May 28th, 2013
6:30 pm
Wil-Mar Center
953 Jenifer St
Military Recruiting
Contact Michelle Nightoak at (608) 215-5605 or Nightoak@charter.net.
WHO WE ARE:
All of the work represented here is done not only by members of the Madison Area Peace Coalition, but equally by:
- Veterans for Peace
- Madison Monthly Meeting of Friends
- Madison Mennonite Church
- ACLU of Wisconsin
- Members of Madison East Students for Freedom and Peace
- as well as other community members, parents, teachers, and students.
ACTION ALERTS (and also Upcoming Events!)
Join the Wisconsin Peacework for Youth email listserv, specifically for folks working on youth-related peace and social justice issues (this is also where we do a lot of our communicating on our youth and militarization work!):
Click to join WIPeaceYouth?
**WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?**
Contact Michelle Nightoak at (608) 215-5605 or Nightoak@charter.net. - Presentations available for your organization!
or check out the "counter-recruitment" email list on www.yahoogroups.com - NOTE: This is NOT an official MAPC list, but an independent list comprised of both experienced and new activists. It is HIGHLY recommended that you subscribe.
THE BASICS
Counter-recruitment work encompasses a wide range of issues including racism and recruiting (poor and people of color communities are targeted disproportionately), JROTC programs, conscientious objection, and sexism and homophobia.
From the July/August 2003 edition of DraftNOtices?, a publication by the Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (full text here):
"Countering military recruiting and the militarization of young people is part of a strategy for addressing aspects of war that relate to economics, race, class and foreign policy, while, at the same time, actually interfering in a material way with government's ability to wage its wars."
The primary goal of counter-recruitment is to get the government's OWN data into the hands of students and parents so they can make an informed decision about enlisting; to help others learn the truth about the supposed "benefits" recruits are eligible for and the realities of military life.
As Former Secretary of Defense Cheney said "The reason to have a military is to be prepared to fight and win wars.....it is not a social welfare agency....it's not a jobs program."