Clear and Present Danger 
By Rob Skinner

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed." --John F. Kennedy in his Inaugural Address.

President Kennedy never witnessed anti-war or anti-military protests during his three year build up of our military forces in South Vietnam. Kennedy made it clear to the world in his Inaugural Address on January 21, 1961 that America would "...support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty." Was defending Vietnam critical to the national security of America ? Not in any direct way. But a US President is the leader and defender of the Free World. Kennedy knew if America showed weakness, showed timidity in our resolve to promote freedom and democracy, our enemy, the Communist Soviet Union, would be all the more encouraged and energetic in advancing the oppression of communism - much as the Chinese and Vietnamese people are politically oppressed in their country today. They have no Bill of Rights and no free speech, nor the right to protest, nor the right to petition their grievances to the state. To attempt to do so can be regarded as treason.

Far too many Americans fail to see the dangers, see the "hazardous days ahead" (JFK) in our war with Islamic fundamentalist who seek our demise. Our courageous soldiers are on the front lines doing all they can to defeat this new Islamic enemy with borders no where and every where. This "clear and present danger" is about us no matter how many times liberal Democrats try to redirect, for political purpose, our attention to our wavering economy and attempt to make it the campaign big deal of the day. The fact is the military surge in Iraq, the so called "lost war" by the Democratic majority leader of the US Senate - Harry Reid - is successful and getting more so everyday.

So with the news of military success in Iraq that can't credibly be denied by the Democratic Party leaders, and given there is no military draft, there is surprisingly a marked rise in war protesting in Vermont and across the nation - not so much from college students but from high school students. From my researching the protest movement in Vermont it is becoming more clear that it is fueled, and likely orchestrated, by a variety of anti-military groups in Vermont including the Peace and Justice Center, The Iraq Veterans Against the WAR, and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) - a Quaker organization.

Such organizations provide material on now to create a so called "peace club" as well as material with strategies on how to best address their school boards with grievances on such issues as limiting or banning military recruits and JROTC programs. (Follow this link)

Point in fact - A little over a year ago a California AFSC group helped end a 90 year JROTC program from the San Francisco school district where some 1600 students participated. By a 4-2 vote the program was terminated. When the vote was read scores of JROTC students broke into tears. The mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, chimed in with,"This move sends the wrong message. It's important for the city not to be identified with disrespecting the sacrifice of men and women in uniform." But a AFSC member, Sandra Schwartz said, "We don't want the military ruining our civilian institutions. In a healthy democracy . . . you contain the military. You must contain the military."

Some of these organizations provide teachers lesson plans in how to get students as young as 8th grader to create a conscientious objector documents to present to a draft board. One such groups that has prepackaged lessons is called the Coalition Against Militarism in our Schools or CAMS. Follow this link to understand the measures such groups are going to not just contain the military, but to make it a pariah - something detestable and corrosive to the changing American culture.

But there is another important goal of these groups apart from simply trying to contain the military's influence in our society. I came across the following in a summary statement from a 2004 June meeting of a variety of these anti-militarism groups seeking to create a united force in a national movement against the military. What was created is called the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY). In attendance at this 3 day event were members from Vermont's anti-militarism groups. The summary statement included the following:

" [The movement] focuses on interrupting the flow of human resources and challenging the mechanisms of propaganda that are needed to wage war, it is an effort that also offers people an effective way to move from war protest to war resistance, while at the same time working for long-term social transformation." (Follow this link) 

The exact meaning of "long-term social transformation" is not explained but its quite clear that these anti- militarism groups are not only attempting to undermine the America's long standing respect for the military, as Mayor Newsom alluded to, but they are waging war, so to speak, on the validity of such long standing practices and values as traditional marriage, private land ownership, our national anthem, printing "In God We Trust" and perhaps, even, the traditional practices of organized religions.

Recently the MMU Peace Club made the news by organizing a protest and occupation of a military recruiting building in Williston on November 30, 2007. It's not certain if the planned event was done exclusively by the peace club because other more aggressive people showed up from other groups including Matt Howard of the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) It seems he took center stage while the MMU students faded away as none of MMU students were arrested.

As I see it the MMU students were used as props by the NNOMY members to give the appearance of a genuine, highly committed ground swell force to oppose our military and military recruiters being on public school campuses. This is part of a tactic to give the appearance of great support and outrage when in fact all 6 school administrators from 6 different schools in the area, and Vermont Legislative Reps I spoke to personally, including my district reps Mitzi Johnson, Ira Trombly and Senator Dick Mazza - along with SenatePro Tem Peter Shumlin, all believed it was prudent that military recruiters be allowed access to our public schools and our youth as required in Ted Kennedy's (prime author) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It is NOT George Bush's education bill as so many like to refer to it in demeaning its value.

This brings us the question - do our youth fully understand the dynamics of what they are apart? Shouldn't these students begin to examine their role and the possibility they are simply tools of groups that seek to change this country in ways not recognizable to President Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy and even Bill Clinton who never to my knowledge had anything but praise for our armed forces and their mission to keep this country and our allies safe from tyranny?

Let me end with one such high praise for our military and all they do for freedom and for keeping us safe -

"You represent the American people and the best of the ideals of this free society. This nation salutes you as you commence your service to your country in the hazardous days ahead." --President Kennedy to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, June 7, 1961
 

Rob Skinner is a former Editor of the True North website