BlogWood 2.0 Return of teh Wood

Recruiters are people too blood sucking maggots preying on the poor!

Today’s Tampa Tribune has an article on those nice military recruiters who are helping out poor and minority students by sending them off to die young in a foreign war in order to save them from a miserable life f poverty here in the US.

So, why would any sane person join the Army these days?

Health care (You’ll need it after being maimed by an IED, but as a veteran, you’ll likely be denied proper care.)
Vocational training (You’ll be trained to perform a military job. Good luck finding a civilian job that requires the same skills.)
Upward mobility (Veterans actually earn less than non-veterans holding the same jobs. One third of all homeless people are veterans.)

Discipline
Discipline (You’ll learn to do what you’re told without thinking and without question. Actually, this might be helpful if you ever make it out and into civilian life, as long as you’re planning a career as a lemming - or as a dungeon mistress)
A glimmer of hope (Hope for an early death at the hands of a foreign enemy, or a life as a crippled homeless person.)
Play with guns (Okay - you will be allowed to play with lots of guns. You may even get to kill.)

As a society, we ensure that socioeconomic conditions remain ripe for the recruitment of poor and minority cannon fodder.

Recruiters concentrate on poor schools and the poor neighborhoods surrounding them. They will say and do almost anything to get warm bodies. Often compared to used car salesmen, their only concern is fulfilling their quotas.

Overall, the Army spends more than $460 million a year on recruiting and advertising. In addition to the glossy brochures and television spots promoting the ``Army of One,'' the service sponsors sporting events popular with the demographic it is trying to recruit - auto racing, football, basketball and rodeo.

``It's a sales organization,'' Padjune said.

Empty promises of job training, help with college, and travel to exotic locales pour out of their mouths. The reality of having been trained for a military career with no civilian marketability, of having no free time to attend classes, and of having to kill the natives in those exotic locales is of no concern to the hard-sell recruiters.

Rich white folks like those who attend South Tampa’s Plant High School, as well as private school students, wont be fodder unless they go out of their way to enlist. Recruiters are simply banned from most private schools, and they don’t spend any time at public schools with wealthy students, simply because it’s more difficult to pull the wool over the eyes of a recruit whose future prospects are better than bleak.

Two private high schools also are on Hawkins' map: Jesuit and The Cambridge School. His access to them is limited, though.

John Crumbley, an assistant principal at Jesuit, says his students plan for college. The campus welcomes representatives from the service academies, including West Point, but not recruiters looking for enlistees.

``They want to come in all day with a truckload of pamphlets, and that's not happening here,'' Crumbley said.

Now, the worst part of this whole situation is the fact that school systems are openly cooperating with recruiters. The schools are giving personal student information to the military so that the Army and other armed services can trick children into what is becoming literally a dead-end career.

A lot of attention was paid a few years ago when a federal funding rule kicked in, requiring public school systems to share student information with the military. No controversy around here, though, as The Hillsborough County School Board has been providing contact info for many years, and at a bargain price, too. For just $61, the military is given a database as well as the use of school property to further their nefarious agenda.

The Hillsborough County school district has been an active supporter for a long time. There was little local effect when the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act required public high schools nationwide to provide recruiters with names, addresses and phone numbers of juniors and seniors because Hillsborough has been supplying such lists for 20 years.

The county charges the military $61 for an annual directory.

Parents who don't want their children contacted can have names removed from the list by filling out a form in their children's student handbooks. Critics say many people aren't aware they can ``opt out'' until after the information has been released.

``It's very overwhelming for parents when they have back- to-school night and they have 15 different waivers and forms to fill out,'' said Mary Kusler, a senior legislative specialist with the American Association of School Administrators in Washington. ``It's very easy for this one to get lost in the mix.''

And it’s not clear form this article if Hillsborough County lets parents opt out. The “No Child” laws call for an opt out option, but if Hillsborough is selling this info on its own, apart from the federal requirements, are they required to provide an opt out, and do they actually provide one?

Padjune said his recruiters won't push it if their calls are unwanted.

``We attempt to contact everybody on the lists just to see what their interest is,'' he said. ``But we respect people's privacy.''

On any given day, armed forces recruiters can be found at Hillsborough's 23 public high schools, 17 of which have Junior ROTC programs.

Off campus, recruiters make regular stops at malls, movie theaters and fast-food restaurants, anywhere teenagers and young adults meet. These tactics aren't new, but they worry some parents who say children aren't getting the full picture.

Karen Putney's two sons graduated from public high schools in Tampa and were reminded of military benefits frequently by recruiters who said little about the possibility of combat, she recalls.

Neither son joined; the Putneys are Quaker and opposed to war.

``It has to be an informed choice,'' she said. ``There needs to be much more information about the grimmer details of the job.''

Gee, I don’t remember an ROTC program at Plant High when I attended. Oh, wait...

