Contents:
GI Rights Hotline and free counseling service
Listserv
Groups in Monterey County
Web Resources for Alternatives to Military
"Think Outside the Bomb" Conference
Recommended Articles
Recommended Books
Recommended Films
Recommended Speakers
The Arrest of Alberto Tovar
Things Your Recruiter Won't Tell You
The GI Rights Hotline -
800 394-9544
http://girights.objector.org/
Provides information to members of the military about discharges,
grievance and complaint procedures,
and other
civil rights. Want to get
out of the DEP or Future Soldier
program? Call the GI Rights Hotline.
Free, Confidential Psychological Counseling
for Soldiers
www.thesoldiersproject.org
Classes on using memoir writing as a way to
help the healing process can be found through
the Monterey Adult School
and Monterey
Peninsula College.
Ask for Instructors Illia Thompson (MPC) and
Evelyn Kazan (Monterey Adult School).
Central California
Counter-Recruitment listserv
This listserv was set up by members of the
Santa Cruz Resource Center for Non-violence
and
includes the RCNV, UCSC Students Against
the War, the Watsonville Brown Berets, and
Harbor
High Students for Peace and Justice.
It has been largely unused, but appears to be
still usable.
To sign up, send a blank
email to
cccr-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. To
post a message, email
cccr@lists.riseup.net.
GROUPS IN MONTEREY COUNTY
working to provide youth with information on alternatives to military
careers.
Youth Rights
and
Jobs that Work!
A joint sub-committee of the Monterey Peace and Justice
Center, and the Monterey Bay Central
Labor Council
Hartnell Students for Peace
Salinas Action
League
Returned
Peace Corps Volunteers of Monterey Bay
Local rep:
Celia
Bosworth, 831 375-5002
Find out how to become a volunteer, and other information:
www.peacecorps.org
WEB RESOURCES FOR ALTERNATIVES TO MILITARY
Peace Coalition, Peace and Justice Center,
Youth Rights: Pro-Youth, Pro-Truth
www.peacemonterey.org
The Santa Cruz
Resource Center for Non-Violence (draft
and military alternatives page)
www.rcnv.org
Youth and Non-military Opportunities
www.projectyano.org
Military Free Zone
www.militaryfreezone.org
Spanish/English information
www.guerreroazteca.org
www.grandmothersforpeace.org (opt
out forms for high school students in Sp/Eng)
Leave My Child Alone
www.leavemychildalone.org
Resource Center for Non-Violence
www.rcnv.org
Friends/Quakers advice
www.afsc.org/youthmil
War Resisters League: Youth and
Countermilitarism Program
www.warresisters.org/youth/
The Coalition Against Militarism in Our
Schools (CAMS)
www.militaryfreeschools.org
Youth Against War and Racism
www.yawr.org
Antiwar.com
www.antiwar.com
10 Ways to protect your kid from the ASVAB
[Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
tests given at school]
http://www.antiwar.com/whitehurst/?articleid=5049
The
Syracuse Cultural Workers:
counter recruitment materials to order-
http://www.syrculturalworkers.com/
Military Recruitment: What Families Need to
Know
A dynamic panel presentation moderated by
League of Women Voters, Pasadena Chapter
http://talkaboutparenting.org/index.php
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"Think Outside the Bomb"
Annual National Conference
Five days of lectures,
discussions, and workshops for the next
generation of anti-nuclear activists.
Students and youth who want to learn more
about the "Think Outside the Bomb" network
or the statewide "Coalition to Demilitarize
the University of California" can send
an email to <jedidjah@trivalleycares.org>
or call the
Tri-Valley CAREs office (925) 443-7148
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RECOMMENDED
ARTICLES
Accustomed to Their Own Atrocities in
Iraq, U.S. Soldiers Have Become Murderers
By Chris Hedges, Adbusters. Posted
July 27, 2007.
www.alternet.org/waroniraq/58101/
Student reaction to recruiters on campus
www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec04/recruit_12-13.html
"Military Recruiters Are Now Targeting Sixth
Graders. Who's Next?"
