NNOMY News March 15, 2019


 

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The Military Targets Youth for Recruitment, Especially at Poor Schools

Teen Vogue - Since its inception, the United States military has recruited teenagers to enlist. During the Revolutionary War, when the military was formally established, young men were encouraged to fight for their country voluntarily. During the Civil War, conscription — essentially mandatory military enrollment for men of a certain age — was implemented, initially targeting men age 21 to 30. The draft was later expanded to include men as young as 18, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, and continued over centuries as a way to maintain a base of military servicepeople. In a statement to Teen Vogue, Lisa M. Ferguson, media relations chief for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, said, “The Army seeks qualified individuals 17 [to] 34 years old.”

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VENEZUELA UNDER ATTACK: 7 NOTES ON ELECTRIC SHOCK (SPECIAL REPORT)

Popular Resistance - Between the afternoon of March 8 and the early morning of March 10, Venezuela was the victim of a new sabotage attack, the biggest in its republican history, this time on the Guri hydroelectric plant, which left at least 80% of the population without electricity, with the aim of undermining any attempt by the Venezuelan government to stabilize the economy and curb the insurrectionary context the United States and its minions, like Juan Guaidó, are trying to bring to fruition in the country.


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Global Commodity Chains and the New Imperialism

Monthly Review - Twenty-first-century capitalist production can no longer be understood as a mere aggregation of national economies, to be analyzed simply in terms of the gross national products (GDPs) of the separate economies and the trade and capital exchanges occurring between them. Rather, it is increasingly organized in global commodity chains (also known as global supply chains or global value chains), governed by multinational corporations straddling the planet, in which production is fragmented into numerous links, each representing the transfer of economic value. With more than 80 percent of world trade controlled by multinationals, the annual sales of which now equal around half of global GDP, these commodity chains can be seen as fastened at the center of the world economy, connecting production, located primarily in the global South, to final consumption and the financial coffers of monopolistic multinational firms, located primarily in the global North.

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When Military Recruiting Goes Bad

The consequences of false statements on enlistment documents can end what could have been a very bright career. But what about the recruiter who lies or asks you to lie?

Most recruiters are hard-working, honest, and trustworthy, tasked to do one of the most difficult jobs in the military. However, military recruiting is a numbers game: Recruiters' careers are made and broken based on whether or not they can meet their monthly quotas (called "goals" in the recruiting world).

Keep in mind (depending on the service branch) that most recruiters are non-volunteers. Some never wanted the job in the first place, but -- once selected -- are told that the prospect of returning to their previous jobs after three or four years of recruiting duty with an unblemished service record depends primarily upon making their goals.


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   Redacted FOIA request document from Pentagon
 

 

"A modern-day draft, if marketed carefully and cleverly, could foster patriotism via the investment of every family in the nation."


Courage to Resist - For the first time in decades, a Federal commission has asked for public input on whether draft registration should be ended or extended to women as well as men; whether there should be a draft of people with medical, foreign language, cyber/IT, STEM, or other special skills regardless of age or gender; whether a draft would be "feasible" (it wouldn't, because so many people haven't registered with the Selective Service System, have moved without notifying the SSS, and/or would resist if drafted); whether the government should require all young people to do compulsory civilian or military "national service"; and related issues.

The deadline for comments was 30 September 2018, but after that deadline the Commission posted a new FAQ on its Web site stating that, "The Commission continues to accept comments from the public on its website and by email and mail. We will accept comments until December 31, 2019." You can submit comments though this Web form or by e-mail to "This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.", mentioning "Docket No. 05-2018-01" in the subject line of your e-mail message.

Despite some problems, this is by far your best and most open opportunity in decades to tell the Federal government to end draft registration.

The Commission released an interim report in January 20198. (More about the interim report and my analysis of its errors of omission and commission.) The Commission plans to hold formal hearings with invited witnesses and at least some "open-mike" time for public comments in Washington, DC, and elsewhere in February-June 2019 (see schedule below), including two days of hearings 24-25 April 2019 in Washington on whether Selective Service registration should be ended, extended to women, modified in some other way, or replaced. The Commission will release its final report and recommendations by March 2020.


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Federal court declares current military draft registration requirement unconstitutional

Resisters.info - A Federal District Court judge issued a declaratory judgement on Friday, 22 February 2019, that the current requirement for men, but not women, to register with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft is unconstitutional. How did this happen? What did the Court say? Is this a surprise? What does this decision mean? What will happen next? What should happen next?

I've accepted an invitation to testify as an expert witness before the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (NCMNPS) on April 25th at a formal hearing on *Should Selective Service registration be required of all Americans", i.e. should it be extended to young women as well as young men. This hearing is likely to include substantial discussion of this decision and its implications.

For now, here are some initial answers to questions you may have about Friday's decision:


Read More | My Comments Submitted

 
 
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Climate justice and cultural demilitarization are intersecting issues; we cannot have peace in a world controlled by energy corporations that need war to leverage governments to extract energy resources at the cost of our planet's health. Please SHARE!

 
   
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Please Donate to fund counter-recruitment nationally


Help Fund NNOMY to De-Militarize SchoolsHelp Fund NNOMY to De-Militarize Schools. Your donation to NNOMY supports the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth's efforts to balance the message of military recruiters in our public schools where minors are routinely primed for recruitment through Department of Defense school programs designed for youth.

 Making a financial contribution supports NNOMY's national demilitarization work with activist organizations inside middle and high schools.

Click to Make Your Donation

(Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.) through our fiscal sponsor Alliance for Global Justice. Make sure you select from the causes list, The National Network Opposing he Militarization of Youth (NNOMY), or make a check out to:"NNOMY/AFGJ" and mail it to: AFGJ, 225 E. 26th St. Suite 1, Tucson, AZ 85713

 
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The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY). 2019
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