by Keith Grimes
I write this letter as a former Marine, a veteran of the Tet Offensive and Siege of Khe Shan in Vietnam, the father of 9 children, the grandfather of 12 children, and a keen concern for children the world over. As such, I could not disagree more with Larry Moses’ advocacy for allowing military recruiters on high school campuses.
There is a reason, of course, why the world’s militaries focus on teenagers. Very few right-thinking adults would voluntarily agree to a stint in an organization whose sole purpose of being is the destruction of property and the mass killing of human beings. Without malleable young minds to do their dirty work for them, aged fat cats in the world’s capitals would not have the human resources necessary to fight their wars.
Were the USA to be attacked by a foreign power, there would be no need to recruit on high school campuses. Americans would volunteer for service by the boatload. However, since WWII we have not been fighting defensive wars. Rather, ours have been wars of aggression. From the war against Viet Nam to the war against Iraq, to the seemingly pending war in Iran, the USA’s policy has been a policy of aggression and occupation in support of US corporate interests. And, if it is not outright war against countries who have never attacked the USA, but indeed, even lack the resources to attack the USA, then we are busy supporting Central American death squads, Chilean dictators, African strongmen and other assorted bad guys. So long as the USA is fighting wars of aggression, the US military should be limited to recruiting individuals aged 21 and over. Period. But it is not up to me. It is up to the various schools districts, and those who pressure them to take one position or the other. In the case of the ACLU, Dr. Moses (Jan. 9, 2008: No One Asked Me But…)has it wrong. The ACLU does not, as Dr. Moses suggests, “protest” the recruitment of students on high school campuses. Rather, the ACLU advocates a recruiting program that respects the students’ privacy, respects the wishes of the parents, and provides equal opportunity for anti-war groups to spread their message of peace.
This advocacy by the ACLU has been in response to the requirements of “No Child Left Behind” which requires that school receiving certain federal funding are required to provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of secondary students to the United States military upon request for recruitment purposes. The law also requires that schools notify parents that they or their children may request that the information not be disclosed to the military or other recruiters. Students under 18 may request that their data be withheld from recruiters but parents who disagree may override their child’s decision through a written notice to the school. Parents may not reverse the decision of a student who is 18 or older. Finally, the law requires that the military not be given preference when it comes to recruiting students. In other words, those peace groups have a legal right to equal access.
The ACLU’s goal is to make sure that school districts conform to the entire law, not just those portions of the law which benefit military recruiters. The ACLU should be commended for this effort.
