Pamela Schwartz / National Priorities Project – 2005-11-03 09:52:58
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
(November 1, 2005) — In the long tradition of National Priorities Project turning data into action, NPP releases today a major expansion of the NPP Database. With the addition of military recruitment data, we’re once again highlighting the cost of war and militarism on local communities
As of today, from anywhere in the country, you can find out the number of military recruits in 2004 that came from your high school, zip code,county or your state, along with breakdowns by race, ethnicity, genderand income levels. Get your local numbers at: www.national priorities.org/database
To get a snapshot overview and analysis of the military recruitment data, which includes tables and charts, go to www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruitment
Working with Peacework Magazine (www.afsc.org/peacework),which submitted the Freedom of Information Act request for military enlistment data, NPP’s analyses reveal the disproportionate impact of military recruitment on low and middle-income communities
The data also show:
• The highest recruitment rates — defined as the number ofrecruits per thousand of the 18-24 year-old population — were found in counties that were relatively poorer than the rest of the nation. All of the top 20 counties had median household incomes below the national level, and 19 of the 20 had median household incomes below their respective state level
• The three largest schools or programs in the country from which recruits were drawn included the GED Test Center in the New York State Education Department, the Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, Texas and another GED-based program in New York.
• Montana — a state with low median household income and high poverty rates — led the country in state recruitment rates. Rhode Island was at the bottom.
• High income neighborhoods are under-represented. Low and middle- income neighborhoods are over-represented.
As the Iraq War continues and the number of soldiers killed and wounded mounts, this data makes clear that low- and middle-income kids are paying the highest price. It’s young people with limited opportunities that are putting their lives on the line
Parents, students and concerned activists by the thousands have voiced their concerns in recent months about military recruitment tactics. Now, the NPP Database will be used to help people focus their efforts on the states, counties, zip codes, and schools mostly heavilyimpacted by military recruitment
Please contact the National Youth and Militarism Program of American Friends Service Committee, at youthmil@afsc.org or call (215) 241-7176 to connect with activists in your region
We welcome your feedback and suggestions as to how the NPP Database in general and the military recruitment data in particular can best serveyour needs. We hope this resource will provide you with tools tobetter understand and respond to federal government practices that can be a matter of life and death in your communities
Pamela Schwartz is Outreach Director National Priorities Project pschwartz@nationalpriorities.org (413) 584-9556, www.nationalpriorities.org
