Archive - May 2010

Dan Brown, 20, enlisted at a U.S. Marine recruiting station in Brooklyn Heights in mid-September after a five-month long job search. Brown, a Jamaican immigrant, said that one of the advantages of enlisting was receiving U.S. citizenship. PHOTO: JAISAL NOOR

More than seven years into the occupation of Iraq, the war effort has lost popularity, especially among young people. Back in 2005, America's all volunteer military began regularly falling behind its enlistment goals. As recruiters struggled to meet their targets, revelations of misconduct grew, even spurring the Army to suspend recruiting for a day.

But recruitment numbers rebounded after the military increased its efforts inside school in low income neighborhoods. The Pentagon reported its best year ever for recruiting in 2009, with every branch of the military surpassing its goals.

To examine why youth are joining the military today, reporters Jaisal Noor and Kieran Meadows take us to one of the most heavily recruited counties in the nation; Kings County, also known as Brooklyn, New York City. Stay with us for this special Memorial Day documentary.

• House Increases Military Spending
• Protests Resume Against Arizona Immigration Law
• Oil Plume Approaches Mobile Bay
• No Disarmament Timeline at Nuclear Summit
• New Clothing Brand Fights Dismal Factory Conditions

• Okinawa base deal announced in Japan
• Mexico Court forces states to offer morning after pill to rape victims
• Alleged rebel attack in India leaves 65 dead
• More casualties reported in aftermath of Jamaican drug mobilization
• Medical marijuana workers in CA unionize
• EPA to begin investigation of factory farm pollution

The House of Representatives approved defense spending for 2011 today, voting for a bill that increases military funding by 3 percent over the previous year.  Supporters of the bill say it provides necessary support for US troops, but opponents say its price tag is too high.  FSRN’s Matt Pearson reports.

A coalition of groups opposed to Arizona's SB 1070 law is expecting tens of thousands of people to turn out for a national day of action against racial profiling in Phoenix this Saturday.

Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborers Organizing Network laid out the coalition's main demands.

Scientists from the University of South Florida have discovered a major underwater oil plume in the Gulf. The researchers estimate the plume is 22 miles long and 6 miles wide with its thickest concentrations found more than 1000 feet below the water's surface.

The Obama administration released its national security strategy yesterday, emphasizing the need for multi-lateral cooperation with the US.  Meanwhile, the 8th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or the NPT has drawn to a close without a timeline on disarmament. The final conference document was not forceful on the issue of restricting nuclear testing although the majority of signatory states tend to agree on the elimination of nuclear weapons. FSRN reporter Salim Rizvi has the story from the United Nations.