NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20/NN_1992_20.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/6552

Text File | 1992-09-14 | 3.5 KB | 77 lines

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Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!ukma!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Senate doubles JROTC programs
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Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 22:56:27 GMT
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/** military.draft: 175.0 **/
** Topic: Increase JROTC appropriation?! **
** Written 11:02 pm  Sep 11, 1992 by wrlmilitary in cdp:military.draft **
Subject: Senate voting to DOUBLE JROTC !?!?

From: Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, Western Region
Hello all,

I found out yesterday that the Senate Defense Authorization Bill
includes a provision that would increase JROTC from 1600 programs
nationwide to 3500. This bill will be voted upon by the entire Senate
between 9/14 - 9/17.  There still is a possibility that the bill will be
defeated since many Democrats will vote against it because it contains
too much $ for Star Wars and the B2 bomber and many Republicans because
they think it contains too little.

The provision is strongly pushed by Colin Powell, Bush endorsed the idea
in a recent speech, and Senator Sam Nunn and Sen. Glenn (both Democrats)
are to blame for pushing it in the Senate.

If the bill does pass in the Senate, as far as we know there is no
equivalent language in the House authorization bill so it would go to
conference committee where the language could be deleted. We won't know
who is on the conference ctee until this happens.

The other, and more important issue is appropriations. I strongly
suspect that some Senators, (perhaps Hollings? (though that is
speculation)), might try to double the appropriations for JROTC to match
the authorization authority. The markup on this bill occurs Tuesday,
September 15th in the Defense Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
The members of this committee are:
        Democrats -- Inouye (chair), Hollings, Johnston, Byrd, Leahy, Sasser,
   Deconcini,  Bumpers, Lautenberg, and Harkin;
        Republicans -- Stevens, Garn, Kasten, D'Amato, Rudman, Cochran, Specter,
   and Domenici.

A Senatorial Legislative Assistant reminded me that it is 'impossible'
to transfer monies from the military to socially beneficial spending
because of the budget reduction law that congress passed a few years ago.
Therefore, he suggested we urge that lawmakers either cut the JROTC
budget and reduce the deficit, or cut the JROTC budget, and if they have
to spend it on something in the military, and if they want to spend it to
help young people, they could transfer the money to on-base child care
centers or schools for military dependents overseas. Both for ethical
and political mobilization purposes, I still think it is important to
make the point that money should be spent to educate youth, not
militarize them.

Given the rate of violent crime by young men especially, we should be
promoting nonviolent conflict resolution in schools, not teaching them
how to kill.

One graphic example: members of a Long Beach, CA JROTC formed a gang
called The Ace of Spades (based on a U.S. Special Forces unit in Vietnam
who were known for leaving cards on the people they killed), went on
crime sprees, then murdered Alexaner Giraldo, age 16, one of their
members who they believed was talking with the police.

        Sam at cccowr   phone [phone]    fax [phone]
** End of text from cdp:military.draft **