Protestors rally against military recruiting at East High School (NY)

[struggle4progress]

It was a flashback to the 1960’s. Anti-war protesters demonstrated outside a high school in the city of Rochester Tuesday. They call themselves Rochester Against War, a coalition of social justice groups. Their target: East High School. Two years ago, the Rochester City School District reversed a longstanding policy that barred military recruiters from its high schools. Protesters say students at East High are eager to resist military recruiting at their school. “They don’t want the military in the schools. They realize they are being targeted because they are black and Latino and low income.” Jessica Baez, a Rochester Against War protester, said.

This was also a national day of action in support of two U.S. Soldiers resisting the war in Iraq. Protester Ken Howland served in the army in the 1960’s. "Right now in Iraq, although it’s very complicated and I don’t want to oversimplify, I believe the basic problem is nobody wants foreigner in their country” Howland said.

Some students were not put off by the sight of protesters. “Well, it’s freedom of speech so they go wherever they want, really. It’s okay with me.” Scott Preston, an East High student, said. Steven Greenberg, another East High student, said, “I’m totally against the entire war. I’m not really a person who supports war in the first place. <snip>

http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=14891

[Name removed]

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[HockeyMom]

3. As my daughter called them

Stalkers. They are DESPERATE.

[struggle4progress]

4. Recruiters lie, and naive kids die. Seems to me good cause for protest.

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[struggle4progress]

10. If you don't want to protest, don't. But don't put words in my mouth. eom

[LosinIt]

5. East High is predominantly Black and Hispanic

and that is exactly why the recruiters want in there. They aren't clamoring to get into the suburban schools like they are the city schools.

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[1monster]

6. Because recruiters are in there trying to get young and inexperienced

kids to sign up. The poor and the minorities are more likely to sign up because they see a way out of economic hardship.

The real problem is that the recruiters don't just not tell the kids the truth about what being in the military means. They flat out lie to them too.

No recruiter should be allowed to speak to high school kids (even those who have just turned eighteen) without a parent or gardian present.

I realize that federal law allows recruiters to contact high school children (even those who are not yet eighteen) without parental concent or even notification. In fact, they sometimes (or quite often) suggest to the kids that they not tell there parents that a recruiter is talking to them... They play a "your parents don't think you are capable of making up your own mind and don't want you to grow up" theme that many kids easily swallow.

School is a place of learning, not a factory for turning out cannon fodder.

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[1monster]

11. Grandfathers? No, there was not GI Bill back then. That came after

WWII in my father's time. And there was not GI Bill during WWII. There was before the Vietnam fiasco, yes, and there were many who signed up for the benefits and because for their convictions whether or not they believed in the war.

My neighbor's husband did sign up because he wanted "help those people be free." He came home in a body bag at age nineteen.

They lied to him. They told him that he was doing something noble and protecting his homeland.

And since you are so obviously uneducated about what recruiters do, myabe you should google Project 100,000 in regards to the Vietnam War. The recruiters were absolutely shameless then, and I doubt very much that they have changed much since.

On Edit: Most of those GI Bill benefits have been pared down to a whole lot less then they were for our fathers (grandfathers in your case) when they came back from WWII. Some have been done away with completely.

Those of us study history are doomed to watch in horror as idiots, who don't, relive it.

[seg4527]

12. you are one misinformed person.

yes, military recruiters LIE to students to try to get them to join up. and NO, it is not a way out of economic problems, although it may offer a brief glimmer of hope.

a majority of HOMELESS men in this country today are VETERANS.

in fact, two homeless veterans have joined a sit-in/sit-out/encampment type thing we have going on at the u of minnesota. a vet of grenada and a vet of gulf war I.

i am proud to say that next year i am going to be very involved in counter-recruitment, and help some high schools in minneapolis get these desperate liers away from this country's children.

[LosinIt]

2. Rochester! Yes, Susan B. would be so proud.

and the NBC affiliate actually covered it, WOW!