
Americans who often did better in the country. Only one US company
truly profited: Halliburton.

With production of 2.5 million barrels of crude oil daily, production in Iraq has returned to close
to its prewar levels. Forecasts now suggest it will take 20 years
before that production is doubled or tripled, however. The US spent
more than $700 billion on Iraq, but now Iraq's oil profits are going
to other
countries.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,732984,00.html


facts & figures
The U.S. has spent more than $700 billion on Iraq, since occupying the country in 2003.  Two US oil giants
managed to secure contracts for Iraqi oil fields -- Exxon and
Occidental.  The war profits of the Big Three, namely
ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, over the five years of the Iraq War amounts
to about $80 billion.  All are the subject of consumer boycotts,
organized by "consumers for peace."
For MORE INFORMATION go to:
http://consumersforpeace.org/index.php?filename=boycott-big-three.html

The top petroleum suppliers to the PENTAGON, in FY 2009 (latest figures
available) were:

BP      $2.201 Billion
Shell      $1.893 Billion
Int. Oil Trading Co.      $1.179 Billion

(Source: Defense Energy Support Center)

Consumers Guide to Gasoline

More Harmful Avoid When Possible	Less Harmful Relatively Speaking
ExxonMobil Shell BP Chevron Valero ConocoPhillips Getty/Lukoil Marathon Tesoro Fina	Citgo Sunoco Hess Flying J Murphy Gulf Sinclair Irving Keystone/Kwik Fil/Red Apple Giant Mustang Cenex

source: http://consumersforpeace.org/index.php?filename=consumers-guide.html
    

Iraq, Kuwait dust may carry dangerous elements

By Kelly Kennedy - Marine Corps Times
Dec 8, 2010

Researchers studying dust in Iraq and Kuwait say tiny particles of potentially hazardous material could be
causing a host of problems in humans, from respiratory ailments to
heart disease to neurological conditions.

Microbiologists Dale Griffin of the U.S. Geologic Survey and Capt. Mark Lyles of the Naval
War College analyzed dust samples taken in Iraq and Kuwait in 2004
and found a wide range of heavy metals at rates in excess of World
Health Organization maximum safe exposure guidelines. Some don’t
even have maximum exposure guidelines because they are not expected
to be present in airborne dust.

A recent Military Times analysis of military health data from 2001 to 2009 showed the rate of
respiratory issues among active-duty troops rose by 32 percent;
cardiovascular disease rose 30 percent; pregnancy and birth
complications were up 47 percent; and neurological conditions, such
as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, were up nearly 200
percent.

The National Research Council of the National Academies released a report this year that said the Defense
Department’s Enhanced Particulate Matter Surveillance Program needs
to be reworked, and that the military lacked sufficient data to
properly study the health effects of particulate matter exposure. 
That report came in the wake of two other military studies — one
that looked at various health concerns, and another that looked
specifically at heart and respiratory issues. Neither had found any
connection to exposure to particulate matter. But the National
Academies report stated that “a large body of epidemiologic
research has shown associations between short- and long-term
exposures to particulate matter and a broad array of respiratory and
cardiovascular effects in the general population and in susceptible
people.”

The tiniest particles — up to 1,000 of which can sit on the head of a pin — embed deeply in the lungs along with
whatever matter they carry. Griffin said he worries that the
combination of bacteria, fungi and metal found in Iraq and
Afghanistan can further complicate the health risks to U.S. combat
troops. Noting the rise in respiratory and heart problems over the
past decade, Griffin said, “If you look at the [civilian]
population, you don’t see these
numbers.”

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/12/military-heavy-metals-...

U.S. Medic Jailed For Firing on Unarmed Afghans
By REUTERS
December 1, 2010

TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A U.S. Army medic was sentenced to nine months
in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to shooting at unarmed
Afghan farmers and agreeing to testify against other soldiers accused
of terrorizing civilians.

