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The percentage of Army enlistees who joined the service with a high school diploma went from almost 84 percent in 2005 to less than 71 percent last year, according to the analysis by the nonprofit National Priorities Project.
The data also revealed a steep decline in what the Army considers "high-quality" recruits, an assessment based on a combination of their education levels and scores on the Armed Forces Qualification Test; in fiscal year 2005, for example, 56 percent of enlistees were designated by the Army as high quality, while last year 45 percent were, the analysis found.
The findings were based on raw data that the Army Recruiting Command compiles on each new recruit, including hometown, income level, race, education, and test scores. The National Priorities Project obtained the information through the Freedom of Information Act and analyzed it, according to Anita Dancs, the organization's research director.
The above is from Bryan Bender's "Army recruits with diplomas hit 25-year low" (Boston Globe). Meanwhile Morgan Miller (KPVI) reports that former US service member Michael Mahaffy, picked up on drug charges, remains held in jail due to what appears to be a mix up regarding his 2004 discharge status and quotes his lawyer, Victor Bunitsky, stating, "They keep telling him they have a warrant on him, but they can't produce it. I asked for it when I was at the jail, but they can't produce it. I asked for it at the county clerk's office. They don't have a warrant. We called the U.S. Attorney's Office. They don't have a warrant for him."
This Friday on NOW on PBS, the program looks at Michael Moore's Sicko as well as another 'documentary,' the Charlie Ferguson's Lies which exist to sell the lie that the illegal war wasn't planned and to perpetuate illegal wars but argue that they should be better planned. Can a CoFR with a ton of money to blow become a 'documentary film maker'? Maybe in the eyes of the PBS.
From faux art to real art, Melissa Etheridge's new CD The Awakening gets a strong review from Detorit's Metro Times:
The album's final tracks allude to anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and conscientious objector Army Lieutenant Ehren Watada. The stunning closing tracks, "Imagine That" and "What Happens Tomorrow," ultimately articulate Etheridge's real motive is making this album: an American artist and mother who wants a better world for her -- and our -- children, plain and simple. It'll be fascinating to see where her conscience takes her from here.
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bryan bender
morgan miller
now on pbs
melissa etheridge
ehren watada
