Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)

: Emily Roxworthy; Articles Archive; 01 March 2005; Hits: 1267

Bush Administration Uses Political Theater to Override Criticism of Iraq War

From Draft NOtices, March-April 2005

— Emily Roxworthy

Mainstream media outlets have long compared activist demonstrations to street theater, both as a way of emphasizing the decentralized, grass-roots, and live nature of activists' tactics and as a way of ridiculing activism as outdated, obnoxiously "in-your-face," and melodramatic. This portrayal was certainly clear in The San Diego Union-Tribune coverage of those San Diegans protesting Bush's January 20, 2005, presidential inauguration. The article began by stressing the rudimentary nature of the protesters' rally: "People banged pots and pans and waved banners and chanted and cheered, but none of that was in celebration," staff writer Michael Stetz wrote. Stetz went on to repeatedly stress the predictably "unhappy" attitude of the protesters and closed his piece with the reactions of passive bystanders to the protest: "One man was heard to say: 'Anybody tell them the '70s were, like, 30 years ago?'" and two tourists from Phoenix who "didn't mind the commotion" as they dined on sushi in the Gaslamp Quarter remarked, "It's like dinner theater." Likewise, a San Francisco Chronicle article, headlined "Whether Bush's fife and drums or San Francisco's howls, pageantry ruled on Inauguration Day," shuttled between the theatrical elements of inauguration spectacles in Washington and anti-inauguration rallies in San Francisco, suggesting that both sides are complicit in a cycle of representations and counter-representations that are "the way we conduct politics more and more in this country, a showdown of appearances and photo opportunities, planned spontaneity and 'authorized protests.'"

: Rick Jahnkow; Articles Archive; 01 January 2005; Hits: 1265

2005 Could Be a Turning Point for the Antiwar Movement

From Draft NOtices, January-February, 2005

— Rick Jahnkow

Despite 2005 being the start of a second presidential term for George W. Bush, this year may bring together a number of factors that will offer the antiwar movement an important opportunity to shorten the U.S. occupation of Iraq and begin to reverse the decades-long growth of militarism in this country. However, to take advantage of this opportunity, the antiwar movement will have to think critically about its emphasis on symbolic war protest and look more closely at strategies for interfering with the flow of human resources needed for war, especially through counter-recruitment organizing.

As the year began, it should have been clear to everyone that the neocon plan for the Middle East pursued by the Bush administration had run into a brick wall. The invasion and occupation of Iraq is now the quagmire that many predicted, and U.S. actions in the region have created less political stability instead of more. Meanwhile, total annual spending on war and the military has reached almost half a trillion dollars, which is being financed by running up major deficits and proposing budget cuts in domestic programs that will generate much anger in the coming months toward Bush and his Republican majority. The increasing reports of Republican realists publicly criticizing Bush policies — especially over Iraq — indicate that beneath the surface, opinion against the neocons is growing even within the conservative base of Bush's own party.

: Amy Wagner; Articles Archive; 01 January 2005; Hits: 1270

Recruiters' Tricks Revealed in Their Own Handbook

From Draft NOtices, January-February 2005

— Amy Wagner

Many people, including school staff, students, parents and activists have expressed concern about the presence of military recruiters in our high schools and on our college campuses. When deciding how best to address these concerns, it helps to understand just what recruiters do and how they present themselves to teachers and administrators to gain what seems like unfettered admittance to many schools. It may be productive to share this information with school staff. They may want to reassess their policy on recruiter access or incorporate a counter recruitment component.

The Army provides its recruiters with efficient and thorough training manuals on all aspects of their job, including one titled, "The School Recruiting Program Handbook" (USAREC Pamphlet 350-13).

This handbook contains many practical suggestions, including a monthly breakdown of activities and general advice about working productively with school staff, which are equally useful for planning a counter-recruitment campaign. In addition, it provides an inside look at how recruiters are taught to give the appearance of caring about the best interest of the students and the school, while systematically "penetrating their school market...to obtain the maximum number of quality enlistments."