Pentagon Creating A Database Of Students

needacoolnickname writes "The Washington Post is reporting that the Pentagon is working with a marketing firm to create a database of students ages 16 through college to help them identify recruits. A little chuckle from the Pentagon in the article: '...anyone can opt out of the system by providing detailed personal information that will be kept in a separate suppression file. That file will be matched with the full database regularly to ensure that those who do not wish to be contacted are not, according to the Pentagon.'"

Comments

You are expendable pawns.

[grub]

to create a database of students ages 16 through college to help them identify recruits.

It will start similar to "Student A has a rich family, pass. Ahh.. Student B is lower-middle class, offer Student B a scholarship attached to a term in the Reserves." and end with "Draft Student B."

Re:You are expendable pawns.

[wolfgang_spangler]

Dead on. And the poorer people eat it up. They see it as an avenue, perhaps the only one, from poverty. The government doesn't give two shits about them. They aren't likely to contribute much in taxes in their lifetime and they aren't likey to start a business which can help the economy. In short: they are a nuisance. The governments tell them how great they are and what a good thing it is to fight for your country. It's just glorified welfare with a bloody cost.
What a bunch of crap. The military can be a great way out of poverty. That doesn't mean joining the military will make you rich, but it:

• removes many from a lot of bad situations
• teaches important basics not installed in many poor, inner-city families
  • personal finance
  • personal responsibility
  • respect for others and yourself
  • honor
• provides excellent job skills for many
• can provide security clearances which translate into govt jobs

oh yeah, there is also that little added benefit of a trained military force being the only thing between you being able to post self-righteous crap like this and you being forced to obey the whims of some dictator.
And if you think Bush is a dictator, it really shows how ignorant and coddled you are in this country, protected by the troops which you disdain.

Re:You are expendable pawns.

[Derkec]

Oh come on Slashdot, you're giving this guy high marks for commenting that 'devoutly and unquestioningly religous' or 'boy/girl scouts' are 'exactly the kinds of people we want getting shot ' and killed?

Terrible.

We do want patriotic people in the armed forces. But we need people who are bright, can understand local politics and react intelligently to the nasty tactical issues urban combat involves.

Re:You are expendable pawns.

[theGreater]

Hey AC (and the rest of /.): when did being a person of faith, a boyscout, and FBLA become an object of ridicule? Why not add 4H and FFA in there as well, and anyone else that doesn't automatically yes-man your narrow-minded paranoia?

New World Order

[TripMaster Monkey]

Just when I think our society can't get any more Orwellian, we see this:

1. The Defense Department will compile and maintain a database of students, which will include such personal information as birth dates, Social Security numbers, e-mail addresses, grade-point averages, ethnicity and school subjects.
   
2. Anyone who wants to opt out of this database will be kept in another database instead (most probably named something like 'potential dissidents').
   
3. The Defense Department will share all this personal info with non-military organizations, such as law enforcement and state tax authorities.
   

It's a hat-trick of privacy violation.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, too...soon this will be expanded to all americans eligible for military service...then all americans, period. Refusing to submit your info for this database will automatically label you as a dissident, although what with the new national IDs coming out, you'll be in that database whether you like it or not.

Welcome to the New World Order.

(P.S.: Here's a link to the various privacy advocates' letter to the Pentagon referenced in the article.)

Re:Interview

[TripMaster Monkey]

Officer: How many girlfriends have you had?

Candidate: None. I'm gay. A real faggot.

Officer: Nice try...your file says you are a confirmed hetero. Go pick up your uniform, maggot.

Opt out

[Anonymous Coward]

Opt-out isn't as easy as it seems. You can't just delete somebody from the database, because then you have no record of them opting-out the next time you do a data load from your source. The only way to properly do opt-out is to put them in a separate opt-out DB.

dom

Re:the draft

[xnderxnder]

> When this fails to get enough recruits can the draft be far behind?

Am I the only one thinking that the "suppression file" is also aliased as "the first to be drafted file"

evil evil evil..

Remember!

[dr_dank]

Service guarantees citizenship!

Do your part!

Would you like to know more?

One step beyond..

[PopeAlien]

Thats funny - they already get names addresses and telephone numbers from schools in exchange for federal aid as noted in this article

A little-noticed clause in the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to hand over students' names, addresses and telephone numbers to military recruiters as a condition of receiving federal aid.

I guess this would fill in the gaps and really make sure 'no child is left behind'.

I wonder would this lead to more or less stories like this:

In one well-publicized case in Colorado, Army recruiters were tape-recorded encouraging a student journalist posing as a high school dropout to create a diploma from a non-existent school to comply with military enlistment requirements. They also were heard giving him advice on how to disguise a chronic "marijuana problem" and how to pass a mandatory drug test.

Re:One step beyond..

[snorklewacker]

> They also were heard giving him advice on how to disguise a chronic "marijuana problem" and how to pass a mandatory drug test.

The fake diploma thing is downright dishonest, but I've had employers tell me before a drug test "just drink a whole lot of gatorade a few days before and take a b12 tablet the day of the test". It's not like the kid was a crackhead, and these folks figured, probably rightly, that the army might clean him up.

Before shipping him off to get him killed for the commander-in-chief's personal vendetta of course.

By the way, it'd lead to less stories. They'll be able to screen out those pesky journalists. Word to the wise student: take journalism.

Re:One step beyond..

