The ASVAB scam...

(A tip of the hat to my Mom for pointing this out to me).

There is a push on to try to convince all High School Juniors to take the ASVAB test. According to the main ASVAB program page (click the link in the previous sentence), this is a career aptitude type test, designed to help students choose what to study in college, and what career might suit them in life. What the letters ASVAB stand for is not explained. But take a quick look at the link in question. You'll see a page that talks all about "Discovering your possibilities" and "Exploring Careers". It's a relentlessly upbeat page, giving the impression that this is an agenda-free test, solely for the advancement of your children.

Then we turn to military.com's explanation page. It says: The ASVAB, like most aptitude tests, measures your potential. The ASVAB predicts how well you might do in certain military branches and specialties, as well as how well you might perform in certain civilian careers. The test is an indicator only, and not the final word on your military career direction.

(Underlining done for emphasis, not on the original page).

Yes, that's right, ASVAB stands for: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Buried in the paperwork required to sign up for the test is a form which gives permission for the results to be forwarded to the Armed Forces recruitment offices. According to one site I read, if this form is not filled in and signed, the test will not be processed.

So they try to convince everyone that this test is a must for children trying to determine their direction in life, then they give a test developed for and administered by the military, and in order to have the test scored you have to agree to have information about the test taker forwarded on to armed forces recruitment.

The thing here is, this is an invasion of privacy. Clearly, the Armed Forces believe that the way to make up for the low enlistment rate is to trick as many students as possible into taking this test. For my own children, I'd rather it be their choice whether they choose to explore a career in the military or not. Few children grow up unaware of the Armed Forces, I don't believe children should be targeted and coerced into considering options they aren't interested in.

So, to recap. Joining the "No Child Left Behind" provision that requires High Schools to turn over private information on students to military recruiters (which you can opt out of, see below), now we have the military trying to trick students into taking the military aptitude test.

And you know that none of this would have been necessary if our military were being used in legitimate ways. There is no shortage of brave young people who are willing to step up and defend their country. But when they know they'll be asked to risk throwing away their lives on an ill-conceived, badly managed military boondoggle in Iraq or elsewhere, can you blame them that they aren't willing to step up?

Put another way, if Iraq had somehow invaded the U.S. instead of the other way around, right now we'd have record enlistment. People who join the military want to know that they're serving their country, not just the political aspirations of a group of people who are willing to throw away a few lives in order to cement their power.

Liam.

For those interested in how to opt their children out of the sneaky "No Child Left Behind" reporting, visit http://www.leavemychildalone.com.