Tactics for counter-recruiting
By
Almahdi
Published Sep 24, 2005 7:55 PM
“We Won’t Go! The Truth on Military
Recruiters & the Draft, A Guide to Resistance” published by the
International Action Center, New York, 2005, 90 pages, index.
$14.95. Available at Leftbooks.com
Since the
beginning of the illegal war on Iraq in 2003, almost 2,000 U.S. soldiers have
given their lives for the lies of the Bush administration. More than 100,000
Iraqi civilians have also lost their lives as a result of the
“precise” and “accurate” weapons that are being used.
And up to this day, the war is costing more than $200 billion, which could have
been spent on jobs, education and health care.
So the question arises: How
can people here end this war? The answer to this question is found in the book,
“We Won’t Go!, A Guide to Resistance,” published by the
International Action Center.
As the bloody war continues, joining the
Armed forces grows less popular every day. In response, military recruiters have
launched massive campaigns targeting and encouraging high school and college
students to join up.
“The Guide to Resistance” documents how
recruiters specifically target people of color and working class youth who have
few other economic options. The lack of jobs and the racist criminal justice
system conspire to make the army seem a good option for many youth. This results
in a very real poverty draft, but even these severe conditions are not enough to
force the needed numbers to enlist.
As the recruiters fail to meet their
quotas, they increase the bonuses offered and false promises of money for
college education, on-the-job training and other benefits most recruits never
get. In return, the young recruits are asked to be war criminals and tools for
corporations like Chevron and Halliburton.
“We Won’t
Go!” describes, in detail, the different lies and conscious omissions
military recruiters routinely make. It also shows how anti-war activists,
parents and others can expose the recruiters’ lies and mobilize to bar
them from our high schools and college campuses.
The book also shows how
it is possible to get out of the military, even for those who have already
signed up and then realized the war is not about liberation and nothing but a
brutal occupation.
As of last March 31, the Selective Service reported to
President Bush that it is ready to reinstate the draft. Military conscription is
another major threat to youth. The book states that the draft needs to be
stopped before it starts and explains how to start organizing to stop
it.
“We Won’t Go!” also reflects on the experiences of
war resisters, uncovers the brutal and dehumanizing treatment of
lesbian/gay/bi/trans people in the military, and exposes the experiments of
internationally banned weapons such as depleted uranium and the anthrax vaccine
on soldiers. Publishing “We Won’t Go!” is an important step in
stopping the destruction of another generation of youth, whether through
poisoning, mental health crises, sexual abuse or as casualties of war.
The
book is not simply an academic presentation of facts, but recognizes that only
the youth who have already enlisted and those being recruited have the power to
end this war. The tools and strategies suggested in this book can give youth
activists the strength to kick the recruiters out of their neighborhoods and
campuses and help mobilize support for GI resisters.
Without soldiers, the
Pentagon can’t fight its wars.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email:
[email protected]
Subscribe
[email protected]
Support independent news
DONATE