United States of America

Mon

Jan

2015

There Is No Future in War: Youth Rise Up, a Manifesto

New translation available

A peace sign printed on the American Flag is raised during a protest against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Archive / History Channel)

Submitted by Gary

Statement written by Ben Norton, Tyra Walker, Anastasia Taylor, Alli McCracken, Colleen Moore, Jes Grobman, Ashley Lopez / Codepink -

Once again, US politicians and pundits are beating the drums of...

Thu

Mar

Poverty, Militarism and the Public Schools

Submitted by Gary on Thu, 30/03/2017 - 02:48

By Robert Koehler What’s the difference between education and obedience? If you see very little, you probably have no problem with the militarization of the American school system — or rather, the militarization of the impoverished schools . . . the ones that can’t afford new textbooks or functional plumbing, much less art supplies or band equipment.

The Pentagon has been eyeing these schools — broken and gang-ridden — for a decade now, and seeing its future there. It comes in like a cammy-clad Santa, bringing money and discipline. In return it gets young minds to shape, to (I fear) possess: to turn into the next generation of soldiers, available for the coming wars.

Tue

Feb

The US Military, Like Ancient Rome's, Is Trying to Secure a Dying Empire

Submitted by Gary on Tue, 28/02/2017 - 19:14

Recruiters from the Harrisburg Recruiting Company assisted with the Youth and Education Services (Y.E.S.) October 8, 2010, at the Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Christine June / Harrisburg US Army Recruiting Batallion)

By Mark Karlin

Delving into the underbelly of the US military, longtime antiwar activist Pat Elder reveals how military recruiters are assisted by the Department of Education, the film industry, the video game industry and mainstream media in order to fuel never-ending war -- using the country's most vulnerable young people as fodder. Get the book Military Recruiting in the United States by donating to Truthout now!

Thu

Jan

Teachers' Union poster questioning military recruitment draws fire

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 12/01/2017 - 18:10

Veterans, military members, and even some teachers are expressing outrage at a B.C. Teachers’ Federation poster discouraging military recruitment.

The poster calls recruiting a “social justice issue,” and encourages teachers to ask their boards to ban recruiting in schools.

Thu

Jan

American Teens Get Israel-Style Military Training — at New York Sports Camp

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 12/01/2017 - 16:36

It looks like a slick military recruiting video – exciting background music pulsing in the background, soldiers in training wearing camouflage and face masks crawling through the mud as a commander urges them on, wielding rifles as they ambush an enemy in the wilderness, and, at the end, an Israeli flag waving patriotically in the background with the message to “Enlist Now” printed across the screen.

Read the full story on Forward...

Sun

Nov

World Beyond War, Pat Elder

Submitted by Gary on Sun, 13/11/2016 - 14:37

Good coverage of what can be done by activists wanting to intervene in the increasing presence of military recruiters and Pentagon recruitment efforts in our public schools.

World Beyond War, Pat Elder

Mon

Oct

Girl Soldiers: Forgotten Casualties of War

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 24/10/2016 - 17:33

As secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was visibly shaken by sexual crimes against women and girls when she visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009. Sexual crimes in this central African country, known as the “rape capital of the world,” include the sexual exploitation of tens of thousands of girls abducted and trapped as child soldiers. Nonetheless, since 2010, President Obama has waived a congressionally mandated ban on military aid to countries known to exploit child soldiers, among them the DRC.

Sat

Aug

Education Not Militarization

Submitted by Gary on Sat, 27/08/2016 - 23:13

Project YANO's video of students sharing their personal goals and talking about the pressure they feel from military recruiters.

Education Not Militarization

Thu

Jun

Poverty, Militarism and the Public Schools

Submitted by Gary on Thu, 23/06/2016 - 16:59

Why does the U.S. Army maintain a gamer website? It's for the sake of war, not for the good of children. (Image: U.S. Army)

by Robert C. Koehler

What’s the difference between education and obedience? If you see very little, you probably have no problem with the militarization of the American school system — or rather, the militarization of the impoverished schools . . . the ones that can’t afford new textbooks or functional plumbing, much less art supplies or band equipment.

Fri

Jun

Thanks for Your Service, but Don't Tell the Kids About It (We Need Them to Enlist)

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 17/06/2016 - 15:24

By Emily Yates, Truthout | Op-Ed. Find the original article here.

"Excuse me, are you saying negative things about the military?"

Sun

Jun

Hillary Clinton’s State Department Let South Sudan Use Child Soldiers

Submitted by Gary on Sun, 12/06/2016 - 04:05

Hillary Clinton as secretary of state in 2011. (United States Mission Geneva / CC BY-ND 2.0)

Hillary Clinton spent years vowing to defend the rights of children worldwide, but under her leadership the State Department played a central role in allowing rebel forces in southern Sudan to use child soldiers in defiance of a 2008 law forbidding it, reports Nick Turse at The Intercept.

The law is called the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, or CSPA, and after South Sudan’s independence, in 2011 the White House issued annual waivers that kept taxpayer dollars flowing its way despite its use of child soldiers.

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Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.