Army recruiting scandal intensifies August 7th, 2008 HOUSTON : There is even more fallout after the 11 News Defenders investigation into questionable recruiting tactics by local Army recruiters when recruits decide they don't want to "Go Army." See VIDEO here
Documentary: Law gives military access to student data Read more here
WASHINGTON — It began as a class assignment for Alexia Welch and Sarah Ybarra: Make a five-minute video news story about advertising in public schools.
But the Lawrence, Kan., teenagers' project snowballed into a 25-minute documentary on how the federal No Child Left Behind law to improve education promotes military recruitment, infringes on students' privacy and encourages school officials to look the other way.
The lives of six young black men are being ruined by Jim Crow justice in Jena, Louisiana. The District Attorney has refused to protect the rights of Jena's Black population and has turned the police and courts into instruments of intimidation and oppression.
Free the Jena 6, Jena, Louisiana
The Jena Six are six high school students who are facing a lifetime in prison for a schoolyard fight. The case began with nooses hung from a tree at Jena High School nearly a year ago. Racial tension escalated in the town, which is 85% white, after the nooses were hung. The black students led a protest after noose incident. Nearly every black student at Jena High School stood under the tree. The town district attorney, Reed Walters, came to the school and told black students, “Stop making trouble. I can make your lives disappear with the stroke of a pen.”
BREAKING NEWS: Military draft should be considered says US war czar
AFP, Friday August 10, 2007
A top US military officer in charge of coordinating the US war effort in Iraq said Friday that it makes sense to consider a return of the draft to meet the US military's needs.
Lieutenant General Douglas Lutte, who serves as White House deputy national security adviser, said the all-volunteer military is serving "exceedingly well" and the administration has not decided it needs to be replaced with a draft.
But in an interview with National Public Radio, he said, "I think it makes sense to certainly consider it, and I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table."
"But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another," he said.
The United States did away with the draft in 1973 near the end of the Vietnam War.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke contended that education levels largely determine income inequality. But he was angrily interrupted by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, who declared, “Mr. Bernanke, that’s simply not true.”
Frank said that the 29 percent of Americans who have bachelor’s and even master’s degrees haven’t seen real income growth, on average, over the past five years.
Special Note to Teachers and Students: The AAW Troupe has written and performed satirical "street theater" and is willing to perform our latest creation for you, The 1st AAW French Fries Awards Ceremony. We welcome any offers to get our anti-war message out. The piece is perfect for a classroom situation, humorously biting and informative lasting about 30 minutes. It can be used as a starting point for a lively debate.
We can perform in either English or in French and is free, of course. More info and photos here. If you would prefer, AAW can also provide serious speakers for your class. Contact us at oure-mail address here.
Ashley Casale, 19, and Michael Israel, 18, are walking 3,000 miles from San Francisco to Washington in a trek they once had hoped would rally the nation and lead thousands to join them in their epic March for Peace. But, nearly halfway through their trip, the teens remain alone, wandering the vast landscape of America, where few have paid them any attention.
FEARMONGERING:FBI wants students to stop travelling Fears technology loss
By Nick Farrell: Monday 25 June 2007, 07:50
THE FBI IS visiting the nation's top technical universities in a bid to stop students taking their holidays outside the country. MIT, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts, have all had a visit from the spooks to warn them about the dangers of foreign spies and terrorists stealing sensitive academic research.
The FBI wants the universities to impose rules that will stop US university students from working late at the campus, travelling abroad, showing an interest in their colleagues' work, or have friends outside the United States, engaging in independent research, or making extra money without the prior consent of the authorities.
The rules are part of guidelines given to administrators by the FBI.
The Feds are convinced that if you are doing any of these things you are likely to be a foreign agent who is nicking technology for foreign powers.
Following rules which have been abandoned in Eastern Europe, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to spy on their colleagues for signs of suspicious behaviour and report any concerns to the FBI or the military.
There is no indication yet that the universities will follow this advice. Article here
High school seniors present president with letter during annual program Read more
President Bush was presented with a letter Monday signed by 50 high school seniors in the Presidential Scholars program urging a halt to "violations of the human rights" of terror suspects held by the United States. See the students on CNN here
Iraqi youth face lasting scars of war Conflict's psychological impact on children is immense, experts say
In a World Health Organization survey of 600 children ages 3 to 10 in Baghdad last year, 47 percent said they had been exposed to a major traumatic event over the past two years. Of this group, 14 percent showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In a second study of 1,090 adolescents in the northern city of Mosul, 30 percent showed symptoms of the disorder. Read more
WASHINGTON - A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Monday curtailed free-speech rights for students, ruling against a teenager who unfurled a banner saying “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” because the message could be interpreted as promoting drug use.In its first major decision on student free-speech rights in nearly 20 years, the high court’s conservative majority ruled that a high school principal did not violate the student’s rights by confiscating the banner and suspending him. More here
This powerful and moving presentation is drawn from interviews, letters and essays written by Iraqi civilians and American soldiers serving in Iraq. It was devised by Wilton High School drama students in Wilton, Connecticut, as a class project. When it was deemed too controversial by the school's principal, all performances were canceled. The story subsequently appeared in The New York Times, and the students received thousands of supportive messages--including some from soldiers currently serving in Iraq. Music Theater International recognized the students with its Courage in Theater Award, the first such honor in the organization's history. Many in the theatrical community also offered to help, including the Fairfield Theatre Company in Connecticut, Art Meets Commerce and the Vineyard Theatre, The Public Theater and the Culture Project, all in New York. These organizations will present the first and only public performances of this work.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 (SF Chronicle) BERKELEY High School, military skirmish over data on students Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Berkeley High remains the only high school in the nation that has failed to comply with the military's request for students' data, a Department of Defense spokesman said.
"You know what? You actually can make a difference. Don't believe the lie you've been told, that you can't fight city hall or that you're not worth something. You're worth more than anything. I've believed this for a long time. When I speak at schools, I say to the kids, "Keep in mind that you live in a country where the heads of GM or GE have the same number of votes that you do: ONE. And there are more of us than there are of them." If we operate with that idea, the people—we, the people—will have the kind of country we want."