Students protest military recruiters

[stephanie]

This is what your tax dollars are paying for....

By Justin Rocket Silverman
amNewYork Staff Writer

January 16, 2007

Alfred Peterson is a fictional 17-year-old weighing the benefits of military service. On the one hand is money for college--and on the other is potentially fatal combat duty in Iraq.

"People have a right to know what they are signing up for, that's all I'm saying," said Alex Neiman-Zych, who wrote the story about young Alfred and marched with more than a dozen other eighth-graders from the Manhattan Country School Monday to protest high-school military recruitment.




14-year-old Neiman-Zych read the story aloud during the march to highlight what he called recruiters' "false promises."

"They don't tell you about how hard it can be to actually get the money for college," he said. "And they don't mention certain interesting facts, such as that one-third of homeless people in America are veterans."

The eighth-graders, dressed in combat fatigues, marched from their school on East 96th Street to the military recruitment center in Times Square. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day march is an annual tradition at the small private school.

"We are taking MLK's stance against the Vietnam War and using it as a symbol for what is going on today," said 14-year-old Brandon George.

Military recruiters have come under fire for aggressive high-school enlistment tactics.

About 400 military recruiters work in the New York area. Last year, they signed up almost 5,000 recruits out of 180,540 people enlisted nationwide. While figures were not available yesterday about how many of those recruits were just out of high school, a 2004 Army handbook advises recruiters to focus on building relationships with incoming freshmen and sophomores.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently declined to ban recruiters from all city schools, saying students should have "all options open to them."

"While our kids are not of military age yet, they see what's going on all around them," said Rachel Sussman, a history teacher at Manhattan Country School. "Young people just a few years older than them are being sent to the Middle East."
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ne...tory?track=rss

[darin]

HOLY LORD return QUICKLY...

I am beginning to understand why there is little mention of the USA in the Biblical End-times...I doubt our country will survive with THOSE kind of idiots leading some-day. Course, we have Pelosi now - can it GET WORSE??

That kid - the author - needs a huge beating. His parents are failing him in the worst way.

[Gaffer]

All designed to make it look like everyone is against the war and the military.

The military hate will be taking center stage shortly. Its always been there for the hardcore lefties but it will be growing.

second phase of the anti-war campaign. Demonize the military.

[Gunny]

This is what your tax dollars are paying for....

By Justin Rocket Silverman
amNewYork Staff Writer

January 16, 2007

Alfred Peterson is a fictional 17-year-old weighing the benefits of military service. On the one hand is money for college--and on the other is potentially fatal combat duty in Iraq.

"People have a right to know what they are signing up for, that's all I'm saying," said Alex Neiman-Zych, who wrote the story about young Alfred and marched with more than a dozen other eighth-graders from the Manhattan Country School Monday to protest high-school military recruitment.




14-year-old Neiman-Zych read the story aloud during the march to highlight what he called recruiters' "false promises."

"They don't tell you about how hard it can be to actually get the money for college," he said. "And they don't mention certain interesting facts, such as that one-third of homeless people in America are veterans."

The eighth-graders, dressed in combat fatigues, marched from their school on East 96th Street to the military recruitment center in Times Square. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day march is an annual tradition at the small private school.

"We are taking MLK's stance against the Vietnam War and using it as a symbol for what is going on today," said 14-year-old Brandon George.

Military recruiters have come under fire for aggressive high-school enlistment tactics.

About 400 military recruiters work in the New York area. Last year, they signed up almost 5,000 recruits out of 180,540 people enlisted nationwide. While figures were not available yesterday about how many of those recruits were just out of high school, a 2004 Army handbook advises recruiters to focus on building relationships with incoming freshmen and sophomores.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently declined to ban recruiters from all city schools, saying students should have "all options open to them."

"While our kids are not of military age yet, they see what's going on all around them," said Rachel Sussman, a history teacher at Manhattan Country School. "Young people just a few years older than them are being sent to the Middle East."
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ne...tory?track=rss

Activist 8th graders? Some dumb kid parroting his former hippy parents' views.

[jillian]

Activist 8th graders? Some dumb kid parroting his former hippy parents' views.

Dunno, Gunny. Kids are 13/14 years old in 8th Grade. I know I had some pretty strong viewpoints by that age. (I know that must surprise you. ) And my folks are far from hippies and my dad is pretty right wing.

Besides, I figure if the government can offer "information" about the military to 9th graders, not such a leap for the 8th graders to want a say in opposition. After all, don't you guys want those high school kids to have *all* information?

And, let's say you're right that they're echoing their parents concern, I'm still okay with it.

[stephanie]

Activist 8th graders? Some dumb kid parroting his former hippy parents' views.

It's the activist (socialist-communist) teachers in the schools...

The indoctrination of our school kids is right on track, it seems...

[Gunny]

Dunno, Gunny. Kids are 13/14 years old in 8th Grade. I know I had some pretty strong viewpoints by that age. (I know that must surprise you. ) And my folks are far from hippies and my dad is pretty right wing.

Besides, I figure if the government can offer "information" about the military to 9th graders, not such a leap for the 8th graders to want a say in opposition. After all, don't you guys want those high school kids to have *all* information?

And, let's say you're right that they're echoing their parents concern, I'm still okay with it.

Military recruiters actively seek out high school seniors and juniors. If a freshman asks questions, I'm sure they'll answer them.

I have no problem with the kids asking the questions nor the recruiters providing the answers to those questions. I DO have a problem with recruiters who lie and/or mislead the kids.

I'm not okay with parents using their children as political pawns. But the whole premise is an assumption. Maybe he actually believes his own hype. To that I have to say what liberals always say when a conservative complains about what's on TV .... don't watch it.

[Gaffer]

Behind every 8th grade activist there's an adult with an agenda.

[jillian]

Behind every 8th grade activist there's an adult with an agenda.

Ya... that must be what it is. Couldn't possibly be kids not wanting other kids to die in Bush's war, huh?

Anyway, hometime...

laterz, all.

[Gunny]

Behind every 8th grade activist there's an adult with an agenda.

First thing I thought of is "What's wrong with this kid?" Politics was a casual aside for me, with girls being far and away on top of my priorities list!

[darin]

Ya... that must be what it is. Couldn't possibly be kids not wanting other kids to die in Bush's war, huh?

Yup. That's exactly it. It's kids being brainwashed by activist or neglecting parents.