This underscores what some say is most wrong with the recruiting system. Recruiters look for candidates at public schools, particularly in poorer neighborhoods, where seniors are less likely to go to college and more uncertain about their futures, says Kevin Ramirez of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors in Philadelphia.

``Recruiting is a numbers game,'' said Ramirez, coordinator of the organization's Military Out Of Our Schools program. ``They have information going back five, 10 years on the percentage of students from a school that enlists. They know where to look for recruits.''

It's clear that the frequency of recruiter visits can vary by school.

At Plant High School in south Tampa, for example, 97 percent of graduating seniors go on to college, says Principal Eric Bergholm. Military recruiters are welcome at Plant, he says, but they visit the campus only a few times a month.

At Blake High School in central Tampa, 60 percent of graduates are college-bound. Military recruiters are on campus as often as three times a week, says Principal Jacqueline Haynes.

So, our local government is actively partnering with the military to cull poor and minority students and send them overseas to be shot at. Don’t worry, though, because the Hillsborough County Public School System has some very strict rules when it comes to personal contact between a recruiter and students:

* Visits should be at a regularly scheduled place, time and day of the week.

Recruiters must really hate this rule, which forces them to be able to maintain a tightly packed and efficient weekly schedule. But, to be fair, this rule does help students to avoid the recruiters - a student can simply skip school on recruiter days. Hey, it’s only 3 days a week.

* Recruiters should not interview students who have not followed the proper procedure for a meeting.

See, this rule protects students who accidently come to school on a recruiter day and then unknowingly stumble into the recruiter’s office.

* Honest, up-to-date information should be conveyed to all students. Recruiters should conduct themselves so students do not feel pressured.

HOW do the recruiters manage to live within these rules? They are true American Heroes!

* Recruiters should offer military information to all students who request it, regardless of whether the student appears to be a good candidate.

This rule is really strict - forcing the overworked recruiters to pass out literature. Why does the Hillsborough County School System hate the military?

* If a student states he or she has decided definitely against a military career, the recruiter should not request to see the student again on school time.

Another tough rule. This one forces the recruiter to use his computer to look up students’ names and addresses in the database provided by the county.

Helpful Links:

The Objector: Home of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors

Not in Our Name: Stop the Military Recruiters

Questions for Recruiters

VFP Lawrence High School exhibit

KerEdVolOrCon?!?

Kerry / Edwards Volunteer Organizing Convention
Saturday, September 18, 2004
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Iron Workers Local 397
10201 US Hwy. 92 East
Tampa, FL 33610

Printable pdf flier here. (NOTE: wrong zip code. The correct zip code is 33610)

Wingers Target Black Churches in Latest Voter Intimidation Tactic

Jeb! has been working hard to suppress the black vote here in Florida. The infamous purge list was just the tip of the iceberg. He and his brother know well that blacks, who traditionally vote overwhelmingly Democratic, could make the difference this year.

Today, the St. Pete Times reports on a rather sinister development. It seems that the IRS is investigating a traditionally black church in Tampa based on a campaign stop 2 years ago by Janet Reno, who was in a primary race for governor at the time.

Now, I have no problem with the IRS investigating valid complaints, but, especially when taken in the context of Florida’s purge list and other attempts to keep black voter turnout low, this situation seems troubling at least.

The parking lot at First Baptist Church of College Hill was filling up when a worker began telling people to leave.

The political forum at the historically black church would not be taking place, he said. At the last minute, it was being moved to a public library.

Inside a cramped room, moderator Gerald White explained the switch. That afternoon, the pastor had received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service asking about political activity at the church, a stop for many Democrats running for office.

The Rev. Abraham Brown didn't want to hold another political event when the IRS was asking questions, White said.

Why had the IRS turned its attention to this fixture in Tampa's black community?

Both the IRS and Brown declined to comment. White said the letter sent by the IRS last month asked about a 2-year-old visit by then-gubernatorial candidate Janet Reno.

Experts say it's likely someone complained to the IRS about Reno's stop.

Across the nation, people are turning to the IRS to keep pastors from promoting political agendas. It is happening in a year when both presidential campaigns are increasingly using churches as a way to reach voters.

The Bush campaign has courted evangelical Christians, including asking for church mailing lists in some states. Democrat John Kerry has campaigned at black churches and invoked his faith in speeches. In July, Kerry's running mate stumped at a black church in Orlando.

As the political influence of churches grows, opponents are wielding the tax code as a weapon against them.

"It could have a chilling effect," said state Rep. Arthenia Joyner, a Tampa Democrat who is African-American. "I see it as a way to try to intimidate people, but I think it's not going to work."

In August, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe urged congregants at a black church in Miami to defeat President Bush. Two days later, Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported the church to the IRS.

The IRS prohibits churches from campaigning, unless they want to pay taxes as other political groups do.

