Outrage of the Day (11/16/06)

[Sonny]

School board votes to terminate JROTC program

San Francisco’s public schools will no longer offer the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program starting in the fall of 2008, The City’s school board decided Tuesday night.

Commonly known as JROTC, school board members voted 4-2 to abolish the program as a way of opposing armed conflict and the military’s policy of excluding known homosexuals, despite testimony from program supporters who said JROTC encourages teamwork, problem-solving skills and citizenship.

Last year, 1,650 students were enrolled in JROTC programs at Lincoln, Balboa, Washington, Lowell, Mission, Galileo and Burton high schools.

Under the resolution approved by the school board, JROTC will be phased out in two years. Although an original motion required a task force to develop an alternative program, the board approved a substitute motion requiring that the money for salaries and benefits that supports JROTC — nearly $1 million this year — be redistributed in ways that support the district’s most disadvantaged students.

LINK:
http://www.examiner.com/a-399587~School ... ogram.html

[StrykerFSU]

Just more proof that a segment of this nation believes the military to be an evil organization unworthy of our respect. A very tolerant attitude from the "progressives".

It must have been really terrible having all of those kids engaged in constructive extracurricular activities when they could have been at home playing video games. (me thinks the kids involved with this program are not the type to be getting into trouble)

[Beta]

Wow. Who needs teamwork, problem-solving skills and citizenship. JROTC helps many students go to college with scholarships as well as prep them for military service which are 2 pretty important career-builders in this country (those being College and the Armed Forces).

But yeah, the military (which this is NOT since these kids are not obligated to having to join up) shuns homosexuals is bad so we should get rid of it. I also heard Santa gave 10% of children coal, instead of presents and that my friends isn't equal...thus we should get rid of him and distribute the toys, elves and reindeer accordingly. And don't even get me started on the Easter bunny's chocolate eggs and lactose intolerant children...

[Sonny]

The military is non-partisan. They go fight whenever, wherever they are told - regardless of who sits in the White House on controls Congress.

[Campbell]

My opinion of JROTC overall is that it is not as effective as it would seem to be. However, I think their reasons for getting rid of it are way over the top. Choosing a career in the military is a honorable path for young Americans to choose. JROTC helps with that to some degree. When I was in HS we had Marine Corps JROTC and about half the students involved were special needs students. There was also a definite air of nerdiness that surrounded being in JROTC so I had respect for those that did it, wore the uniform to school, and suffered the jokes. My dad was JROTC all through high school, went on to the Naval Academy, and 20 yrs in the Marines (28 yrs in uniform). Several JROTC students from my HS also went on to academies or ROTC programs in colleges.

I remember when I joined ROTC in college and had to sign a document stating that I had never committed homosexual acts. I didn't think anything of it then. While I was in college Clinton enacted his "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy, which I think was the best resolution to the whole problem. That way gays don't have to lie, and their openness about being gay doesnt cause any unnecessary friction in the ranks.

[Rob Graff]

Understand - I'm a strong supporter of the army, and it's command.

But the people that are described in this article should burn.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2626032&page=1

WHile I understand that the article describes practices in the recruitment office, it is this type of behavior that explains why something like JROTC get a bad name.

[StrykerFSU]

That's painting with an awfully broad brush to lump the JROTC in with those recruiters but I agree, you should never lie to potential recruits. Even if they are so dumb as to not know whether or not the nation is at war.

[Rob Graff]

Cliff:

You are right - it is a broad brush. But what we are talking about is public perception about an institution that must be above reproach. It is the same reasons why judges must avoid even the APPEARANCE of impropriety. Just as we must trust our judges to impart justice blindly, we must trust those who approach our children about service to be absolutely truthful and upfront about the benefits and risks of service.

These organizations are inviting our children to make a choice that could put them in harms way. This is especially true now, when we have soldiers in a shooting conflict in Iraq and Afganistan. And because of that, and as one of the parents noted in the abc article - We should expect the absolute truth bet told to our children by the recruiters. There is no room for hyperbole, or mis-information. Thus when one part of the armed forces does just that - mis-informs prospective applicants - the perception of ALL recruiting avenues becomes suspect.

Is this fair? No. Is the perception created more powerful than the reality - in many cases - yes. And it, in part, explains why many more people than one might expect supports the removal of JROTC from SF public schools.