Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
ROTC Supporters Threaten JROTC Opponents
"Hey you stupid hatin azz bitch!!! Better watch ur fkn bk ya dumbazz whore!" This was just one of the threatening MySpace messages directed at Mara Kubrin, a senior at Lowell High School, following the vote by the San Francisco school board to phase JROTC out of the City's public schools. On Tuesday evening, November 14, Mara presented a petition to the board opposing JROTC, signed by over 800 students. The next morning her picture appeared in the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, and the flood of threats began.
"God you know how many people you have made cry & how many people hate you! & wanna Beat you up & Slap the Shit out of you!!!!" The Chronicle has editorialized that JROTC teaches "leadership skills and self-discipline." One of the program's supporters demonstrated that leadership, if not self-discipline, by drafting a bulletin with Mara's picture, calling her a "traitor," identifying her as a student at Lowell, and claiming that "by viewing this... [you agree] to release said author from all damages resulting from... any physical or mental damages resulting from violence" as a result of the bulletin.
"Man those pic bulletins of you are really funny. i mean HAHAH! funny. Like LOL funny. BITCH."
MySpace web pages are often private, which means that they can not be accessed without the permission of the individual involved. Mara's page is private. Yet, somehow, the person who drafted the inflammatory bulletin about Mara hacked into her page, got vital information about her and her family, and broadcast it with a link to her MySpace page -- resulting in the deluge of threatening MySpace messages.
"DAMN HOE U BETTER LISTEN UP... I FEEL SORRY 4 UR MOTHER 4 GIVEN BIRTH 2 YA UGLY ASS... U BETTER FUCKIN WATCH UR PIMPLE ASS BAK BEFORE PPL GO JUMPIN UR ASS UP SHIET HA..."
Ironically, when Mara presented the petition at the school board she claimed that many students opposed to JROTC were afraid to come to the meeting, fearing intimidation by JROTC students. The threats she has received since then have proven that point.
Others have experienced similar intimidation. Bonnie Weinstein has posted an open letter on the Bay Area United Against War web page -- http://bauaw.org -- stating that "several of them [JROTC supporters] physically threatened Cristina Guitierrez, myself and others as we left [the school board meeting] -- it was scary to see them filled with so much hate. Of course, that's why we want JROTC out of our schools. (You may not be aware that JROTC students were laughing when Cristina told of being tortured by U.S. Military-trained Columbian troops.) I was also very puzzled that their 'teachers' were not there with them to counsel them after the vote was taken..."
More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3940#more
"Man those pic bulletins of you are really funny. i mean HAHAH! funny. Like LOL funny. BITCH."
MySpace web pages are often private, which means that they can not be accessed without the permission of the individual involved. Mara's page is private. Yet, somehow, the person who drafted the inflammatory bulletin about Mara hacked into her page, got vital information about her and her family, and broadcast it with a link to her MySpace page -- resulting in the deluge of threatening MySpace messages.
"DAMN HOE U BETTER LISTEN UP... I FEEL SORRY 4 UR MOTHER 4 GIVEN BIRTH 2 YA UGLY ASS... U BETTER FUCKIN WATCH UR PIMPLE ASS BAK BEFORE PPL GO JUMPIN UR ASS UP SHIET HA..."
Ironically, when Mara presented the petition at the school board she claimed that many students opposed to JROTC were afraid to come to the meeting, fearing intimidation by JROTC students. The threats she has received since then have proven that point.
Others have experienced similar intimidation. Bonnie Weinstein has posted an open letter on the Bay Area United Against War web page -- http://bauaw.org -- stating that "several of them [JROTC supporters] physically threatened Cristina Guitierrez, myself and others as we left [the school board meeting] -- it was scary to see them filled with so much hate. Of course, that's why we want JROTC out of our schools. (You may not be aware that JROTC students were laughing when Cristina told of being tortured by U.S. Military-trained Columbian troops.) I was also very puzzled that their 'teachers' were not there with them to counsel them after the vote was taken..."