The group has filed about 50 complaints against churches - from Jerry Falwell Ministries for endorsing Bush in July to a black church in Los Angeles, where former President Bill Clinton urged people to oppose the recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis.

"It is good for the country that religious organizations are not asked to be cogs in the wheel of any political party," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United.

Americans United (AU) routinely files complaints against churches for overstepping the bounds. AU does not target candidates or churches based on their party affiliation of political leanings. AU is not mentioned here as the source of this complaint about an incident 2 years ago.

In fact, AU is probably not interested in that incident, since it is so old, and since there are no prohibitions against having candidates simply visit churches. (PDF file) It is a routine occurrence, as the article points out later.

So, why is this predominantly African American church being targeted now? It seems that the religious right, as part of their never ending quest to move this country so far toward their end of the spectrum that centrists are portrayed as raging liberals, has set up an organization to “counter” AU.

It is exactly because AU is non-partisan that it needs to be countered. See, AU thinks that “Houses Of Worship Should Not Be Part Of A Political Machine”. They want politics out. Period. Liberal, conservative, all of it. They know the law, and they strive to ensure that it is fairly enforced.

So some religious winger types started an organization called RatOutAChurch.Org, whose

immediate purpose is to fight back against vicious left-wing attempts to silence conservative, Bible believing pastors.

That quote is found right at the top of their homepage, but I found the following passage, from one of their press releases, much more illuminating.

William J. Murray, the president of the Religious Freedom Action Coalition, a social conservative group, announced the formation of a group to monitor traditionally liberal churches for political activity. The new group, Big Brother Church Watch, functions primarily through its Internet site at www.RatOutaChurch.org!

The newly formed organization has already placed monitors in politically active Metropolitan Community, Unitarian/Universalist, and AME churches. AME churches are predominately African-American and their pastors frequently endorse liberal Democrat candidates from the pulpit. Volunteer workers will also be monitoring Internet sites of Democratic candidates and following them to churches where they have announced they will speak. If pastors allow the Democrat candidates to speak and do not invite their opponents for equal time, the church will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a "violator."

According to Out In The Mountians The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches sees RatOutaChurch.org as a direct response to an AU complaint against Jerry Falwell:

The organization's website proclaims its mission as "Ending Radical Left-Wing Politics In The Pulpit." Quoting from the website: "We are actively recruiting volunteers to attend services of churches known to have liberal leanings and report to us anything said from the pulpit that may be construed as 'endorsement' of a candidate. We intend to file complaints with the IRS against these churches that overtly endorse candidates or who use 'code words' to tell congregations to vote for a specific party."

The MCC notice suggested that the RatOutaChurch.com campaign, a project of Big Brother Church Watch, was in retaliation for a complaint filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State against Jerry Falwell for his endorsement of George Bush's election campaign on his ministry's website. The complaint seeks the revocation of tax-exempt status for Falwell's ministries because of the alleged violation of IRS laws.

The MCC notice says that "known liberal churches" include its own gay-friendly congregations, along with Unitarian Universalist, and predominantly African-American AME congregations.

So, did Murray’s organization target this black church in Tampa? Maybe, but no one is talking yet. In the meantime, a few more black voters might just lose interest or decide that voting is just too much trouble. Another victory for Jeb!

The rest of the Saint Pete Times article is well worth reading, but this part stands out:

Political activists who attended the forum wondered why the IRS had questioned the College Hill church, but not Christian evangelical churches such as Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa.

Idlewild holds political forums and prints a candidate fact sheet that only mentions candidates with evangelical credentials who belong to Idlewild. The fact sheet says it's not meant to be an endorsement.

"What happened at Idlewild was an abuse of the system and what happened at Abe Brown's church was the system abusing people who were trying to participate in it," said Adam Elend, a political activist who attended a recent forum at Idlewild.

Pastor Reno Zunz of Idlewild could not be reached for comment.

Here’s an enlightening bit of info about one of Idlewild’s congregants:

Barbara Wilcox works hard for George Bush, Bill McCollum and God.

And if Wilcox has her way, Christian conservatives like her, voting in the largest numbers since 1994, will elect all three.

"We need to elect someone who will keep God in front of the people," said Wilcox, a retired real estate broker who is as active in politics as she in Tampa's 8,000-plus member Idlewild Baptist Church.

Gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research, banning of prayer in schools and the belief that righteous judges are being kept off the courts have enraged many conservative Protestants and Catholics who see the 2004 election as their best chance for political redemption.

Wilcox, who as a member of the Hillsborough County judicial nominating committee helps pick that county's circuit judges, is worried that nation could lose touch with God if church-going people don't make their voices heard this year.

Uh, the author of that last report seems to have left out many qualifiers in his paraphrasing of Barb’s views. Words like white and conservative and fundamentalist and Christian placed right before “church-going people” would have been more than appropriate.