[sgtrock]

As bad as this sounds, it used to be much, MUCH worse back in the late '70s. Back then, the All Volunteer Force was just getting off the ground. Also, many civilians really believed that anyone who wished to serve his or her country in uniform was either a latent baby killer, or a complete incompetent who couldn't make it in the 'real world'.

I was lucky enough to have an honest recruiter for the Navy warn me up front about what I'd be facing if I put the uniform on. However, once I reached boot camp I heard plenty of horror stories; lots of recruiters who lied about conditions, guys whose recruiters took the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) for them, faked drug tests by recruiters, recruiters who lied on the paperwork about recruits' educational background, etc.

Why was this going on? Well, mostly because the Navy would severely punish sailors who did not meet their recruiting quota. When you have some guy with 15 years in uniform who was struggling just to support his family (on food stamps no less!), staring at the possibility of the loss of his pension because he's about to lose a stripe (which puts him below the minimum rank to be allowed to re-enlist to reach 20 years), he'll do what he has to to avoid it. When you have guys who are facing the possibility of time in the brig if they don't meet quota, they'll do what they have to to avoid it. And forget ever making chief petty officer if you get a letter of reprimand because you missed one monthly quota!

Because the risks to a career were so high, recruiting duty at the time was considered as unpaid hazardous duty by many. Sailors used to volunteer for back to back sea duty tours just to avoid it.

Re:OK... I'll bite

[FauxPasIII]

> It never ceases to amaze that a large majority of the people on this board have an innate aversion to
> serve the country that has provided them with the most freedom and liberty of ANY government in the
> history of man

-nod- This is one of the areas of damage done by the Bush administration that I think doesn't get nearly
enough attention. With the current state of affairs, there is arguably no way for a conscientious American
to serve their country through the military.

When the military is being misused and abused by the civilian leadership in ways that demonstrably
hurt this country and make us less safe, nevermind needlessly sacrificing the soldiers themselves,
what choices is a patriotic American left with in order to serve their country in this way? All I've been
able to come up with is to vote, be politically active, and volunteer for and donate to good organizations
like the Red Cross, the ACLU, BlackBoxVoting.org and Operation Truth.

You're confusing "country" with "political party".

[khasim]

Listen folks, here's the deal. Many people are opposed to the war, both inside and outside of the military. This is inconcequential to this discussion.

No. You're wrong. There is a REASON that this war is BECOMING unpopular.

And tracking kids so the government can pressure them into fighting such a war is the PROBLEM.

The reality of the entire issue is this: We are a nation founded on revolution and war.

No. Look up "Boston Tea Party". Our country was founded upon the belief in certain Rights.

Our power in the world was won through superior military force.

Only recently. Before that, it was because of our vast natural resources and distance from the established armies of the other nations.

We are currently having difficulty in maintaining that force.

You might want to look at the Founding Fathers' views on a standing military.

Measures are being taken to resolve that issue. Period. Don't cry to me about big brother or dead children.

That sounds a bit too much like "the ends justify the means".

Look at the world around you and realize that the reason you enjoy your freedoms is because of the blood spilt by hundreds of thousands of Americans who paid the price for you.

Here's the flaw in that claim.

Because some people joined the military and fought and died for Freedom does not mean that everyone who dies in the military furthers Freedom.

Check out Kuwait. We "Freed" them from Iraqi invasion ... but they still don't allow women to vote.

This "Freedom" thing is a bit tricky, no?

If people really don't want thier children getting blown up, then don't vote for a president who will go to war so easily.

So people who didn't vote for Bush are exempt from this database?

If you are afraid of "big brother", don't use credit cards, save your money and pay for everything in cash.

And now you're into "blaming the victim".

Why not just make it illegal for those companies to collect that information on me?

Our modern society is productive because of our ability to exploit knowledge opportunities.

That can mean anything from filing a patent on your new, effective, cold fusion generator to filming your neighbor in the shower.

Now that it's being done for the defense of the country, people want to complain.

This is not about "defense of the country". Iraq was no threat to the USofA.

If a marketing company sent you a free box of Tide Detergent in the mail you wouldn't bitch, because you're greedy like that.

Getting a sample box of Tide == tracking kids to target them for recruitment

Right.

Well, you're being given freedom, and it's going to require some computers and research to get it done.

No one "gives" anyone else "Freedom".

And tracking kids is the OPPOSITE of Freedom.

No one forces the hand of the individual to sign the paper.

That is correct. But this isn't about forcing them to sign. This is about tracking them to specifically target them.

So shut up about all the crap, take a deep breath and try not to choke on the sweet air of freedom.

You use that word a lot, but I don't think you understand what it means.

Went to school? Thank a teacher.

Okay, but shouldn't I also thank the people who funded the school system and paid the teachers' salaries?

You are, of course, aware tha

Re:Article Content

[Locke2005]

The Pentagon's statements added that anyone can "opt out" of the system by providing detailed personal information that will be kept in a separate "suppression file." This database will also be known as the "FBI list of unpatriotic potential terrorists". We'll be keeping on eye on you, kid!

Existing petitions to block this...

[mrch0mp3rs]

There is already some organized activity to counter the provision in the No Child Left Behind Act that requires public high schools to hand over private student information to military recruiters. They counter this by supporting, instead, the Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005, which reverses the current legislation and requires schools to first obtain parental permission before releasing private student information to military recruiters.

Here's a link to more information:

http://www.themmob.com/lmca/about.html