More
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3940#more
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
Im glad JROTC was phased out, and I'm sorry this had to happen to Mara. Hopefully news like this will serve not to intimidate further efforts to phase out JROTC but rather be a headsup for the media to not bluntly single out a few "leaders" as representatives of a movement
I somehow believe the IP of the posters is the same as the IP of the folks trying to ban JROTC. I seriously doubt the kids in JROTC would be stupid enough to post that kind of message with the fate of JROTC on the line. It sounds like the typical scam. You can't hide the antimilitary bigotry of the schoolboard and students with a blind IP in any case.
Alicia Graves' doubts are unfounded. If she wants to accuse the opponents of JROTC with threatening Mara, she better offer more than "I seriously doubt." As to "antimilitary bigotry," I would plead guilty to believing that the US military is a tool of oppression of peoples throughout the world, and that JROTC students are one of its many victims.
For more information:
http://www.MarcNorton.us
The JROTC cadets just proved the point that the community has been making all along: JROTC teaches students to be violent, militarizes our schools, and leads to unsafe campuses.
"Discipline" is not what these students are learning. Real discipline would be accepting their loss and treating others with respect. The 'discipline' the military teaches isn't this sort of self-discipline, but a 'do what you're told!' system where people aren't encouraged to think and act for themselves, but only follow orders. 'kill kill kill', not 'think, discuss, act.'
Those 800 students who are standing up to JROTC should be commended. They're putting themselves at risk and have to deal with these disgruntled cadets at school every day. If only JROTC's removal could have happened sooner, maybe we wouldn't have to deal with these irresponsible death threats.
"Discipline" is not what these students are learning. Real discipline would be accepting their loss and treating others with respect. The 'discipline' the military teaches isn't this sort of self-discipline, but a 'do what you're told!' system where people aren't encouraged to think and act for themselves, but only follow orders. 'kill kill kill', not 'think, discuss, act.'
Those 800 students who are standing up to JROTC should be commended. They're putting themselves at risk and have to deal with these disgruntled cadets at school every day. If only JROTC's removal could have happened sooner, maybe we wouldn't have to deal with these irresponsible death threats.
You folks are quick to blame JROTC folks without proof. I'll stick with my bet of the remarks coming from folks inside the anti-military hate groups. It's a classic smoke screen for bigotry when you use false information to stir up public support for hate.
It is Alicia Graves who is making accusations without proof -- in fact, without even making an effort to investigate the facts.
For more information:
http://www.MarcNorton.us
Can the rest of the internet assume that you will post the 'facts' that point to JROTC folks? So far, the only thing clear is that some girl picking on JROTC 'found evil and mean' threats just in time to help support a decision made by bigots.
Before you ask, I'm one of those folks that protest alongside the gay and lesbian folks on many issues, but it's not fair to the moderates in the gay and lesbian community to put out hate 'centric' opinions and expect folks to support it merely because it's anti-military.
Before you ask, I'm one of those folks that protest alongside the gay and lesbian folks on many issues, but it's not fair to the moderates in the gay and lesbian community to put out hate 'centric' opinions and expect folks to support it merely because it's anti-military.
Now, after repeatedly accusing JROTC opponents of threatening themselves, Graves decides its time to investigate the "facts." She should have thought of that BEFORE she started making her scurrilous accusations.
Anyone who wants to see copies of the MySpace threats that Mara received is welcome to email me and set up a time to look at the copies I have.
Interestingly, Graves makes no attempt to explain the in-your-face scene that Bonnie Weinstein and Cristina Guitierrez experienced at the school board meeting itself, which is described in Weinstein's open letter and quoted in my Beyond Chron article. Maybe the folks threatening Weinstein and Guiterrez at the school board meeting were actually anti-JROTC activists masquerading as JROTC supporters?
Further, Mara is not, as Graves insulting says, "some girl picking on JROTC." She is a committed student activist who delivered a petition with 800 signatures from students opposing JROTC.
Graves goes on to create a quote out of thin air, claiming sarcastically that I labeled the threats Mara received "found evil and mean." Threats are threats, and are unacceptable in political discourse and debate. In fact, threats are almost always meant to prevent real political discourse and debate -- no matter how much Graves wants to belittle them.
