[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [Ufpj-disc] Did you know you're an "influencer"?

Tue Jun 24 17:39:35 CDT 2008

The NEA (National Education Association) publications (considered to be a less aggressive union than AFT) have had recruitment ads in them for years. I've written to the organizers to complain (of course) but no response (of course).
 --Jenifer

--- On Tue, 6/24/08, Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net> wrote:

From: Brussel Morton K. <mkbrussel at comcast.net>
Subject: [Peace-discuss] Fwd: [Ufpj-disc] Did you know you're an "influencer"?
To: "Peace Discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 5:10 PM

 …this year, Congress voted to double the military's recruitment budget to more than $20 billion.. That's more than five times what the military spent on recruitment only five years ago, when the Army first went into  Iraq . That's twenty billion dollars to bring more recruiters into schools that don't have art teachers or adequately funded libraries. And teachers, who might have a few ideas on how to better spend $20 billion of the taxpayer's money, will be on the receiving end of some of the ad campaigns generated by that money. This ios a quote from the message below. --mkb

Begin forwarded message:

From: Steve Burns <outreach at wnpj.org>
Date: June 24, 2008 11:24:29 AM CDT
To: ufpj-recruit at yahoogroups.com, ufpj-disc at lists.mayfirst.org
Subject: [Ufpj-disc] Did you know you're an "influencer"?

**Please see footer for list protocol**

The US Army is in trouble. As it fights an increasingly unpopular war, as it struggles to meet its recruitment goals and calls on the same soldiers to go back - again and again - to Iraq , the Army has identified one key obstacle to the successful completion of its "mission." And that obstacle is us..

Parents and teachers, described by military recruiters as "influencers", have been identified by the military as a threat its ability to meet recruitment targets. As Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle put it, "Influencers are clearly having an impact right now on our ability to successfully recruit -- unquestionably so." The general expressed particular concern about parents who attempt to shield their children from recruiters "who simply want to tell the Army story, who we are and what it is we do for this great nation." According to Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David Chu, "Our real challenge out there isn't the young people ... it's parents, coaches, teachers ... who, when asked by a young person, 'Well, Dad, Mom, should I do this' -- too often get a sour and unsupportive answer."

Teachers are also in the Army's sights. Parris Island spokesman Lt. Scott Miller says, “We’re just trying to inform them. Are we trying to win them? Yeah. We have a quota.” If recruiters successfully target the teachers first, then they have, Miller says, “another foot in the door, so to speak.”

As anyone who has ever been "targeted" by the US Army can attest, the Army has lots of tools it can bring to bear on those who get in its way. And this year, Congress voted to double the military's recruitment budget to more than $20 billion.. That's more than five times what the military spent on recruitment only five years ago, when the Army first went into Iraq . That's twenty billion dollars to bring more recruiters into schools that don't have art teachers or adequately funded libraries. And teachers, who might have a few ideas on how to better spend $20 billion of the taxpayer's money, will be on the receiving end of some of the ad campaigns generated by that money.

For example, here's an ad I found recently in my copy of AFT On Campus, a publication put out to union members in higher education by the American Federation of Teachers:

Read the rest here…  

Steve Burns
Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice
122 State St. #402
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 250 9240

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