Fwd: [SDCPJ] URGENT!!! SDCPJ attacked by U-T on JROTC issue, send letters

[Rich Gibson <rgibson@pipeline.com>]

> X-Original-To: sdcpj@lists.quantumimagery.com
> Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:49:41 -0700
> From: Carol Jahnkow <prcsandiego@igc.org>
> User-Agent: Thunderbird 1.5.0.12 (Windows/20070509)
> To: SD Coalition for Peace & Justice <sdcpj@lists.quantumimagery.com>
> X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 000761-3, 07/28/2007), Outbound message
> X-Antivirus-Status: Clean
> Subject: [SDCPJ] URGENT!!! SDCPJ attacked by U-T on JROTC issue, send letters
> X-BeenThere: sdcpj@lists.quantumimagery.com
> X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9
> List-Id: San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice <sdcpj-quantumimagery.com>
> List-Unsubscribe: 
> <http://lists.quantumimagery.com/listinfo.cgi/sdcpj-quantumimagery.com>,
>         <mailto:sdcpj-request@lists.quantumimagery.com?subject=unsubscribe>
> List-Archive: 
> <http://lists.quantumimagery.com/private.cgi/sdcpj-quantumimagery.com>
> List-Post: <mailto:sdcpj@lists.quantumimagery.com>
> List-Help: <mailto:sdcpj-request@lists.quantumimagery.com?subject=help>
> List-Subscribe: 
> <http://lists.quantumimagery.com/listinfo.cgi/sdcpj-quantumimagery.com>,
>         <mailto:sdcpj-request@lists.quantumimagery.com?subject=subscribe>
> Sender: sdcpj-bounces@lists.quantumimagery.com
> X-ELNK-Received-Info: spv=0;
> X-ELNK-AV: 0
> X-ELNK-Info: sbv=0; sbrc=.0; sbf=0b; sbw=000;
>
> On July 28, a San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial criticized 
> individuals and groups, including the San Diego Coalition for Peace 
> and Justice (SDCPJ) and the Project on Youth and Non-Military 
> Opportunities (Project YANO), for questioning the introduction of 
> Marine Corps JROTC at Mission Bay High School (see 
> <http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070728/news_lz1ed28middle.html>http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070728/news_lz1ed28middle.html). 
> The San Diego City school board is expected to cast its vote on this 
> issue on Aug. 7.
>
> Individuals are encouraged to respond to the U-T editorial with 
> short (200-400 words) letters to the editor (see guidelines at 
> bottom) and/or letters to the school board 
> (<mailto:board@sandi.net>board@sandi.net).
>
> Here are some points to consider:
>
> 1. Claiming that JROTC is merely another choice that students should 
> be given ignores the fact that there has never been an absolute 
> right for anyone to enter our schools and offer students whatever 
> choice they wish. Schools naturally exclude choices that would be 
> harmful to students, and it is irresponsible to not to take into 
> account that JROTC grooms students to become soldiers who are sent 
> into harms way in places like Iraq.
>
> 2. Besides grooming students for the military, JROTC at many schools 
> includes weapons training with air rifles at firing ranges inside 
> schools. This is a feature of Marine Corps JROTC that would, 
> presumably, be included at MBHS.
>
> 3. The recruiting function of JROTC has been downplayed by its 
> supporters, yet the high enlistment rate of JROTC cadets has been 
> noted by Congress and the Dept. of Defense. DoD representatives 
> testified in 2000 that 40 percent of the graduates of the JROTC 
> program eventually join the military (2000 House Armed Services 
> Committee Report on the National Defense Authorization Act. The Navy 
> JROTC website also gives the 40% figure.
>
> 4. A large percentage of students at MBHS are bussed to the school 
> and come from families and communities where young people, 
> regardless of their academic ability, often feel they are being 
> tracked into the military instead of college (75% of MBHS students 
> are youth of color, half are Latino). Bringing JROTC to the school 
> will only promote more of such tracking. The school district should 
> instead be using its classroom space and other resources to promote 
> educational opportunities for these students and improve their 
> academic success rate.
>
> 5. The claim that JROTC helps students who are considered "at-risk" 
> is contradicted by the program's own directives dictating that 
> students should be excluded or expelled from JROTC if they are not 
> making normal progress toward graduation. Instead of funding a 
> program that kicks at-risk students out, the district should be 
> giving more support to counseling and programs like AVID, as well as 
> courses that can motivate students to attend and stay in school, 
> like music and art.
>
> 6. The school district is giving MCJROTC privileged status when it 
> allows it to be taught for the first time in the district without 
> first requiring that the textbooks and other curriculum materials be 
> made available for review by the community. Such a review was 
> required before the district approved Air Force JROTC, and 
> presumably instructional materials for other new courses are 
> routinely reviewed before they are used in the district.
>
> 7. JROTC is draining money away from other student services and 
> educational programs because the district must pay more money for it 
> than it would for regular classroom subjects, even after taking into 
> account the partial subsidy provided by the federal government. This 
> is because the program contract requires two teachers with full 
> salaries and benefits to be hired for a number of students who would 
> normally require only one teacher.
>
> Guidelines for U-T letters to the editor: "To be considered for 
> publication, a letter must include an address, daytime phone number 
> and, if faxed or mailed, be signed. It may be sent to Letters 
> Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Post Office Box 120191, San 
> Diego, CA 92112-0191, faxed to (619) 260-5081 or e-mailed to 
> <mailto:letters@uniontrib.com>letters@uniontrib.com. "
>
> For more information, see read about JROTC at 
> <http://www.projectyano.org/yano_resources.html>http://www.projectyano.org/yano_resources.html 
> and <http://www.nnomy.org>www.nnomy.org, or contact Project YANO: 
> <mailto:projyano@aol.com>projyano@aol.com.
>
>
>
>
> ----------
> Get a sneak peek of the all-new 
> <http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000982>AOL.com.
> _______________________________________________
> Sdcpj mailing list
> Sdcpj@lists.quantumimagery.com
> http://lists.quantumimagery.com/listinfo.cgi/sdcpj-quantumimagery.com