From Draft NOtices, September - October, 2003
— Jorge Mariscal
One of the most eloquent voices speaking out against the folly of George W. Bush, Inc.'s invasion and occupation of Iraq is Fernando Suarez del Solar. An average-sized man with large eyes and a serene expression, Mr. Suarez speaks imperfect English and often apologizes to his audiences. But what he has to say in his native Spanish is nothing less than one of the most intelligent, powerful, and absolutely riveting analyses of why Bush and Co. must be stopped.
Last March 27, Mr. Suarez's son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus Alberto Suarez del Solar Navarro died in Iraq when he stepped on an unexploded U.S. cluster bomb. Because his unit was not informed about the presence of the tiny bombs, Jesus and his fellow soldiers entered the heavily mined field. Mr. Suarez's eyes wander off when he recounts the story of how his injured son was left alone for over two hours because the commanding officer would not allow other Marines to return to the scene of the accident.
Another Mexican hero
brought home
Under the Stars and Stripes
— María Herrera Sobek
Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)
From Draft NOtices, September - October, 2003
— Lorraine Demi
One in Five Female Cadets and a 7th Grader Sexually Assaulted
Draft NOtices recently reported (March/April 2003) on a series of rape allegations by female cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. Now, many months later, the investigations are underway, courts-martial have begun, the top brass at the Academy has been replaced and overridden in decisions made before their replacement, and more investigations continue. Yet the women attacked by their "equals" in a school they thought would guide their future are still suffering. Further, we learn now that even younger girls visiting the Academy for summer camps are at risk of assault by male Air Force Academy cadets. Raping young girls and women seems to be an epidemic at the Academy. In fact, a recent survey shows that nearly one in five female cadets at the Academy report being sexually assaulted.
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Counter-recruitment Conference Ushers in Renewed Resistance to Militarism
From Draft NOtices, July-August 2003
Almost 200 activists came together during June 27-29 for the first national counter-recruitment conference, titled "Stopping War Where It Begins: Organizing Against Militarism in Our Schools." With the tremendous amount of information that was exchanged, the high concentration of organizing experience that was present and the powerful energy that was generated, it may prove to be a significant watershed event for not only those organizations that focus on youth and militarism issues, but for the overall peace and social justice movement, as well.
Held at the Friends Center in downtown Philadelphia, the conference was sponsored by 11 local, regional and national organizations: the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) National Youth and Militarism Program, AFSC Washington D.C., AFSC San Francisco, Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO), Center on Conscience and War, the D.C. group CHOICES, the San Diego groups Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD) and Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities (Project YANO), ROOTS/War Resisters League, the college-based STARC Alliance, and the Teen Peace Project of Port Townsend, Washington. A longer list of local and national organizations endorsed the conference; AFSC and CCCO were the local Philadelphia hosts.
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:
