Military recruiters are struggling to find recruits in some parts of the country, but in San Mateo Union High School District they will have an easier job, if district superintendent Samuel Johnson continues to have his way.
When the nonprofit group San Mateo County Peace Action asked the district to place their pamphlet, "What military recruiters won't tell you" in career centers as a alternative viewpoint to the claims presented in military recruiting pamphlets, the district superintendent refused. "What we have is a limited open forum [in career centers]," said Johnson, claiming that the peace group's pamphlets were not appropriate because they did not present any alternatives to military careers.
Members of Peace Action picketed in front of the district's six high schools yesterday morning, handing out copies of the banned pamphlet to students as they entered the school grounds.
There are so many of us that would prefer to create a peaceful global society, where our relationships are not defined by such psychological constructs as raceism, exceptionalism, ethnocentrism, exclusivity, and greed. Unfortunately, there are many of who are doing everything in their power to make sure that that kind of world is not an option for the young generation of dreemers.