- M. Matsemela-Ali Odom
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U.S. Militarism Leads to Gun Violence: The Teachings of the Late Michael Zinzun
From Draft NOtices, July - September 2019
-- M. Matsemela-Ali Odom, Committee Against Police Brutality, San Diego
The United States of America has a serious gun problem. That gun problem is deeply embedded in the nation’s history of slavery, settler colonialism, and imperialism. The deepening economic crises of the past five decades have hastened this problem. In the popular media, this is seen in the evidence of increased mass shootings.
There are multiple definitions of mass shootings. One definition defines them as events where four or more people are killed in an event not formally linked to a crime or terrorist organization. Another definition describes mass shootings as events where four or more people are shot. Using the former definition, there have been nearly 200 mass shootings in the last 50 years. Using the latter definition, there have been over 2,000 mass shootings in the last six years -- one per day. While devastating, those numbers pale in comparison to the overall numbers of people killed by gun violence. Since 1968, 1.3 million people have been shot to death in the U.S. That is twice the rate of other forms of death and 25 times the rate of gun deaths in all other Western nations.
- Jesús Mendez Carbajal
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Veteran Juan Juárez Talks about Finding Himself after Leaving the Army
From Draft NOtices, July - September 2019
-- Interviewed by Jesús Mendez Carbajal
Q: Could you tell us about yourself?
A: My name is Juan Juárez. I am from Oceanside, California. I grew up in a predominantly Spanish-speaking migrant community. A lot of people who grew up there are first generation. I think that really shaped a lot of who I am today. Currently, I am starting Cal State San Marcos in the fall and I try to stay as active as I can in my community up in Oceanside.
Q: What branch did you enlist in? How old were you when you enlisted? And why did you decide to enlist?
A: I enlisted in the Army in the year 2005 when I was 23 years old, and I got out in 2012. At that time, the reason I enlisted was because of money, because I didn’t have money to do much. I did have a job but it just wasn’t . . . I wasn’t really going anywhere with it and I had a lot of debt and it was frustrating. I didn’t know where to go to get that kind of support to see how I could pay off that debt. I feel like had I not had that debt, I don’t think I would have enlisted. Also, subconsciously, I think I also enlisted because I needed to get away. I was stuck in a box and I was living other people’s expectations, especially back then. I knew I was gay so that played a big part in it, so I was hiding myself and I really didn’t really have another escape. I didn’t know how else to get out of it besides through the Army. I think I needed to find myself, maybe that’s what it was.
- Mernie Aste
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Draft Registration Should Be Ended for Men, Not Extended to Women!
From Draft NOtices, July - September 2019
-- Mernie Aste
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg built case law for equal rights for women under the 14th Amendment, she helped change the way we think about gender and equality in every aspect of our lives. She has been successful in many cases that have enhanced the quality of life for women, men and children in spite of great resistance. Protection under the law and cultural practices have changed incrementally, opening up opportunities for all genders that were unthinkable a generation ago.Under the banner of Equal Rights, some have called for including women in the requirement to register with the Selective Service System for a possible future military draft. In 2016 a coalition of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Association of University Women, Service Women’s Action Network, NAACP, and others, sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leaders who serve on Senate and House Committees on Armed Services advocating the registration of women as a step toward gender equality.
