Counter-Recruiting in New Jersey

Rosa Parks Day

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December 6th, 2005 2:31 AM

Counter-Recruiting in New Jersey

From: Lisa Walsh
To: contributions@michaelmoore.com
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 10:17 AM
Subject: My contribution

Last spring I found out that my daughter's high school cafeteria was host to military recruiters, setting up camp daily to recruit our young people into a war. After monitering this every day, I began my quest to have the recruiters banned from the cafeteria and access to our students. For many reasons, not just my opposition to war, I thought this was a bad idea. I started w/ letters to the Principal, Superentendant and Mayor, then phone calls, and finally a meeting w/ the Board of Education. I was alone, did not get the parents to band together, just me and my email and my phone and my self. Through the Superintendant of schools, I was told that the government passed a law in the seventies that gave them the right to recruit students just the way the colleges have a right. After reading my statement to the board, and entering into a discussion about what was truly equal, they changed their policies to ban recruiters from the cafeteria, but allow them to come to college days, or to set up shop and have a special recruiting day -- just like the colleges have. This way students that are truly interested in serving their country have access to the information, but nobody is getting access to the students on a daily basis. For me, this was a fair policy.

It doesn't always take a mulititude of voices. It takes reason and logic, and the willingness to listen, and to reach out. I was lucky, my school system is made up of parents like myself who are saddened at the prospect of our youth being lied to and lured into a war at the guise of "opportunity" for a future. Although the recruiters are allowed into the schools, they are not allowed to befriend our youth and talk them into joining. My school system also gives parents a right to have their child's name taken off of the list sent to the military for recruitment efforts.

Thank you,
Lisa Walsh