From Draft NOtices, October-December 2018
— Edward Hasbrouck 
The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service came to Southern California during September 19-21. It was the only visit west of the Rockies on a national tour of public events, private site visits, and closed-door meetings preparatory to making recommendations to Congress and the President in 2020. The Commission’s recommendations are supposed to address the future of the Selective Service System, draft registration, and a possible special-skills draft or other compulsory service program.
The Commission’s itinerary included a brief public "listening session" at California State University Los Angeles, a visit to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, and other undisclosed meetings.
The only public event of the Commission’s three-day SoCal visit was at CSULA. The first hour was devoted to a "service fair" with information tables and recruiters for voluntary service organizations. No counter-recruitment organizations were invited or allowed to participate. The second hour was a panel discussion with four young veterans of the military, the Peace Corps, City Year, and the LA Conservation Corps.
The focus of the panel was on voluntary service. Most of the panelists and participants in the "service fair" hadn't been told that the Commission is tasked by Congress with studying the draft and compulsory service. Several indicated privately that they felt used by the Commission. The agenda and speaker list appeared to have been planned to create a stage-managed and fake appearance of a "consensus" in favor of requiring military or civilian "national service" from all young people.
Despite claims that, "The Commission seeks to learn more about why people serve and why people may choose not to serve,” all of the invited witnesses at all of the Commission's public events throughout the country have been invited as promoters of voluntary service. No one has been invited to speak to the Commission about the reasons people might not serve, or want to serve, in the military.
Read more: National Commission on Military Service Comes to SoCal
During the weekend of June 23-24, 2018, a group of 28 activists gathered in Chicago to share the knowledge and lessons they have learned from organizing to counter the militarization of schools and military recruitment of young people. They came from various regions of the U.S. and met at the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center.
The motto for the U.S. Army Reserve’s Psychological Operations Command is “Persuade. Change. Influence,” which is exactly what Captain Brittany DeBarros aims to do — only, instead, her messaging is in complete opposition to the U.S. military industrial complex.
