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 The scope of this group September 06, 2006 12:57 PM

A lot of you have asked what exactly we intend to take on. Are we here to stop recruiter rape? or rape in the US military? or rape in militaries around the world? or rape generally, the world over?

For the short run, we should have a narrow focus on a goal we can actually achieve. This is an action group – not just a conversation group. We’re not here to complain about recruiter rape. We intend to stop recruiter rape - NOW.

Please read the post 4 reasons we can win this. Reasons 1 through 3 are unique to recruiter rape. Reason 4 is unique to rape in the military in general.

What is most important to recognize is that rape of high school girls by recruiters is a “bridge issue” which brings together people from across the political landscape. Other forms of rape are “wedge issues” that divide people with different values and priorities. Taking on rape in the military in general, for example, will generate resistance by those who feel that we are threatening the military and militarism. The C2NN posting that started all of this brought one such response: “Don't use this to try and vilify our military and what it does for this country now, and what it has done in the past.”  They will say that our real objective is to undermine the military and the Republican agenda, and they will oppose us even if they agree that women in the military should be safe from rape.

Assuming we succeed in bringing massive public attention to the narrow issue of recruiter rape, and galvanize the public’s outrage, concern about the other issues – especially about rape in the military in general - are bound to be raised. For the time being we should let the public raise those larger issues and not push them ourselves.

When recruiter rape has been stopped through our disciplined efforts, we will have also gained large public credibility and visibility. With that we can take on broader goals and have a real chance of succeeding at them as well. But not yet.  [ send green star]
 
 September 07, 2006 8:39 AM

I agree with your wisdom and strategy Jeff.  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 September 08, 2006 2:43 PM

Thank you, Jeff, for clarifying the scope of this group.

Since there has been so much interest in related subjects, such as rape and abortion in the military, and recruitment practices in other countries, as shown in the "other actions" thread; would it be feasible do you think, to have a thread for "related topics" where we could "sound off" or ask each other questions -- off the MAIN topic, we would not be "pushing" the same as on the MAIN issue, but I still see a lot of interest in such discussion.

Another topic that SHOULD be addressed, I feel, definitely, is RECRUITING PRACTICES IN GENERAL {of young people}. As shown in the other thread with regards to the giving out of addresses and phone numbers to recruiters -- MANY, maybe even MOST parents and teens DO NOT KNOW OF THIS; of the "No Child Left Behind" legislation, or of the "Opt Out" provisions of the law. If the "Opt Out" provisions of the law were better known to more parents and teens, IT MIGHT PREVENT SOME TEEN GIRLS FROM FALLING INTO THE CLUTCHES OF RAPIST RECRUITERS IN THE FIRST PLACE, if either they or their parents decided in advance that they did not want to be subjected to recruitment blandishments.

It seems to me that generally sharing knowledge about actual recruiting practices and the laws surrounding them, would help this group; altho those laws apply of course to boys as well as to girls.

Also as far as recruiters frequently LYING to young people -- that is a sort of "seduction" that easily spreads over into the sexual kind!

Thank you for this group.

 [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 September 08, 2006 3:01 PM

Interesting point about the connection between lying in general and sexual seduction.  I agree.

Others may feel otherwise, but I think if we start by attacking all forms of access to teens by the military we will set up a harsh resistence by a significant portion of the population that would otherwise support us.  As with larger issue of rape in the military in general, all the various forms of manipulation and abuse by recruiters are BOUND to be brought up.  Let the public bring them up - initially.

Of course it is appropriate to start threads on related topics.  Please do.  All those important issues will wait "in the hopper" for us.  We are witnessing a sickening political and social mess of which recruiter rape is one small element.  Some of our soldiers have been accused of raping and murdering whole families in Iraq.  We all need a place to vent.
 [ send green star]
 
access to teens by the military September 08, 2006 3:14 PM

Jeff, I think that action is needed for many things that seem to be out of hand, recruitment rape, private information handed out, etc...

With respect to your comment:

"if we start by attacking all forms of access to teens by the military we will set up a harsh resistence by a significant portion of the population that would otherwise support us"

I would think that any person with sense would agree that anyone that wants to join the military may go themselves to be informed but that to harass teens in order to join is not doing the military profession any good.

And to be honest, I wouldn't really care what it did to that profession but I DO care what it does to young minds.

 [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
 February 17, 2007 3:11 PM

I am having to leave some groups due to lack of time. I wanted to say thank you and goodbye before leaving. Good luck with everything.  [ send green star]  [ accepted]
 
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