Career-wise, are village burning, violating other nations' sovereignty,
bombing to "send a message," and other such military antics on a par with
being a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or research scientist?
Our Congress seems to think so.
A few decades ago, when Vietnam was still a fresh memory, ROTC programs
and military recruiters would have been stoned off most high school and
college campuses.
Since Reagan rehabilitated blind nationalism and military aggression,
there has been a creeping return of military types seeking to lure young
minds into careers of meddling in the affairs of other nations.
Now Congress is trying to pass a bill which would force public High
Schools to give military recruiters and propagandists access to the young
people who attend them, if they also offered access to college recruiters
or to recruiters for any other profession.
Another huge argument for universal access to private schools that serve
the needs of their customers, instead of the agenda of Big Brother.
-----
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Public high schools would have to give military
recruiters the same access they give colleges and private-sector
representatives under a provision attached to a $310 billion defense bill
headed for Senate action.
Sponsors of the measure expressed alarm at what they said was an
increasing number of high schools that are denying access to military
recruiters just as the services are struggling to meet their recruitment
goals. High schools barred such recruiters more than 19,000 times last
year, said the Senate Armed Services Committee.
``It's very common,'' said Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., chairman of the
Armed Services personnel subcommittee. ``Lack of access to high school
students is the biggest problem faced by military recruiters.''
Hutchinson's measure would make it illegal for public high schools to
discriminate against military recruiters if those high schools allow
private-sector and college representatives on campus. The only way to keep
the military out would be if the local school board took a specific vote
to deny them access to the school.
``I would be extremely surprised if a school board wants to publicly vote
to maintain a policy that is biased against the very institutions that
guarantee America's freedom,'' Hutchinson said.
As originally proposed, the legislation would have denied federal
education funds to schools that violate the proposed law. However, Senate
Democrats objected and that was removed, so the legislation the Senate
Armed Services Committee approved this week has no enforcement mechanism.
The provision was included in a bill authorizing Defense Department
programs for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Lt. Col. Catherine Abbott, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the military
services have been ``working very hard to get access to the high schools''
but that it is often difficult.
Approximately 2,000 public high schools have policies that bar military
recruiters from one or more of the services, she said.
With year after year of declines in military recruitments -- blamed in
part on the strong economy and the availability of higher-paying private
sector jobs -- the military has sweetened its enlistment packages.
In many cases, enlistment bonuses of $5,000 or more are offered. The
Pentagon also has a program under which it will help recruits pay for two
years of college in advance of military service.
``Young people deserve to know all the options available to them,'' said
Hutchinson, who said many school administrators exhibit ``an anti-military
bias.''
The legislation is opposed by some education groups, including the
National School Boards Association, which believes such decisions should
be made locally, not by the federal government.
``We believe this is a local school district matter, and not appropriate
for the federal government,'' said Reggie Felton, the association's
director of federal relations. He said he was pleased, however, that the
fund cutoff provision had been dropped.
David Griffith, director of governmental affairs for the National
Association of State Boards of Education, said the Senate committee's vote
was ``somewhat ironic'' in that the Senate has been debating legislation
in recent days ``that focused a lot on flexibility and local control.''
Although Congress has provided over $400 million in additional funds over
the past three years for military recruiting and retention, last year all
military services except the Marine Corps failed to meet recruiting goals.
Through March 2000, Pentagon figures show, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps
were on track to meet their recruitment goals for the year, but the Air
Force was meeting only 83 percent of its goal.
The Senate may take up the full defense authorization bill as early as
next week. The action comes as military spending legislation was advancing
through both the House and the Senate.
Legislation in both chambers would give the military a 3.7 percent
across-the-board pay increase next year -- following a 4.8 percent
increase in military pay that took effect last January.
``Military recruiters still have to have access to the students to make
the case for what's available,'' Hutchinson said.
According to the Armed Services Committee, last year there were 4,515
specific cases of denial of high school access to Army recruiters, 4,364
instances of denial for the Navy; 4,884 cases ofdenial for the Marine
Corps; and 5,465 instances for the Air Force.
--
Eric Michael Cordian 0+
O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division
"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"
