Berkeley High Teach-In Targets War and Military Recruitment

[struggle4progress]

JUDITH SCHERR
Special to the Planet (03-25-05)

The military recruitment budget is $3 billion annually; 90 percent of the people killed in war are civilian noncombatants; 91 percent of Berkeley High students believe the war in Iraq is wrong and illegal; 65 percent of veterans never get their education benefits; 33 percent of homeless men are veterans ...

It was more than these factoids splashed across the screen in the school auditorium and the anti-war rap pulsating in the background that kept the Berkeley High students riveted to their seats Wednesday. It was the real life lesson in war, taught by some who touched battle up close and by others who escaped it that kept the teens’ attention. <snip>

Delgado showed the Berkeley High students pictures of dead children, and of soldiers degrading corpses. “That’s the reality of war,” he said. “This is what you have to think about.” <snip>

Evelyn Chang of the American Civil Liberties Union said she wanted students to know their rights when approached by a recruiter. She said the ACLU hears reports of students who are coerced and misled. Students need to understand, she said, that “the military is a contract, not a job, like others. You can’t quit. It’s a commitment for eight years, even though active duty is two-to-four years.” <snip>

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=03-25-05&storyID=21011