Student Action League

In an effort to establish a counter recruitment table outside of the cafeteria during lunch periods, here is a list of brochures and fliers that can be distributed to interested students.

Questions to ask your recruiter

Advice for parents (in Spanish)

Citizenship and enlistment

Delayed Entry Program (English)

Delayed Entry Program (Spanish)

Do you know enough to enlist? (English)

Do you know enough to enlist? (Spanish)

Not just a job (English)

Not just a job (Spanish)

Opt out form

Peace careers

Peace making

So you want to be a man

Student rights

You can get lots more information - and more fliers - at these websites.

National Network Opposing Militarization of Youth

Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities

Coalition Against Militarism in the Schools

Youth and Militarism

United for Peace and Justice

If anyone would like to help The Student Action League at the counter recruitment table, please let us know.

The ballots on the left were for Barack Obama; the ones on the right for John McCain. Obama 1050, McCain 166.

Thanks to the social studies teachers for helping us out, and thanks to everyone who voted.

Any reactions to the straw poll and the results?

Which ones do you like? Does our school need a bike rack?

After reviewing more than 200 entries from 24 states and 26 countries, a six-member design jury on Tuesday named 10 finalists in the CityRacks Design Competition to create new, better-looking bicycle parking racks.

The winner will be announced on Oct. 24 during National Design Week, an event sponsored by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

The city’s Department of Transportation has announced the goal of doubling bicycle commuting by 2015, and expanded bike-parking facilities are part of that plan. There are 5,000 or so CityRacks, which were first designed 10 years ago. As new racks are added — the goal is 1,000 per year — they will reflect the new design.

From The New York Times...

It's a problem that was supposed to be fixed, but is it?

HOUSTON -- With a war in Iraq and fighting on the rise in Afghanistan, the struggle to bring in new U.S. Army recruits is heating up again.

And Irving Gonzales, 18, got caught up in it all.

As his family’s oldest male, he feels he has to do whatever it takes to help out his single mom. For him, that means working long hours at his after-school job.

“My mom was left struggling. I would give her more than half my paycheck,” Gonzales said.

That’s why the Aldine High School senior started thinking about the Army – and the tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses that can come with enlistment.

“They were offering me school, they were offering me bonuses,” he said.

So Gonzales signed up – but only to “pre-enlist” in the Delayed Entry Program. DEP allows kids to try out the military without a binding commitment.

But the 11 News Defenders have found there is a problem: Army recruiters aren’t sticking to the program and are bullying and even lying to potential recruits and their families to keep them from dropping out.

After he had a change of heart, Gonzalez became one such victim.

“I’d rather just stay here, go to college,” he said he told his recruiter.

The reaction: Gonzalez said a recruiter told him if he did drop out, they would send him to jail.

Read the rest of the story...

Any comments or questions about military recruitment at Middletown High School?

The Student Action League is planning a straw poll before the US Presidential election in November to see how Middletown students would vote if they could. The ballots will probably be given out in social studies classes, and the results will be shared with everyone.

Any ideas, feedback, or suggestions? How about predicting the results?

If you'd like to help, please let us know.