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| Fifth Column |
| Students protest outside military recruiting stations |
| 2005-05-24 |
| Students from area universities, colleges and high schools rallied Monday outside a military recruiting station downtown, pounding on windows and demanding an end to U.S. operations in Iraq. Protests also were staged outside recruiting stations north of Seattle and in the University District next to the University of Washington. Students called for an end to military recruitment in schools and said money spent on the war should be used to better fund all levels of public education. The demonstrations downtown and in the University District each attracted three or four dozen protesters. There were no arrests. "The youth of this city and the youth of this country are standing up against this war," Federico Martinez, 23, a student at Evergreen State College in Olympia, said after the protests. "We want education to be the funding priority of the United States government, not the occupation of a sovereign nation." The demonstrations follow the Army's one-day suspension last Friday of national recruiting efforts after reports of improprieties by recruiters trying to make up for waning recruitment numbers. Army officials said one incident involved a recruiter in Houston who allegedly threatened to have a would-be recruit arrested if he backed out. The Army's chief of recruiting, Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, said the reprieve was to allow commanders to emphasize ethical conduct. But one day isn't enough, said Ramy Khalil, a member of Youth Against War and Racism, a fledgling national group with two chapters in Seattle. The group did not organize Monday's protests. "The military is trying to give the impression that they're resolving the situation," Khalil said. "We think the only real solution is to end the war and bring the troops home." Several dozen protesters circled outside Army and Marine recruiting stations in downtown Seattle. Students carried signs that read, "Money for tuition not ammunition," and "I want to learn to read not to kill." The Marine recruiting office appeared to be closed for the lunch hour. But when the small crowd approached the Army station recruiters inside locked the doors and refused to let the students in. Work continued as usual inside while the crowd "kinda pounded on some of the windows and doors," said Sgt. Melisa Porter, 23, of Concord, Calif. "Everybody's entitled to their own freedom of speech," said Porter, a recruiter for only five months. "I definitely stand up for what I believe in." Groups also staged similar demonstrations at recruiting offices in the city's Northgate and University neighborhoods. The door at a Marine recruiting office just blocks from the University of Washington was locked when Justin Henderson of Seattle arrived. He said he had heard about the protests and came down to talk to recruiters and show his support for U.S. troops. "A couple of my buddies are in Iraq and I thought this is something I could do to show my support," he said. Organizers said students who protested came from the UW, Seattle Central Community College, The Evergreen State College and Western Washington University, as well as Garfield, Franklin, West Seattle, Nova, and Chief Sealth high schools. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #22 May I ask a stupid question? What the hell is women's studies? Somehow I dont think its what I think it is........ |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-05-24 23:03 |
| #21 you remembered to swallow all on your own - you certainly didn't need me to tell ya - musta been the BA curriculum, huh? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-24 21:39 |
| #20 [TROLL DROPPINGS DELETED] |
| Posted by: Frank the **** Unolusing1681 2005-05-24 21:35 |
| #19 yes I do - you were fantastic...elastic mouth and all... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-24 21:33 |
| #18 [TROLL DROPPINGS DELETED] |
| Posted by: Frankie Unolusing1681 2005-05-24 21:32 |
| #17 really? How about you suck my teabag, leftist warrior? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-24 21:31 |
| #16 [TROLL DROPPINGS DELETED] |
| Posted by: borgboy Unolusing1681 2005-05-24 21:24 |
| #15 The Amoks are running. And no one's minding the store. Fuck it. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-24 21:17 |
| #14 |
| Posted by: ******* 2005-05-24 21:15 |
| #13 |
| Posted by: vote 2005-05-24 21:14 |
| #12 |
| Posted by: democrat 2005-05-24 21:14 |
| #11 Sucessful recruiting should attract energetic thoughtful and intelligent with the strongest of convictions. Obviously this recruiting station is located way to close to college campi and is attracting derelict slackers unsuitable for the protecting freedom. The station should be moved at earliest convenience and recommendations ought to be made to BRAC concerning the viability of having military installations in Washington state at all |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2005-05-24 21:12 |
| #10 Three or four dozen college student protestors. Must be a slow day at the Associated Press. Next we'll be seeing frat parties as the lead stories in the New York Times. "The youth of this city and the youth of this country are standing up against this war... We want education to be the funding priority of the United States government, not the occupation of a sovereign nation." Ummmm, the war was two years ago... and the sovereign nation hasn't asked us to leave... and at 23 your education is no longer a funding priority. Get a job, slacker. |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-05-24 15:26 |
| #9 "Evergreen State College" is one of many playgrounds for the lefty math-is-hard crowd. While China and India produce over a million engineering grads each year, we pay for these 23 year-old semiliterate, total innumerates to pursue "learning community programs". Acc to the school's former provost: North Seattle College's "The Shaping of Cultures, Myths, and Identities" combined perspectives from history, communication, literature, and women's studies. It encouraged students to examine their own experiences while looking at broader issues about our origins, values, and identities (especially focused on gender, race, and class) and ways that such issues have been shaped by history and myths.... Another benefit of learning communities is that they provide a comprehensive framework for change that gets beyond the piecemeal nature of most reform efforts. Learning communities foster implementation of inquiry-based approaches to learning (such as service learning, multicultural education, and collaborative writing and research projects) that are not easily accommodated in fifty-minute classes. Most learning communities also rely on experiential learning and forms of reflective practice, something they could not easily do with a conventional course structure. So nice to see American higher education doing its part to help the US maintain its intellectual and technological dominance in the 21st c... |
| Posted by: thibaud (aka lex) 2005-05-24 13:59 |
| #8 tu3031, this guy wasn't speaking metaphorically. Evergreen State College is what's quaintly called an "experimental" school. |
| Posted by: thibaud (aka lex) 2005-05-24 13:48 |
| #7 DB: See comment #2. They want to learn to read (although, they should've learned that well before college)...how can you be against that (/sarcasm off/)??? "The youth of this city and the youth of this country are standing up against this war," Federico Martinez, 23, a student at Evergreen State College in Olympia, said after the protests. Man, oh man! You call 3-4 dozen punk kids the "youth of this city and the youth of this country"? Exactly how many students are there at Evergreen State College? This is just like Al Sharpy and Je$$e claiming they speak for the black community. |
| Posted by: BA 2005-05-24 13:40 |
| #6 23 years old and still a student? Must be a Professional student. This reeks of someone who will NEVER join the real world. http://www.fredoneverything.net/FOE_Frame_Column.htm I really like Fred Reed. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-05-24 11:05 |
| #5 Freedom of speech for me but not for thee! The mantra of the left. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-05-24 10:37 |
| #4 3 or four dozen protestors. Yawn. I bet the military recruiters got more interest. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-05-24 10:37 |
| #3 Don't you punks have finals or something? |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-05-24 10:36 |
| #2 "I want to learn to read not to kill." You're in college, asshole. You should already know how to read. Although Evergreen State was mentioned as in attendence... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-05-24 10:32 |
| #1 Federico Martinez, 23, a student at Evergreen State College in Olympia Home of the Pancakes! Remember, folks, the students and faculty of Evergreen State aren't anti-war; they're on the other side! |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-05-24 10:31 |