WDCN

David Giffey to Speak

On Memorial Day, May 30 from 11am to 2pm, join us downtown in James Madison park in commemoration of the veterans of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War.  We will meet at the Valb Monument.

David Giffey, the featured speaker, will speak on counter recruitment.  Giffey is an accomplished artist and a veteran of the Vietnam War. His major projects in Wisconsin include murals at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Aldo Leopold school, Door County Community Auditorium, Boys and Girls Club of Dance County, Bethel Horizons, Black Earth State Bank, and the mourning dove effigy mound at the Highground memorial. His photo exhibit Struggle for Justice: The Migrant Farm Worker Labor Movement in Wisconsin is frequently on display around the state. His publications include The People's Stories of South Madison.

John Nichols will be the Master of Ceremonies.  Hot coffee and cold drinks will be provided.

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2006

The Center on Conscience and War is monitoring congressional activity on the National Defense Authorization Act.  Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) offered an amendment that will require a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of criminal activity by military recruiters.  If this amendment passes, the study will be an important step toward curbing aggressive recruitment tactics and criminal behavior.

"Opt-in" - Family Privacy Protection Act

Please contact your representative in the U.S. House and either ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 551 or thank them for doing so if they already have.

 

H.R. 551 was introduced by Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) and would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and would basically reverse the current "opt-out" status quo.  This bill, known as the Family Privacy Protection Act, would require that parents consent in writing BEFORE their child's name, address, and phone number are released to military recruiters.

 

This bill would be a major boon to counter-recruiting efforts!  No Wisconsin Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors. Please take action ASAP!

Veterans for Peace

Madison Veterans for Peace is a founding member group of the Wisconsin Draft Counseling Network.  Who better to carry a message of peace than those who have experienced military service first hand?  All across the nation veterans are working together for peace and justice through non-violence.

Belief in God

While conscientious objector status does not require a belief in god, or membership in a particular religious group, many churches and religious groups are ready to support people who believe that all war is wrong.  Mennonites and Quakers have strong traditions of pacifism.  Other Christian denominations also encourage acts of conscience when faced with the stark reality of war.  The Lutheran Peace Fellowship, the Catholic Worker Movement, progressive Presbyterians, and many others support individual acts of conscience within their faiths.

We Are Not Alone

The internet provides contact information useful to people who are organizing for peace.  Mailing lists and weblogs are two useful tools for interaction.  Send us an email or leave a comment here and we will hook you up with people in your community who are working for peace.

Any active member of the Wisconsin Draft Counseling Network is welcome to contribute material to this website.  Just send us an email and we'll set you up.

Draft Counseling

Facing the fact that the government's demand for military personnel will soon exceed its ability to support an all volunteer force, the Wisconsin Draft Counseling Network offers counseling and counselor training in association with the Madison Mennonite Church, Madison Friends Meeting, the Madison Area Peace Coalition, the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, and many other groups.

Counter Recruitment

Counter Recruitment is a grassroots movement that has grown out of public concern about military expansion in this time of war.   Central to the counter recruitment effort is the action to protect high school students from the high pressure salesmanship and deceptive tactics used by military recruiters faced with enlistment quotas.   

Conscientious Objection

A conscientious objector is an individual whose personal beliefs are incompatible with military service, or sometimes with any role in the armed forces. This constitutes a conflict in the case of conscription.  Among the resources available to conscientious objectors is information and support provided by the Central Committee on Conscientious Objection as well as draft counseling resources provided by the Center on Conscience and War.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Wisconsin Draft Counseling Network website.  Comments are enabled on this site so anyone with a question may feel free to leave a comment following this "post."  Posting privileges are available for any active participants in the network.  Just send me an email to the following address and I'll set you up with as an author.

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