Articles from Draft NOtices, July-September 2013

Patriotism and Propaganda — Superman: Man of Steel

– Oskar Castro

Once again it is summer blockbuster season. Along with incessant pleas for us to spend hard-earned dollars to see the flick claiming to have the biggest explosions and the most seamless CGI, we are also inundated with advertising tie-in campaigns on screens big and small. This, of course, is nothing new. But what many people are unaware of is that the military has been in on this game of working with Hollywood filmmakers for even longer than the retailers have been playing the game. And, like most things, with age comes experience.-Full Article

Military Sexual Assault: It’s the Culture

— Kathy Gilberd

The military is once again in crisis over sexual assaults. In recent weeks, it has become more apparent than ever that the military’s sexual assault policy is a failure and that sexual assault in the services has become epidemic. In early May, the Department of Defense (DoD) released new figures showing a significant increase in reported and unreported assaults. DoD estimates that more than 26,000 servicemembers were assaulted in 2012, with only 3,374 of these cases reported to the military.-Full Article

Army Report Analyzes Decreasing Popularity of High School Military Testing

— Paula Hoffman-Villanueva

We hear a great deal about the over-use of tests in schools, but one test that we all need to pay more attention to is the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). The ASVAB is purported to be a series of vocational interest and academic skills tests, and the emblem of the sponsoring Department of Defense is intentionally downplayed on the testing materials. Since 1968, millions of high school students have taken the ASVAB and, as a result, have unwittingly given the military access to their personal information. This information is then turned over to recruiters, raising serious legal concerns regarding privacy rights and protections.-Full Article