Five of the 12 soldiers are accused of premeditated murder in the most serious prosecution of alleged
atrocities by U.S. military personnel since the war began in late
2001.

As part of the deal, military prosecutors said they would grant Stevens immunity from further charges in exchange for his
testimony against the 11 other soldiers.

"It's the right thing to do and I'm going to do it," he said at the hearing.


Stevens will serve his nine months at a military brig on his home base. He will be demoted to E-1 private, the lowest rank in the
Army, and forfeit his pay while in prison but will be allowed to stay
in the
military.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/12/01/world/international-uk-so...

Justices Hear Case on Denial of Help to Veteran
By Adam Liptak, NYTimes
December 6, 2010

WASHINGTON — Justice Stephen G. Breyer wanted to know whether it was possible that Congress intended
to deny help to veterans who missed filing deadlines because of the
very disabilities for which they sought
help.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/us/07scotus.html?_r=1&ref=us

follow up: threat of sexual violence in the military
More sex assaults reported at military academies
AP, Dec 15, 2010

DENVER – Sexual assault reports at the three U.S. military academies rose 64 percent in the 2009-10 academic year, but
many more victims probably didn't come forward, the Defense
Department said Wednesday.

A total of 41 sexual assaults involving students were reported to authorities at West Point, the
Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy in 2009-10, the department
said in its annual report on sexual harassment and violence.

In the previous academic year, 25 were
reported.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101216/ap_on_re_us/us_military_sexual_...

Military sexual abuse 'staggering'
Al Jazeera examines the often hidden world of rape and abuse in the US military.
by Dahr Jamail
23 Dec 2010

Every year, rape increases at an alarming rate within American military institutions – and even
males are victims of the cycle. In fact, due to raw demographics, one
can roughly surmise that most victims of sexual abuse in the military
are male.

Regardless of gender, reports of victims of military sexual assault have been increasing. In 2007, there were 2,200
reports of rape in the military, whilst in 2009 saw an increase up to
3,230 reports of sexual assault.

Many of the victims suffer from Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and are shamed into silence, with
numerous cases not even reported.

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the rate of sexual assault on women
in the military is twice that in the civilian population.

Compared with a 40 per cent arrest rate for sex crimes among civilians, only
eight per cent of investigated cases in the military lead to
prosecution.

After Congress mandated it do so in 2006, the Pentagon started a comprehensive programme to track incidents. That
year, there were 2,974 reported cases of rape and sexual assault in
the military. Of these, only 292 cases resulted in trials, and those
netted only 181 prosecutions of perpetrators.

source: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/12/20101223113859171112.html

more coverage:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/12/2010122182546...

Bradley Manning's Detention: UN Probing Whether Case Counts As
Torture
--Private first class in U.S. military being held without trial for more than 7 months straight, in solitary
confinement

by Marcus Baram, for Huffington Post
12-22-10

NEW YORK -- The United Nations is probing a complaint that Bradley Manning, the detained Army private suspected of giving
classified documents to WikiLeaks has been mistreated in custody. And
WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange called Manning "a political
prisoner" during an interview on MSNBC.

As The Huffington Post reported last week, Manning's supporters went public with their
concerns about the harsh conditions of his imprisonment aboard a
floating brig in Quantico, Va. -- he has no access to exercise or
even a pillow and bedsheets during his 23 hours of solitary
confinement a day -- after their complaints to the military over
several months went unheeded.

According to the Associated Press, the U.N. office for torture issues in Geneva said it received
a complaint from one of Manning's supporters alleging conditions at
the brig amount to torture.

Recently, Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, posted a blog detailing the conditions of Manning's
detention.  The lawyer also expressed frustration with the harsh
conditions, describing multiple attempts to improve them and
indicating that he is prepared to file a motion under Article 13 of
the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which bans illegal pretrial
punishment.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/22/un-probing-bradley-manning...

