Bush Youth Brigades

[unhappycamper]

Here's an interesting article on the Hitler Bush Youth Brigades:

The Children's Crusade
By Jennifer Wedekind, In These Times. Posted June 10, 2005.

Tarsha Moore stands as tall as her 4-foot 8-inch frame will allow. Staring straight ahead, she yells out an order to a squad of peers lined up in three perfect columns next to her. Having been in the military program for six years, Tarsha has earned the rank of captain and is in charge of the 28 boys and girls in her squad. This is Lavizzo Elementary School. Tarsha is 14.

The Middle School Cadet Corps (MSCC) program at the K-8 school is part of a growing trend to militarize middle schools. Students at Lavizzo are among the more than 850 Chicago students who have enlisted in one of the city's 26 MSCC programs. At Madero Middle School, the MSCC has evolved into a full-time military academy for kids 11 to 14 years old.

Chicago public schools are home to the largest Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, which oversees the MSCC, in the country. When moving up to high school, Chicago's graduating eighth-graders can choose from 45 JROTC programs, including three full-time Army military academies, five "school-within-a-school" Army JROTC academies and one JROTC Naval academy.

<snip>

The elementary school cadet corps is a voluntary after-school program that meets two or three times a week. Programs differ from school to school, but MSCC students generally learn first-aid, civics, "citizenship" and character development. They also learn military history and take field trips to local military bases. Once a week, students wear their uniforms to school for inspections. Tarsha describes buffing her uniform shoes in preparation for inspection days. "Everything has to be perfect," she says. During drill practices they learn how to stand, turn and salute in synchronization. When they disobey an order, they do pushups. "Only 10," says one administrator.

MORE
http://www.alternet.org/story/22192

[Missy M]

1. I hear the next step is to start the program in Pre-K!!

[tanyev]

2. Students have also been instructed to report any parents

or relatives who say anything critical of Our Leader or the Homeland.

[MsConduct]

3. Sounds like the dub's grand pappy passed his admiration of

der fuhrer on to him. We are screwed.

[Patty Diana]

4. Maybe one of them can be pope someday!!!!

[Igel]

5. I'm curious if anybody has info on this program's history.

The Junior ROTC program apparently goes back to 1916, but the most I can find out about the middle school pre-JROTC is from this article, which takes it all the way back to 1999 or so.

Any links would be appreciated.