The September 12, 2005
issue of
The Nation
has a cover story on military recruiting by
Karen Houppert.
Read it here <http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20050912&s=houppert>
.
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RECOMMENDED BOOKS
some of these titles may be
available from the
Monterey Peace and Justice Center
The Road from Ar Ramadi:
The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo
M
By Camilo Mejía, published in the US by The New Press, New York, 2007
www.thenewpress.com
Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War, and Build a Better World
By Aimee Allison and David Solnit, Seven Stories Press, August, 2007
"a manual for opponents of the Iraq war who want to cut off its supply of cannonfodder. It presents how-to guides,
hot tips, and successful examples of counterrecruitment strategies in schools and communities around the U.S." Jeremy Brecher
www.sevenstories.com/book/
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RECOMMENDED FILMS
some of these films may be available from the Monterey Peace and Justice Center
The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War
www.thegroundtruth.org
Why We Fight
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
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RECOMMENDED SPEAKERS
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THE
ARREST OF ALBERTO TOVAR
A letter from
CSUMB professors to the NAACP and LULAC:
One of our HCOM graduates, Alberto Tovar,
was recently arrested in Salinas at a public
event where the
Marines were recruiting.
Alberto was arrested while attempting to
inform young Latino boys about the
dangers of
joining the military.
Alberto was charged with trespassing (although
he had a ticket to enter the premises) and
possession
of a deadly weapon (a small spike
bracelet). In court, he also learned that he
was charged with disorderly
conduct and public
intoxication, despite the fact that he had not
been drinking and was never submitted
to an
alcohol test.
Those of us who know Alberto, know that he is
a gentle, respectful man, who is deeply
committed to
education in his community. He
works for Upward Bound on campus, assisting
high school students in their
academics and to
aspire and apply to college. He completed a
concentration in Pre-Law and hopes to
pursue a
paralegal degree. He completed an excellent
Capstone on military recruitment strategies
and their
impact on young men and women of
color. When he was arrested, he was putting
his research into practice.
He is not
anti-military, but against the misleading
information potential recruits are given.
We accompanied Alberto to court earlier this
week with Ruben Pizarro (Alberto's government
teacher and
mentor at Alisal High School).
After witnessing the Public Defender's case
load, we all agreed that Alberto
needed to
retain an attorney. He is retaining Miguel
Hernandez, a highly recommended criminal
lawyer, to
defend him. He will be arraigned
later this month and the case will begin. We
are also in contact with the ACLU.
We would
like to draw our LULAC and the NAACP local
chapters' attention to this case, hence this
email. If
you have any suggestions, questions
or would like to discuss the case, please
don't hesitate to email us at:
rina_benmayor@csumb.edu
debra_busman@csumb.edu
rubenpizarro@hotmail.com
To help defray the costs of retaining defense
counsel, we have initiated the Alberto Tovar
Legal Defense Fund.
Thank you in advance for your concern that
Alberto receive a fair chance to rebut the
charges against him.
Please feel free to
forward this to anyone you think would like to
help.
with appreciation,
Professor Rina Benmayor
Professor Deb Busman
Humanities and Communication
California State University Monterey Bay
Checks should
be made out to:
Alberto Tovar Defense
Fund,
Acct. #
004111710
And sent -
% Ruben Pizarro,
PO
Box 65,
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Or directly to the bank
Alberto Tovar Defense Fund
% Monterey County Bank
542 Lighthouse,
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Things Your
Recruiter Won't Tell You
Exposure to Depleted Uranium
This issue is
of particular importance to high school
students who are considering joining the
military after
they graduate. In addition to
all the obvious dangers, entering the military
today puts them at risk
for cancer and all the
symptoms associated with radiation and heavy
metal poisoning—fatigue, muscle
weakness,
headaches, to name a few. There is now also
ample documentation that exposure to the dust
can cause birth defects in their children, the
same birth defects that are showing up in
Iraqi children.****
The
military says depleted uranium emits
low-level-radiation, and is therefore
harmless, but for decades
scientists have
demonstrated the lethal effects of low level
radiation on human beings and their
offspring.***
Cancer in Iraq
Vets Points to Toxic Exposure
The Arizona Daily
Star is reporting there are many soldiers
returning from Iraq with cancer. Carla McClain
writes: "The prime suspect in all this, in the
minds of many victims - and some scientists -
is what's known
as depleted uranium - the
radioactive chemical prized by the military
for its ability to penetrate armored
vehicles. When munitions explode, the substance hits the
air as fine dust, easily inhaled."
