Posted 1:33 PM
by The Moderator
[This is an update to our newsletter last spring on Child Soldiers and Recruiting. As this is free online and is obviously marketed to children, it MAY be in breach of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, which the US actually signed last year. See http://cebo.org/2003_02_01_archives_newsletter.html]
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U.S. Army uses video game to recruit soldiers
Three-million strong online
Shawn Jeffords
National Post
Monday, November 24, 2003
Three million people worldwide have joined America's Army -- online.
The popular Internet video game of the same name, which can be legally downloaded for free at www.aaohq.com, has young adults around the world scrambling to join and train like a real U.S. Army soldier and act out combat scenarios in online teams.
The game is also an increasingly important recruitment and branding tool for the U.S. Army as it attempts to reach a young audience that knows little about the army and spends much of its time in front of a computer.
"It's very efficient for us in terms of communicating with people," said Chris Chambers, deputy director of the America's Army project. "This is much cheaper than those alternate mediums.... It [creates] an engagement with someone. They come in and play for hours as opposed to a few seconds for a print ad or TV ad."
The army has spent $10-million over four years developing the game and has just released a new version based on Special Forces operations. In the past week, more than 200,000 people have joined to play the new scenarios.
The army is not using the game to draw recruits into its offices, Mr. Chambers said, but to start a dialogue with young adults.
"It's meant to break the ice and teach them about what soldiering is as a profession. We wanted to break down some of the barriers that there may be to communication and try to connect with them realistically and honestly."
It is that realism that has video game players interested.
Dan Morris, executive editor of PC Gamer magazine, reviewed the game and gave it a score of 88%. There is no overt attempt to recruit, but links to the U.S. Army's Web site are displayed.
"They aren't busting through your windows on ziplines, no," Mr. Morris said, laughing. However, he said the technology used to create the game is impressive enough to persuade some people to enlist.
"It's ahead of the technology curve," Mr. Morris said. "It's not just a run-and-gun shooter.... It's more realistic. It's team-driven, with goals and objectives. You have to watch your buddies' backs and work together. It's more of a tactical simulation."
While the game has been praised for its realism, the teen rating, part of a system used to inform parents of the content of video games, limits the gore the game can show, said Ryan Moore, a Toronto-based player.
"I've been playing and had a grenade thrown into a group of players I've been standing in and, when it explodes, the soldiers just throw their arms up and fall down," he said. "I shudder to think what a real grenade would do to the human body at that close a range."
Mr. Moore, 25, said he has chatted with younger players who boast as soon as they turn 18, they are going to join the army. He said the appeal for him is that the game is free and of excellent quality.
"It's not making me want to join the armed forces. I get blown up far too often to go out and join," Mr. Moore said. "I have relatives who are in the Canadian Forces and have served in Afghanistan. It's not nearly as glamorous as [the U.S. Army] likes to portray it."
Mr. Moore, who plays under the name JTF2_Canada, said his username has garnered a few decidedly hostile receptions from American players. "I have had a few negative experiences with Americans who have outright attacked me, but it's rare," he said. "I sense a certain amount of immaturity when that type of thing happens."
Players are punished with a 10-minute stay in a virtual version of Fort Leavenworth military prison if they shoot a teammate or civilian.
The U.S. Army is working on further expansion packages and a version of the game will be released for PlayStation 2 in 2004.
Captain Vance White, a public affairs officer with the Canadian Forces, said Canada's military has looked at the success the U.S. Army has had with the game but has no plans to develop its own version. "We have a limited number of resources both in manpower and financial resources," he said. "We have priorities to bring people into the Canadian Forces instead of having Canadian youth stay at home and play video games."
Posted 12:12 PM
by The Moderator
Brooklyn Parents for Peace Statement on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
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We condemn the violence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which not only destroys innocent lives, but also provokes an endless spiral of retaliatory violence. We mourn the loss of life of Palestinians and Israelis. We call for an end to all suicide bombings, an end to Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians, the dismantling of the wall Israel is building within the West Bank, and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
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We recognize that both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples have suffered great wrongs at the hands of the other, albeit in different and unequal ways. Both have legitimate grievances and fears. We insist that Israeli and Palestinian lives are equally precious. We insist that the Israeli and Palestinian peoples have equal rights to national self - determination and to live in peace and security. We insist that the Israeli and Palestinian peoples have equal rights to a fair share of the land and resources of historic Palestine.
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We believe a true peace plan must include
: . Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza.
: . Two national states, Israel and Palestine, with equal sovereignty, equal rights and equal responsibilities.
: . Democracy, respect for human rights, equal citizenship for all, and no discrimination on the basis of religion in both states.
: . Partition along the pre-1967 border as modified only by minor territorial swaps mutually agreed upon by Palestinian and Israeli authorities.
: . Israeli evacuation of all settlements in the occupied territories except those within the agreed swapped areas.
: . Palestinian and Arab recognition of Israel and renunciation of any further territorial claims.
: . Palestinian acceptance of negotiated limitations on the "right of return" in exchange for financial compensation for refugees.
: . Jerusalem internationalized unless Israel and Palestine agree otherwise.
In order for the Geneva Accord or any peace plan to be effective, we call for:
: Immediate cessation of US military aid to Israel and conditioning civilian aid on Israeli acceptance of an internationally agreed two-state solution as here proposed
: Creation of a multinational force to monitor compliance and an international commission with responsibility for implementing the refugee agreement.
: Major commitments by the international donor community
