Posted on 11/13/2005 4:06:56 PM PST by Flavius
More high schoolers in state opt out of lists
By Maria Sacchetti and Jenna Russell, Globe Staff | November 13, 2005
More than 5,000 high school students in five of the state's largest school districts have removed their names from military recruitment lists, a trend driven by continuing casualties in Iraq and a well-organized peace movement that has urged students to avoid contact with recruiters.
The number of students removing their names has jumped significantly over the past year, especially in school systems with many low-income and minority students, where parents and activists are growing increasingly assertive in challenging military recruiters' access to young people.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
This is Massachusetts, after all. I live here, and...well, I am not surprised.
Kids get their values from their environment. If you grow up with ex-hippie parents who fill you full of their trash, then...that's what you get.
if it was for cowards like those in MA, we'd still be bending knee to a king thousands of miles away and have little or no actual freedoms or liberties.
Cowardly pussies, that's all these punks are.
Look where they come from... are we surprised?
I'm shocked...shocked I tell ya, that Kerry's not telling them about duty, country, fidelity, serving with honor and responsibility. Where's Teddy the waterboarding expert?
Massachusetts is a strange state. One cant help but wonder after all these folks up there are married to their own gender have turned in their guns and have convinced all the Youth not to join the military who the hell they expect to keep them free.
During the decline of the Roman Empire, the elite citizens also no longer understood nor appreciated the role the military had in making and keeping them safe. Then one day the barbarians came thundering down from the north.
Maybe France will send five guys.
Well if these kids want to remove their names, them remove them from any program that receives government funding.
As for the disruption, if it's an organized effort by the left the federal government should bring any applicable charges against them in court that apply to disruptions of government military recruitment or registration.
And they ran and were slaughtered.
According to the article, about 19% of the kids opt out, but the article makes it seem like there's a mass exodus from the military by young people. The above quote was, of course, the last paragraph in the article.
Is there anything on earth more useless and vile than a liberal college student...?
The average American discards more brain matter in an average "dump" than a liberal college student could hope to have.
Let them try and tax the enemy to death, see if that works for those liberals.
Let's be honest. It's their parents that are removing their names, not the students. I joined the Navy out of H.S. for two main reasons. First my dad had said I was either going to be working or in college when I graduated and I had a crummy job and knew I was not ready for college. The second reason was the Navy recruiter called me on the phone. Probably a lot of kids like me who ended up in the military.
Well I hope they enjoy living in the fuel free zone that votes against drilling for oil. We will be blockading those states and preventing gas implorts to them. Have a nice winter!
Some see this as a political issue. I don't. School systems haven't known what to do with NCLB and haven't done a good job of administering the requirements of it. It's inevitable, I think, that as more people discover that schools are sharing their information, some will choose to opt out. As schools develop their opt out systems, easier access to opting-out will increase the number as well. Not every opt-out (or even the majority) represents a Cindy Sheehan.
I don't think this will have a big impact on recruiting. Children of parents who don't want them to join the armed forces aren't likely to be great candidates while they are still in high school and living at home. Those under 18 would need their parents permission to joint anyway. I remember when I went through the MEPS station, one of the first questions was "Who here is 17 years old?"
As a matter of principle, I support parents' rights. If I don't want my children talking to someone, doggone, they'd better stay away from my kids.
As a matter of both principle and utility, I favor recruits that are both informed and true volunteers. For the youngest recruits, it's also important to have parental support. I spent three years working with basic trainees and know what a pain it is trying to work with recruits that don't meet those specifications. Those who don't complete their enlistment are terribly expensive and hurt readiness.
So, although the anti-war types want to make this an anti-war issue, I think we all should be saying, "Sure, the law provides for parental opt-out. If you don't want to get the facts before you make up your mind, feel free to fill out the form. We'll leave you alone."
I hope more veterans will run for office after the war or military career. We need them badly, because they have gone through life and death situations where BS is not tolerated, loyalty is noted and those who serve will be rewarded and those who shirk will get payback. A Congress and Senate full of no nonsense veterans will be motivated to deal with the shirker states (CA, MA, NY, etc, etc).
The elite citizens of Rome ran the people off their farms and replaced them with slaves. The farmers went to Rome and lived off the dole.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Wonder how many of these pukes blow off registering with Selective Service as well.
There are other ways to reach young folks.
http://www.americasarmy.com/
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