---

Okinawans try to vote US base out
By Daniel Leussink

NAHA, Japan - Newspaper polls showed that a large majority of islanders opposed the construction of the
replacement facility. Last April, 90,000 Okinawans gathered in a
small village in the heart of the island and demonstrated peacefully
against the plans.

Okinawa makes up 0.6% of Japan’s territory but hosts 75% of US military bases. Okinawans have
complained for decades about the unfair and unequal footprint left by
US forces on the tiny southern prefecture. It extends beyond sexual
assault, hit-and-runs and low-flying noise-producing fighter jets.
The US military forces control 40% of Okinawan airspace and 29
ports.

Futenma’s 8,000 marines and 9,000 dependants could move to Guam.

 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/LL02Dh01.html
more coverage:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101217/wl_asia_afp/japanusmilitarypol...

No safe haven for displaced Iraqis
Serene Assir, The Electronic Intifada, 7 December 2010

More than seven years after the United States and United Kingdom-led invasion of Iraq,
millions of displaced Iraqis have nowhere to go.

For the overwhelming majority of refugees and internally displaced persons
(IDPs), displacement is not a one-off trauma. Rather, it is a
continuous state of flight for most uprooted Iraqis, who the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates to number
1,785,212 refugees and 1,552,003 IDPs (both figures as of January
2010).

read the complete story: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11660.shtml




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

“Bombing a country at the same time you are offering it aid is as morally repulsive as beating up a kid in an alley and stopping to ask for a kiss.”

~Norman Mailer, d.2007

---

Tulsa Peace Fellowship

In order to support the peace movement in Eastern Oklahoma, you can donate direct to TPF.

Please make out your check or money order to the"Tulsa Peace Fellowship" and mail it to :

    The Tulsa Peace Fellowship
    c/o UU Church of the Restoration,
    1314 N. Greenwood Ave, Tulsa Oklahoma 74106-4854

Contributions to TPF are not tax deductible at this time.

Also consider "clicking for peace" and "shopping for peace". TPF earns money when you use GoodSearch to search the
web and GoodShop to shop online.  Support our cause when you
search or shop online! Download the new GoodSearch/GoodShop toolbar
at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/tulsa-peace-fellowship

Through its counter-recruitment task force, TPF is a member of the National Network in Opposition to the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY) representing some
188 counter-recruitment groups in cities and towns across the
country. On the web:
http://www.nnomy.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=v... 

The next monthly anti-war demo in Tulsa

is scheduled for

Saturday Jan 1st, 2011,

12noon to 2pm, with the theme:

"U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now!"


An archive of TPF counter-recruitment updates and other related TPF
material is available to members online:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tulsapeace/
TPF messages have been archived online since 2002

The information provided in this digest/update herein is for non-profit
use only, according to "fair use" doctrine.  Copyright
and all commercial exploitation 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

IN ACCORDANCE WITH TITLE 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107, THIS MATERIAL IS DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT PROFIT TO THOSE WHO HAVE EXPRESSED A PRIOR INTEREST IN RECEIVING THE INCLUDED INFORMATION FOR RESEARCH AND
EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. Tulsa Peace Fellowship HAS NO AFFILIATION
WHATSOEVER WITH THE ORIGINATOR OF THESE ARTICLES NOR IS Tulsa Peace
Fellowship ENDORSED OR SPONSORED BY THE ORIGINATORS.

SOURCE ARTICLE LINKS ARE PROVIDED AS A CONVENIENCE TO OUR READERS AND ALLOW FOR VERIFICATION OF AUTHENTICITY. HOWEVER, AS ORIGINATING PAGES ARE OFTEN UPDATED BY THEIR ORIGINATING HOST SITES, THE
VERSIONS POSTED MAY NOT MATCH THE VERSIONS OUR READERS VIEW WHEN
CLICKING THE SOURCE ARTICLE LINKS, OR INDEED, THE WEBPAGES MAY NO
LONGER EVEN EXIST.

THE 10 REASONS NOTTO JOIN THE MILITARY

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