commons

Mon
13
Apr
2015
New translation available
Submitted by Gary

Boro Kitanoski -

I was born in 1976. One of the first memories I have is the anniversary of the death of Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavia’s long serving marshal, World War II hero and life-long president. It was 4 May 1981. Every year after his...

Mon
13
Apr

Britain: Attention! Army police on parade with city centre cops

Although not exclusively affecting young people, since many young people will be out on the weekends, in reality this everyday display of militarisation will affect young people disproportionately. It's another example of portraying the military as guadrians of order and control. Note the horrendous example of sexism in the last paragraph...

'The Boys in Blue have teamed up with the Red Caps to keep clubbers safe in Birmingham city centre!

Soldiers from the Royal Military Police - aka the Red Caps - can now be seen patrolling shoulder-to-shoulder with West Midlands Police in the nightlife hotspots of Broad Street and Hurst Street.

Such joint patrols are common in Garrison Towns across the UK, like Aldershot and Bulford, but with service personnel regularly heading to Birmingham for nights out the Royal Military Police investigators were keen to gain experience of policing a thriving city centre.

Tue
24
Feb

Local-born doctor: Military structures young lives

Asia Burns, left, and Arlonzo Chism stand in formation during ROTC at Woodlawn High School. (Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times)

A former Shreveporter who left a troubled family here to serve as a combat medic in Iraq, and who later served as a new doctor combating Ebola in west Africa, will speak in his home town later this week and sign copies of his new book.

"My mom was in prison most of my life, and my sister did time," says Antonio Webb, 32, who now is in his residency as an orthopedic surgeon in San Antonio, Texas. He grew up in the Allendale, Queensborough and Meadows neighborhood off Jewella Avenue.

"My dad did the best he could as a single parent to keep us isolated from what was going on. I was lucky in that I left Shreveport at an early age, 17, after I graduated from high school. If I'd have stayed in Shreveport there would have been a different outcome."

Tue
14
Oct

Making Militarism Visible: slideshow

This powerpoint presentation is a version of an exhibition, built by New Profile, which highlights the everyday militarism of Israeli society. The exhibition is also available in Arabic and French. You can download the powerpoint here.

Mon
15
Sep

Selling Israeli Militarism Like Toothpaste

From children's shows to national war drills, a discussion on militarism in Israeli society and gender equality in the army.
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On Wednesday, June 22nd, Israel held the largest war exercise in its history. The Real News' Lia Tarachansky interviewed Rela Mazali, the founder of New Profile, an organization working to demilitarize Israeli society, and Alex Cohn, a war resister who served five months for objecting to serve in the army. Cohn analyses a children's show that portrays a typical interaction between soldiers and Israeli children as part

Selling Israeli Militarism Like Toothpaste
Thu
11
Sep

Open Letter to Wrexham Council about Armed Forces Day

North Wales Armed Forces Day is this year being held in Wrexham. We are being asked to 'celebrate' and 'thank' our Armed Forces without any critical analysis of the recent conflicts they have been involved in. The event will be used by the military as a recruitment exercise, and much of this will be aimed at children.

Over 100 people have signed an open letter to Wrexham County Borough Council protesting its promotion, sponsorship and funding of this event and the use of a picture of a toddler in military gear to advertise it. The council has yet to respond.

Open letter to Wrexham County Borough Council

We note that Wrexham Council is sponsoring and promoting North Wales Armed Forces Day 2014 on Saturday 21 June, and are horrified that a picture of a toddler dressed in military uniform is being used to advertise the event.

Thu
21
Aug

While bombs fall on Gaza: Resisting militarism in Israel

Photo: Direct action against Gaza attack by ActiveStills

Originally posted at: http://afsc.org/friends/while-bombs-fall-gaza-resisting-militarism-israel

While the bombs fall on Gaza and the majority of Israeli society seems to support the continuance of the military attack on Gaza, we, as Israelis horrified by the actions of our government, find our voices lost. What can we say and do? What value might this have? How can our echoes have any impact on the situation now?

Wed
20
Aug

LETTER FROM LONDON: British army’s adverts sell dreams of adventure

FOR a South African unused to it, it’s startling to see the number of gung-ho military recruitment advertisements flighted on British television. Targeted at youths who have grown up playing Call of Duty on their gaming consoles, the adverts make military life look like a scene from a video game.

There’s much fun to be had and skills to acquire. It’s like the Boy Scouts, but you get to play with real tanks, shoot real guns, blow stuff up, build bridges over rivers in far-flung locations. Kwaai, ek sê.

Join the Royal Marines and you could stalk and capture baddies with the sharp skills they’ll teach you.

The advert for the reserves must get a special mention. That particular message can be summed up thus: you might be a stationery salesman in a digital age, so why not ditch the daily drudgery for camouflage on the weekends and be more than a pencil pusher?

Mon
11
Aug

Publicity campaigns in public spaces

The German Bundeswehr in the struggle for the hearts and minds of the German people

Wed
25
Jun

Our lives are militarised

You may have seen some symptoms of an increasingly militarised society over the past few years. Soldiers on a train in uniform. The change in tone of Remembrance Day, from ‘never again’ to ‘support out troops.’ Michael Gove’s determination to get the military into schools so ‘every child can benefit from the values of a military ethos.'

I had been noticing the trend for months when I met with Emma Sangster from Forces Watch, a tiny NGO focused on the issue of unethical military recruitment. She confirmed that there is a conscious strategy for a more militarised society, outlined in a 2008 report by Quentin Davies MP and senior defence officials Bill Clark and Martin Sharp.

Mon
14
Apr

Arab youth take to Nazareth streets in anti-IDF draft rally

Protestors say inducting Christians into the Israeli military would split Arab society.

Groups opposed to the drafting of Christian Arab youth into the Israel Defense Forces, including the youth wing of the Hadash party, staged a protest rally in Nazareth on Saturday in which male and female teens marched into Spring Square in the center of town dressed in military attire and carrying toy rifles.

Read more...Haaretz

Photo by Limor Adri

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