From Draft NOtices, October—December 2011
— Miriam Clark
Some technology can have disastrous long-term consequences, especially when developed for war or as a spin-off from weaponry. One example, nuclear power, has proven to be dangerous and not well understood by the public. The world is now dealing with some of its lethal manifestations in Fukushima Japan. That disaster is now over six months old. The power plant says they may have the fires in the reactors out by January of 2012, but there is no cleanup plan for the contaminated earth or resettlement of 200,000 evacuated people. In eight weeks fallout from the disaster reached the northwestern coast of the U.S., and CounterPunch reported significant fallout in Portland, Tacoma, Seattle and Spokane. Wind carries the fallout around the world and rain brings it down wherever it falls.
Nuclear is something we know about, but another example of a dangerous technology that has drawn very little public attention is the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), a joint project of the United States Air Force and Navy in Alaska. Based on the theories of physicist Nicola Tesla, it is designed to study the ionosphere in order to develop weapons technology. The program is referred to as a "Star Wars" weapon and is intended to provide a shield against incoming missiles.
Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)
From Draft NOtices, July—September 2011
— Paula Hoffman-Villanueva
On April 2, 2011, I accompanied seven students from Mission Bay High School in San Diego who traveled by train to the California Teachers’ Association (CTA) statewide convention in Los Angeles. The purpose of their trip was to receive an award given by the Peace and Justice Caucus of the CTA to their school’s chapter of MEChA, a student organization with roots in the Chicano political movement of the 1960s. The award included a plaque that reads: "For Outstanding Commitment to Peace, Social Justice and The Empowerment of Youth."
When presenting the MEChA members with their award, Andy Griggs, the caucus co-chair, told the audience that these students had achieved something incredible: at their young age, they were able to bring about important changes to school district policies. He was referring to several victories in the San Diego Unified School District. They included closing down the district’s eleven JROTC shooting ranges, imposing strict limitations on military recruiting in all San Diego schools, and reinforcing the need for parent consent before students enroll in JROTC. None of these achievements would have been possible without the students, who spoke at school board meetings, rallied supporters outside of district offices, helped form a new coalition (Education Not Arms), petitioned the community and conducted important outreach and education with their peers.
- Rick Jahnkow
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California DMV/Draft Registration Bill Headed for Another Defeat
From Draft NOtices, April—June 2011
—Rick Jahnkow
It appears likely that Senate Bill 251, the proposal to use the California Department of Motor Vehicles to register males with Selective Service, will die in the senate appropriations committee for the fifth time in eleven years.
The first hearing for SB 251 was on April 12, 2011, in the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. At that time, the language of the bill was designed to automatically register males with Selective Service when they apply for their driver’s license. However, before the committee voted 7-2 to endorse the bill, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), had to agree to modify it so that it would only offer license applicants an opportunity to opt in if they wished to be registered. To institute such a procedure, the state DMV would have to revise all of its application forms and computer system, and begin forwarding registration information to Selective Service on an ongoing but selective basis.
Thirty-six other states have implemented some type of registration process for driver’s license applicants. A law passed in Maryland has never been implemented because it was made contingent on receiving full reimbursement for its expenses from the federal government. Selective Service has been unwilling to provide such reimbursement, which became relevant when SB 251 was given its next hearing, on May 9, in the California Senate Appropriations Committee.
Ninth CIRCUIT COURT RULING: CONFRONTING MILITARISM BY USING EQUAL ACCESS TO HIGH SCHOOLS
When the military comes to your local high school, you have a legal right to give students an opposing view. This has been the position taken by federal district courts in Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois and two federal appellate courts. The most broadly-worded decision came from a case that COMD took to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the 1980s. Here is the background:
