You know, it's funny to hear people blather on about discrimination. I was at UCSC during the April 5th "protest". Great to see so many students yelling about how they don't support the military's "discriminatory" practices as they sport their Abercrombie and Fitch ensembles. I guess it's still cool to support a company that settled a multi-million dollar discrimination lawsuit earlier this year- as long as the clothes are still "in". Be consistent, at least, if you're going to "demonize" the military in general. I would expect protesters to mobilize for the summer fire season. Or did you forget that the Army deploys soldiers every year to fight wild fires in the western US. Where are the signs- "Fuck the Army- don't save our homes from burning down!" Nothing in this world is black and white. Did you protest the soldiers, sailors, and airmen that provided tsunami relief?
These protest groups like to maintain the mantras of the Vietnam era. "Minorities all go to the front lines." Has anyone noticed that over 70% of the casualties from Iraq have been white males?
We don't live in a perfect country. Our right to free speech is something we hold near and dear to our hearts. Everyone has the right to express their opinion, and I wouldn't want to change that. Couldn't the "counter-recruiters" get their information out by setting up a table at events the military attends? Was it necessary to disrupt other students' job opportunities and slash car tires to express an opinion? That's what happened April 5th. How productive was it really? People from Santa Cruz are still joining the military. Free speech is always a two way street. How about everyone provides ACCURATE, TRUTHFUL information and let informed individuals make a decision.