And, in case people reading this haven't parsed Graves statement clearly, she makes a point of calling school board members Eric Mar, Dan Kelly, Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson "bigots."
Oh, and Graves wants us to know that some of her best friends are gay and lesbian.
Finally, Graves accuses JROTC opponents of being purveyors of "hate 'centric' opinions." It's the US military that hates and kills and maims, Ms. Graves. Or haven't you been watching the evening news?
Anyone who wants to see copies of the MySpace threats that Mara received is welcome to email me and set up a time to look at the copies I have.
Interestingly, Graves makes no attempt to explain the in-your-face scene that Bonnie Weinstein and Cristina Guitierrez experienced at the school board meeting itself, which is described in Weinstein's open letter and quoted in my Beyond Chron article. Maybe the folks threatening Weinstein and Guiterrez at the school board meeting were actually anti-JROTC activists masquerading as JROTC supporters?
Further, Mara is not, as Graves insulting says, "some girl picking on JROTC." She is a committed student activist who delivered a petition with 800 signatures from students opposing JROTC.
Graves goes on to create a quote out of thin air, claiming sarcastically that I labeled the threats Mara received "found evil and mean." Threats are threats, and are unacceptable in political discourse and debate. In fact, threats are almost always meant to prevent real political discourse and debate -- no matter how much Graves wants to belittle them.
And, in case people reading this haven't parsed Graves statement clearly, she makes a point of calling school board members Eric Mar, Dan Kelly, Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson "bigots."
Oh, and Graves wants us to know that some of her best friends are gay and lesbian.
Finally, Graves accuses JROTC opponents of being purveyors of "hate 'centric' opinions." It's the US military that hates and kills and maims, Ms. Graves. Or haven't you been watching the evening news?
For more information:
http://www.MarcNorton.us
I asked for the facts. That would be the police report stating the IP points to a JROTC member.
It could be anti-military bigots like the school board folks exploiting the young woman for political gain, family members of the JROTC folks, or random folks on the internet posting those messages. You're merely accusing the folks in JROTC of something because of personal bias. I'm going with a safe bet based on politics 80 years old in regards to mass media that places the folks spreading hate behind key events. Have we all forgotten the lesson of Tawana Brawley?
Also, I never said my best friends were gay and lesbian. I said I supported them. That happens when you lose a ROTC slot because of personal choice. You take a firm stand on your views. After you suffer the crushing of your life's dream, it's easy to be a bi.
There's nothing in the world that requires folks trying to change the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy to support blind accusations targeting JROTC children. There's plenty of sources for those threats. I'm going with the chance that it's folks in need of a bloody shirt to hang out for public view to hide the actions of a panel of anti-military bigots.
In the mean time, I'll wait for the police to give us the facts before I post anything other than my own opinion. Certainly, I won't post a demeaning article targeting JROTC children without proof in the same way that some folks target this young woman for threats.
It could be anti-military bigots like the school board folks exploiting the young woman for political gain, family members of the JROTC folks, or random folks on the internet posting those messages. You're merely accusing the folks in JROTC of something because of personal bias. I'm going with a safe bet based on politics 80 years old in regards to mass media that places the folks spreading hate behind key events. Have we all forgotten the lesson of Tawana Brawley?
Also, I never said my best friends were gay and lesbian. I said I supported them. That happens when you lose a ROTC slot because of personal choice. You take a firm stand on your views. After you suffer the crushing of your life's dream, it's easy to be a bi.
There's nothing in the world that requires folks trying to change the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy to support blind accusations targeting JROTC children. There's plenty of sources for those threats. I'm going with the chance that it's folks in need of a bloody shirt to hang out for public view to hide the actions of a panel of anti-military bigots.
In the mean time, I'll wait for the police to give us the facts before I post anything other than my own opinion. Certainly, I won't post a demeaning article targeting JROTC children without proof in the same way that some folks target this young woman for threats.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$95.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network