“Recruiters in Ohio, New York, Washington, Texas and New England said that as long as an offending recruiter met his enlistment quota of roughly two recruits a month,
punishment was unlikely. ‘The saying here is, 'Production is power,' ‘ the recruiter in northern Ohio said. ‘Produce, and all is good.’ He said that in the last year, he had seen recruiters
falsify documents so that applicants could earn ranks they were not qualified to hold. When enlistees tested positive for marijuana, he said, recruiters coached them to drink gallons of water before visiting military doctors. Occasionally, the recruiter said, he has been ordered to conceal police records and minor medical conditions like attention deficit disorder, which usually disqualifies a candidate. When he and others resisted such orders, he said, superiors threatened to ruin their careers. The recruiter, who has fought in several conflicts including the current war in Iraq, said one in every three people he had enlisted had a problem that needed concealing, or a waiver. "The only people who want to join the Army now have issues," he said. "They're troubled, with health, police or drug problems." The recruiter said he believed in the Army and his job, often working 80-hour weeks. But he sometimes worries about the mental capabilities of those who are enlisted, he said, especially as they move up the ranks.” New York Times 05-03-05
Several weeks ago I wrote a piece called Uncle Sam’s Desperation were I pointed out military recruiters are having problems meeting their quotas and as a result the US Army recently raised the age limit from 35 to 39 years old; a sure sign of increased desperation. Now a recent New York Times article pointed out the pressure recuiters are under to meet their quotas and the unsavory tactics they are using. A Colorado CBS television station aired a segment showing how a 17 year old high school student decided to find out just how far recruiters would go to get enlistees. The young man, named David McSwan from Arvada West High School, contacted a local Army recruiter and told them he was a high school drop out. The recruiter coached the boy to make up a false diploma from a non existent high school. McSwan recorded the telephone conversation. McSwan also told the recruiter he had a drug problem and the recruiter told him to use a detox tablet and drink plenty of water and his test would come up clean. The resourceful youngster had one of his friends video tape his interactions with another recruiter who took the boy to a store where he purchased a detox kit. Once CBS 4 ran the story the US Army promised a “full investigation” Yeah right!
The Times article and the CBS4 piece may be a set up to dramatize a very real problem, the AmeriKKKan Empire’s inability to recruit cannon fodder for their imperial crusades for oil and geopolitical hegemony and set the stage for the reinstatement of the draft. The Army and Marines are having increasing difficulty meeting their monthly quotas. A recent Gallup Poll indicated that fifty per cent of Americans openly admit believing the Bush administration lied about the reasons for the Iraq invasion and occupation. The ongoing violence from the Iraqi resistance with no end in sight make enlisting in the US military a no brainer. As the usual anonymous quote from a recruiter in the Times article said, “'The only people who want to join the Army now have issues,' he said. 'They're troubled, with health, police or drug problems.' The recruiter said he believed in the Army and his job, often working 80-hour weeks. But he sometimes worries about the mental capabilities of those who are enlisted, he said, especially as they move up the ranks.” While there is no question the military is under extreme pressure to meet their quotas for an all volunteer force, the Empire is not beyond using the media to dupe and prepare the masses for reinstatement of conscription or a military draft. I have been predicting for two years now that the draft will be reinstated because of the imperial over reach of the chickenhawk NeoConmen who are setting domestic and foreign policy for the village idiot who occupies the White House. Their arrogance and covetousness have no bounds but the Law of Karma is not mocked. As it becomes more and more obvious to sane young people the government lied to them, they became unwilling to risk life and limb for a lie. The only ones signing up now as the Times article says are those with issues. Similar to the Vietnam era once the government and military lose credibility, even if they tell the truth they will be suspect. So now they have lost the trust of half (according to a recent Gallup poll) the AmeriKKKan public. If the only suckers willing to sign up are the ones with mental, drug and adjustment problems ,this does not bode well for the military and their warmongering masters in the White House and Pentagon. So rather than alter their course and policies, the Empire will force their subjects to serve their imperialist agenda. The Times article will in many ways escalate the dialog for the draft. They have to. Bush and Co. are building permanent military bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and Central Asia and the resistence fighters in Iraq are not letting up. The AmeriKKKan Empire like all empires before it, is using mercenaries but they need additional legions to usher in their Pax AmeriKKKana version of the New World Order. Look for more corporate media pieces on the recruitment shortfalls coupled with cries of “stay the course!” from the Bushites and their Democratic sycophants. Eventually this will enable them to do what they want to do, reinstate the draft. The problem for them is, a draft will energize and revitalize the anti war movement. The more people in open and active resistence to their imperialist agenda the greater the possibility we can derail their fascist program. Don’t believe the hype, be proactive by resisting reinstatement of the draft now before it goes any further.
-30-
posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 7:18 AM
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