Watch THE CAMDEN 28/Need ASVAB Test-taker for AP Story..

The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee is hosting its latest FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The theme is Seeking the Truth Through Documentaries.   The fourth film in the series is THE CAMDEN 28 [USA, 2006], and it will be shown on Fri., Apr. 30 at my place.  If interested in seeing the DVD, RSVP to Max at 410-366-1637 for directions.

 

As director, Anthony Giacchino uncovers a gripping lost chapter in the history of human rights activism with this documentary, reminiscence about a predominantly Catholic group's efforts to defy the Vietnam War by compromising the Selective Service System. More than 30 years after they were tried and cleared of breaking into a Camden federal building in a botched attempt to destroy draft records, these men and women are still the coolest cats in the room, recalling from the same courtroom where they were prosecuted how their nonviolent resistance to the war was a moral duty consistent with their Catholic faith. Most of the film takes place outside the courtroom with a mix of interviews and archival footage through which the struggle of the Camden 28's decision to confront the government's exploitation of the poor comes alive.  

 

Doors open at 7 PM, and the DVD starts at 7:30 PM.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.  A discussion will follow.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Sorry about the quasi-spam format here.

 

I need help with this.  Any suggestions?

 

You know that Maryland has become the first state to pass a law to prohibit military testing for recruiting purposes in the state’s high schools. It’s big deal that one state has summoned the courage to look the Pentagon squarely in the eye and say, “No, you can’t do this anymore in OUR schools.”

 

There are movements in at least eight states to follow Maryland’s lead.   

 

It would be a real shot in the arm if the mainstream media would report on this success.  For its part, the Washington Post ran a story that contained several inaccuracies and caused the reader to wonder why the legislation was necessary.  The writer, Michael Burnbaum, has promised a correction that has not been forthcoming.

 

We need the mainstream media to run a story across the country that examines the issue and the necessity of passing such a law to protect Maryland’s youth. We need the 4^th estate to perform in order to affect change.

 

Kathleen Miller, a reporter with the Associated Press, has written a lengthy piece, analyzing the legislation and  the conditions that necessitated its passage.  Her editor, however, is holding up the release of the piece because Kathleen can’t find a single soul in Maryland who has taken the test and is willing to say they were required to take the test, they were encouraged to take it, or they didn’t understand information would be forwarded to the Pentagon.

 

Can you help me with this?  Can you think of youth who may have taken the test in Maryland in the last 10 years or so? 

 

To the editor and to the public, this may seem like a completely bogus issue if we can’t come up with one individual willing to go on the record.

 

Pat Elder

 

Peace Action Montgomery