Predator Access to Children Restricted by School Board

Any effort to counter military recruiting, reformist or otherwise is fine with me, since I favor reinstating the military draft. Although their (public) numbers are shrinking, since 9/11/2001, there are still far too many flag-sucking sheep, who beat the drums of war, but refuse to to take up arms themselves. A draft would give many of them a chance to put their money where their mouth and magnetic ribbons are. It would be interesting to see some casualties from the suburbs, instead of the current. mostly rural and urban child sacrifice.
Otherwise sane people who feel that there is nothing they can do about the imperial designs of the US, would probably realize that there were at least a few things they could try, if their number was called. Violent authority could lose some of its newfound popularity, too. I have a feeling that the self-described, ‘War on the Lack of Consumer Capitalist Markets in Resource Laden, Largely Muslim Regions Terror’ wouldn’t survive too long if it required anything more than economic conscripts. A “volunteer” military is one of those rackets like voting, that is used by State capitalist regimes self-described ‘democracies’, to fabricate the illusion of consent, and the US could stand a little disillusionment (and barricades).

Whether it is underreported, or actually rare, there is very little of the kind of resistance that led to the US withdrawal from Indochina. Sorry old hippies, and new SDSers, I’m talking about mutiny and desertion, not sit-ins and good vibes.

The 21st century US military recruiter is a despicable creature; half pimp, using deception, coercion, and sometimes outright sexual assault, to put healthy young bodies to work for their own financial gain, as well as half snitch, because like a informant, they must get other people to forfeit their freedom, to escape the consequences of their actions, although instead of jail, the recruiter are trying to avoid combat in Iraq. If they don’t offer up enough fresh meat for the grinder, they are headed back to the front lines, and like other snitches, the State is willing to overlook almost any misdeed, if it produces the desired outcome.

Although compulsory education seems to be about 95% compulsory and 5% education, it’s good to hear that the Pittsburgh City School Board passed a resolution that restricts the kind of dirty tricks that the captive audience known as “our children” can be subjected to. Some of the provisions of the resolution include:

• Require recruiters to register with the principal or an administrator upon arrival.
• Require a district employee to escort recruiters around a school unless they can show proof of having state and federal clearances or a statement from their employer that they have such clearances.
• Prohibit them from sponsoring contests, drawings, lotteries or from exchanging gifts unless they are of scholarships or are of minimal value.
• Ban them from using exhibits that violate the district’s weapons policy or using video games that depict weapons or violence.
• Limit them to meeting students in areas designated by the principal

Curiously enough, Mark Brentley Sr., who was hailed as a supporter of the resolution, by any account, voted against it. None of the media reports name a reason.

Kudos to the School Board. I never thought I’d live long enough to say that. Nice work Conscience and Quakers, and while you’re at it, check with the folks from the Pittsburgh Organizing Group, to see if there’s anything you can do to support their upcoming action.

In theory, this will also curtail the activities of other confidence tricksters, such as those who push five-figure a semester, 2 year culinary and art schools, and credit cards for teens and other exploitative practices.

Confront Nickel & Dime War Profiteers in Your Neighborhood

Sometimes it’s hard to find a place to rent. There are any number of reason used by landlords and property managers to exclude you from shelter. They don’t need a reason.

Perhaps another worthwhile strategy that could be explored by counter-recruiters is to make the recruiters themselves homeless? Maybe the pickets and other activities could be directed at the individuals and corporate persons who are willing to rent to child predators? Landlords are quick to declare an individual a “bad tenant” and if terrorist recruiters who prey on children aren’t bad enough, I don’t know who is.

We have some tools at our disposal in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located. The obvious one is the Property Tax Assessment search page. Check to see if your community has one. Here, you can type in the address of a property and find out who owns it.

For this example, we will be using the Marine Corps Officer Programs Recruitment Station, located at 5837 Ellsworth Avenue. This was the site of the unprovoked attack against a POG picket by Pittsburgh Police Sgt. William Vollberg.

The property tax assessment lists the owner as one “Shadyside Plaza Associates” and that their tax bill is mailed to 241 Spahr Street, which is owned by Richard Brourman and Maria Barnette.

The local paper reveals that Mr. Brourman and his mother, Bernice were scamming people left and right, through bad home improvement schemes. When you enter Mr. Brourman’s name into a search engine the first search result is for “Mortgage Fraud News” which describes the settlement that the Brourman crime family and some other flim-flammers arrived at with the state attorney general.

Bernice and her baby, Richard, were ripping people off under the name Iron City Builders, which has received the “corporate death penalty”, prohibiting them from doing business, which did little more than to force them to commit their crimes under a new name. It’s no surprise that they’d be involved in other despicable activities such as renting to military recruiters.

Had Mama and Baby Brourman not been able to settle out of court for a six-figure sum, it would be a criminal offense, and recorded on PA’s online docket sheets , which allow you to view criminal complaints from the Commonwealth, but that’s not a concern for rich folks.

Perhaps Mr. Brourman’s other tenants should find out who they are renting from?

The Forbes Avenue recruiting station, that will be the site of POG’s next publicly announced action is owned by Oakland Real Estate located at 216 Oakland Avenue, right around the corner from the station. Might not be a bad place for a picket?

Recruiting Roundup

Here are some recent articles and editorials about the ugliness of military recruiting and the low-rent pimps who do it:

One of these predators will plead guilty to sexually assaulting recruits in Indiana.

Former US army specialist, Aimee Allison examines the expanding problem of sexual abuse by military recruiters on AlterNet. MedIndia,a health infromation web portal also examines the phenomena.

A former Tuscon army recruiter, caught up in an FBI sting, was sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking operation.

Recruiter’s vehicles in Texas and Florida have recently been “customized.”

Despite a lowering in standards, and an increase in waivers and a fiscal year 2006 recruitment and advertising budget of $1,407,100,000 ($1.4 billion), recruiting numbers were down for the second month in a row.

An ASVAB proctor was caught rigging test scores (at cut rates).

It’s not just the World’s Policeman. On a related note, a Pittsburgh Police Sergeant was given a 3 day suspension for helping terrorist trainees cheat on their tests.

The recent arrest of a 31 year old recruiter on child pornography charges raises questions as tot whether the US marines may be doing more than just recruiting with their Hitler Youth-esque Young Marines program:

The Young Marines is a youth education and service program for boys and girls, ages 8 through completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on character building, leadership, and promotes a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Which photo is the Young Marines & which is the Hitler Youth? Nationalism is nationalism.

These stories are only from the last week or two.