<p>"Two students protested the presence of Marine recruiters in the Reynolds Club. They designed the protest as a mock Nazi recruitment campaign, dressing as members of the 'American Nazi Youth Corps' to draw attention to what they claimed were parallels between the Third Reich and the US military under the current administration..."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jbelleisle.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.jbelleisle.com/</a></p>
<p>Arresting them only strengthens their point.</p>
<p>well, it strengthens a stupid point. If businesses can come to the school and recruit, I don't see why our armed forces shouldn't be given the same opportunity</p>
<p>The armed forces are a little different, I think. With a business, you're being offered a job. With the armed forces, you're being offered a spot on the front lines, and on top of that, they essentially take your identity away. After you come back, you're never the same.</p>
<p>Andi, don't you think that Chicago students have the ability to make up their own minds on the merits and drawbacks of military service just as they can with any other job?
I don't understand why students so vehemently oppose the presence of military recruiters on campus. Do they honestly believe that their mere presence will have a negative impact?
Plus, the students method of protest was distasteful and the school had every right to ask them to leave and call the police when they refused to do so.</p>
<p>I agree completely with gambadent</p>
<p>A misdemeanor charge might be a little harsh...</p>
<p>But why would the armed forces even bother to go to UofC if none of the students signed up?</p>
<p>I suppose you're right, though, gambadent. But I have to admit, I get a little irritated when army recruiters come to my school. It's a bit intimidating (and invasive?) to have a solider in your face asking you to join the army. It might not be the same at your school, but here, they force that down our throats -- stickers, lanyards, and "OH EM GEE THE ARMY IS GR8!"</p>
<p>yes, I'm anti-military in many respects, but they have every right to try to lure potentials. In fact the protest itself is somewhat of an insult. They're implying that the military abducts college students who could not make up their own minds and are easily suckered in. </p>
<p>Personally, I welcome any chance to thwart authority face to face.</p>
<p>Does anyone really know what they're getting themselves into when they join the military? Isn't it true that the military has been less than honest when describing what will be happening to someone who joins? In my opinion, there is a lot of focus on "free education" and "travel the world" and not enough on the brutality. Not everyone's eyes are opened to these things, and it's not a question of intelligence -- it's a question of information.</p>
<p>It's never about intelligence....ignorance is the best tool to manipulate the masses.</p>
<p>This incident occasioned quite a discussion on the UChicago live journal. So much so that they had to truncate the posts such that one has to click on the "no subject" headings to read the sub-thread. For those interested: <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/uchicago/271108.html%5B/url%5D">http://community.livejournal.com/uchicago/271108.html</a></p>
<p>"Counter recruiters" are ****ing disgusting individuals.</p>
<p>neverborn, you use such persuasive and eloquent rhetoric, but would you care to elaborate for us?</p>
<p>Counter recruiters are opposed to the military's recruitment at schools, sure. Most likely because of the Iraq war - fine. I am pro-diversity of ideas. I am pro-Iraq war, but I respect the beliefs of anti-war people - they are certainly entitled to have them.</p>
<p>Counter recruiters cross a line. They act in a harassing and generally offensive way. They usually operate in public schools, due to the fact public schools are mandated to have recruiters at them (they never stop and think that the government is paying for the school, why should they not be able to recruit there?) As we saw at the UChi one, they often make Nazi comparisons. Many times, the counter-recruiters get violent or harassing - blocking off the booth with linking hands, chanting and shouting down recruiters when someone comes to talk to them about joining the service, and not letting them speak whatsoever. Comparing the U.S. military to Hitler is disgusting and makes me think that the protesters are completely ignorant of history.</p>
<p>Then I look at who they were - Spartacists. This group is a communist organization that follows the teachings of Leon Trotsky. They are anti-American, anti-military, and anti-capitalism - yet they won't get the hell out. So many communists seem to love the U.S. ... so many counter-recruiters seem to love having a country with secure borders... </p>
<p>The reason I think these people are disgusting (UChi protesters) is twofold: they are communists(meaning they are against everything America stands for) and they hate the military and compare them to Nazis - I have good friends in the military that say that NOTHING drops morale overseas faster than anti-military anti-war protests like these.</p>
<p>What are the alternatives to banning military recruiters from campuses?</p>
<p>Bringing back the draft.</p>
<p>Let them recruit, at least military service is currently voluntary.</p>
<p>The protest went a bit far, I think, but arresting them is a little far as well. They just wanted to make a point; they weren't hurting anyone. Why arrest them?</p>
<p>And communism does not denote anti-americanism. I hate communism myself (I've seen it for what it truely is), but a lot of my friends claim to be communist without actually knowing what it means. I think that this is the case here.</p>
<p>Many students are against on-campus military recruitment because of the military's policy toward homosexuals. Both the students and administration at Harvard and Yale were opposed to recruiting on their campuses, but the former finally succumbed because the government threatened to cease whatever funds they bestowed.</p>
<p>Actually, I think you guys are missing a huge point. A large part of the reason for the protests was that every student got a message from the marines before they came, saying that students who joined a Marine summer program would get part of their tuition paid for, and there would be no obligation to join the armed forces afterwards. The latter statement was a pretty big lie, and students got angry at the cheap ploy to recruit poor students.</p>
<p>Are you sure they were lying? If you have an ROTC scholarship they pay for your college tuition, but you can quit any time within the first 2 years without any obligation. This might be something similar. </p>
<p>Oh and Andi - communism/collectivism <em>is</em> the opposite of "americanism" ie. Capitalism. When the purpose of your philosophy is to start cracking some bourgeoisie eggs for your "utopian" omelet plus overthrowing the US government, you can pretty much say it's "anti-american." Well, either that or just define "America" as a certain region of North America. What do you consider to be essential to the US? Do individual rights ring a bell?</p>
<p>I personally think its funny that they won't let me go to their Academies (AFA, Naval, West Point), yet still send me tons of recruiting mail and have called me asking me what my plans are for after high school.</p>
<p>I'm in the top 3% of my class thank you very much, i think i'd prefer to go to college instead of fighting in a war we have no business of being in. We never seem to learn our lesson, and even though we are taught(in 7th grade nonetheless) that our global policeman policies aren't that best, we still carry them our regardless.</p>
<p>What about Uganda? What about the night commuters? What about Darfur and Sudan? Well what about them? Resources aren't being used economically, thats all I can say for that. And as for Uganda, I'll be there this summer and i'll be sure to tell you what its like.</p>