Free Speech and Counter Recruiting at CSU-Fresno
By Mike Rhodes
April 16, 2005

A determined group of activists returned for day two at CSU-Fresno Vintage Days to hold the military recruiters accountable for the information they were distributing. The group of CSUF students, faculty, and community members were there to hand out fliers that tell potential recruits some of the things the Army recruiters might fail to mention. For example, the recruiters will tell people that they won’t be sent to Iraq when the truth is that a member of the military will be sent wherever the military decides to send them. Recruiters will tell students that they can learn a skill in the military. What they don’t say is that there is very little need for tank mechanics in civilian life.

Some of the activists had been told the day before (Friday, April 15) that if they continued to hand out fliers they would be cited and could face arrest. Everyone who came to hand out fliers today understood there was a risk of arrest. When campus police officers arrived to respond to a complaint by the recruiters, they did not even talk with the counter recruiters. The complaint involved the alteration of a recruiting flier which had a picture of wounded soldiers and asked readers to Take a Challenge, put your mind to the ultimate test!

The flier went on to say:

The Army recruiters stormed over to the counter recruiting display and removed the flier claiming that they were the only ones that could use the phrase U.S. Army Special Forces, Dare to be the Best. The campus police did not seem concerned with the issue and left after a few minutes.

As the drum circle provided its rhythmic contribution, activists challenged the ban on handing out fliers. An administration official from CSUF came and talked to one of the drummers and asked if he could stop people from handing out fliers. Nobody seemed interesting in giving up their First Amendment right to Free Speech. They continued handing out their fliers until the last flier they had was gone.

The counter recruiters learned that while Vintage Days was open to the public and being held at Fresno State University, it was under the control of a private corporation. Infinity Broadcasting, the media conglomerate that owns several stations in Fresno and hundreds more around the country, was charging groups $750 each for a booth. Talk radio station KMJ 580 AM is owned by Infinity Broadcasting and they are home to Rush Limbaugh and other right wing ideologues. The activists were surprised to hear that they were also the group that was interfering with their right to free Speech at CSUF.

Counter recruiting efforts are scheduled to resume at 11 AM on Sunday morning.