DU is a central component of the U.S. military
arsenal. It is in the tanks, the shells,
the bombs. It is used in
training as well as
in battle. It is almost everywhere the U.S.
military stations its troops. Our youth and
their
loved ones need to know what they face
when they go into the military.
EDUCATORS' PACKET for the film
"POISON DUst"
"Poison DUst" is a film
that pulls together the crucial information
about DU. It includes interviews with veterans
contaminated by DU; simple, scientific
explanations about the nature of DU and
radiation by noted authorities
such as nuclear
physicist Dr. Michio Kaku, epidemiologist Dr.,
Sr. Rosalie Bertell and Dr. Helen Caldicott,
supplemented by clear, uncomplicated graphics;
a visual history of military use of toxic
substances affecting
troops and target
populations; and information.
The full length dvd,
released by Lightyear Entertainment in 2006,
is available commercially through Netflix,
Amazon.com, Border Books and Leftbooks.com.
**Order
the Poison DUst Educator's Packet at
www.iacenter.org/DUeducatorpackets.html
The
"Poison DUst" Educator's Packet includes:
N
A 30 minute educators' version of the DVD
Poison DUst suitable for classroom viewing
N An 84
minute, full-length Version of Poison DUst,
with additional interviews and information.
N Short
“primers” and articles with background
information and resources
N An
online bibliography, with links to a multitude
of resources for class projects and research
papers
through the Poison DUst website,
http://www.poisondust.com,
with a link to the Depleted Uranium Education
Project (http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/du.htm
),
and full chapters from the book,
Metal of
Dishonor
(http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/mettoc.htm
)
N A set
of detailed lesson plans for use with a range
of audiences and presentation lengths. Some of
the
lesson plans were developed by NYC
teachers and 12th grade students. Not only
were the lessons
integrated into their high
school curriculum, the students themselves
then enthusiastically and creatively brought
their new knowledge into their communities.
N The
students’ DU Outreach Project is also
documented in the packet.
N A Photo
Gallery of pictures for mounting on chart
paper on walls around a room. Students can
look at the
pictures and captions and write
their reactions as part of an introduction
before viewing Poison DUst.
N
Brainstorming ideas by students and teachers
for other possible uses of Poison DUst, as
well as
student questions and comments.
Order the
Poison DUst Educator's Packet at
www.iacenter.org/DUeducatorpackets.html
Footnotes:
* Vet's Ills Mounting Fast, by Juan
Gonzales, Published on Tuesday, February 7,
2006 by the New York Daily News -
"Nearly
120,000 veterans - more than one of every four
who served in Iraq and Afghanistan - have
already sought
treatment at Veterans Health
Administration hospitals for a wide range of
illnesses, according to an internal study the
VHA completed late last year." http://www.democracynow.org/static/Vets.shtml
**Flounders, Sara, "Another War Crime?
Iraqi Cities 'Hot' with Depleted Uranium",
2003 http//www.PoisonDUst.org
*** Nichols, Bob, ‘Depleted, it ain’t!
So-called depleted uranium, that is!’,
5/31/2005, Project Censored Award Winner
&
Online Journal Contributing Writer http//www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/053105Nichols/
053105nichols.html
****Iraqi cancers, birth defects blamed on
U.S. depleted uranium. By LARRY JOHNSON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
FOREIGN DESK EDITOR
...
seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/95178_du12.shtml
- 44k - May 26, 2007 -
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