A few blocks from me, on the side of a bodega, a small wall-side billboard always has a poster for the armed forces that is quickly defaced. The latest one I noticed just the other day: a local armed with permanent marker spelled out exactly what he feels about the United States military. Bushwick is disproportionately beset by recruiters and propaganda because of its demographics. I’ll give a cheer for this kind of graffiti.
M October 9th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Its because of the United States military that you have the freedom to cheer for anything. God bless our men and women in the US armed forces.
jay October 9th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
So if the recruitment is successful and the air force does turn out some fine young men and women, are they coming back to Bushwick and being good role models?
How many people do you know in the hood that have served and are they civic minded in their community?
Jeremy November 5th, 2007 at 11:28 am
M: No. See how easy it is to make baseless assertions?
Army March 20th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
most of these so-called young adults, probably do not meet military standards to enlist in the military!
Dresden March 23rd, 2008 at 9:53 am
I love it!
It would be sad if it read, “Fuck the Air Force. Join the Marines!” But this is really anti.
Good one.
BornOnWyckoffAve March 24th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
“So if the recruitment is successful and the air force does turn out some fine young men and women, are they coming back to Bushwick and being good role models?”
Hey, my Dad did exactly that!
(Well, OK, it was Ridgewood, not Bushwick, but you catch my drift).
The sad thing is, the armed forces used to be a good way for poor kids to get a leg up in life. But Bush and his cronies have ruined that for at least the next generation. Who wants to go die in Iraq for the sake of enriching Halliburton?
Army March 26th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Dresden, sounds like your ready to enlist into the Air Force or marines!?
braunzucker March 26th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Who is to know if “Bushwick Kids” did this? It could have been written by anyone.
Dresden March 26th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I’m ready without joining.
Send me over there!
ARMY March 29th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Dresden, sounds like a monday morning armchair quarterback!!! sleep well; U.S Army Soldiers got your back covered.
BornOnWyckoffAve March 29th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Huah!
Dresden March 31st, 2008 at 6:24 am
I’d join – if it were 1940 and we weren’t fighting for old white men.
Jeremy April 2nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Name a war not fought for old white men. Sorry, WWII is not an exception.
“Army,” the soldiers don’t have our backs, they stab us in the backs by being the power behind the US’ psychotic, moronic foreign policy. There is not one conflict being fought right now that is protecting our freedoms — in fact, just the opposite is the case, as wars abroad “justify” the abridgment of our freedoms by our own government. War, as it is said, is the health of the State.
Dresden April 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Uh, Jeremy, talk to a Holocaust survivor – WWII was fought for a plethora of reasons.
We can talk about that in person.
Army April 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Dresden & Jeremy
Thank-you both again …for being my greatest advocates to show the world;
freedom Of speech is alive & well right here in the good-O-USA!!!
You need not to worry about getting a knock @ your door @ O-dark thirty & disappearing into the night for ever.
w/the exception of your “NEBE” thugs!
Jeremy, you should become a Rapper from the hood. Just by the way you read your prepared 5×4 cue card script.
Sleep well tonight, the U.S. Army got your back covered; whether you both like or not!!!
Dresden April 5th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
War is not always the health of the state…
not when the state is run by oil companies,
like it is right now!
As far as “getting my back”,
I’m not sure the US Army has my back covered…
I believe it is the NYPD.
And while I respect the armed forces and those who serve,
I often do not respect the players who control their actions.
Jeremy April 10th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Army, I think with my own mind, you are the one spouting Pentagon and VFW propaganda by rote. The soldiers do not “have our backs,” they are endangering us by enraging the planet. And frankly, their cost is horrifying.
As for knocks on the door, excuse me if I don’t credit the very people who would be the ones to do it for NOT doing it. Why don’t I go around thanking gang members for not shooting me in the fucking head every day. That said, let’s just hope Bush or the next bonehead in office doesn’t invoke Section 1076 of the Defense Authorization Act of 2006 — then there WILL be knocks at the door.
WWII was not fought to save anyone from the Holocaust — you think the US establishment gave two shits about some raggedy Jews? If they did, why would they have turned back refugees from Europe as a matter of policy? Dresden, I don’t know if you know this, but the Holocaust happened. It was not prevented. In fact, FIFTY MILLION were killed in Europe alone. So I’m not quite sure what the benefit of that war was — unless you’re a fan of handing half the world to Stalin.
There indeed were many reasons that WWII was fought, and none of them had anything to do with legitimate US interests. Japan attacked because Roosevelt had a years-long blockade on them. Hitler rose to power on the wave of anger following the shitty deal Germans got after WWI — imposed on them by Woodrow Wilson. New interventions attempt to correct the damage of former interventions, and the cycle hasn’t ended in a century of meddling.
War is always the health of the state — it’s the only entity that comes out larger and wealthier in the end. That is, until it gets too big for itself and, like the Roman Empire, is crushed under its own lumbering weight. With the national debt skyrocketing so the US can pay to raze ever more of Iraq, at some point China and the US’ other creditors are going to shut off the credit faucet. And then it’s over. And we can look forward to once again being one of the countries of the world instead of its bumbling and bloody policeman.
Jeremy April 10th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
From this point on, I am not responding to anything that is not written in normal sentence form. Half-retarded omg4reel lolzers @@@ !!!!!!!!!!!! crap will be ignored. If you can’t write like an educated adult, I have no reason to even acknowledge your existence except to mock it.
I WAS THERE ONCE November 10th, 2009 at 1:31 am
THE MILITARY IS NO PLACE FOR ANY ONE WITH A MINDE AND SOME DIRECTION..
JOIN AND YOU WILL LOOSE TIME OUT OF YOUR LIFE!!
99% OF THE MILITARY TRAINING HAVE NO ..NO CIVILIAN NEEDS!!!!
YOU CAN BECOME A SUPER DUPER SANITARY SPECILIALIST THAT EQUATES TO A JANITOR AT BEST..
ALMOST EVERY JOB HAS STATE CERTIFICATIONS AND LICIENSES .. VERY FEW IF ANY STATES ACCEPT MILITARY EXPERIANCE TO ALLOW YOU TO TAKE THESE STIFF TEST..
YES EXPERIANCE AND TESTS TO QUALIFY .. EVEN THOUGH THEY LOVE THE ARMED SERVICES????
SMFC January 27th, 2010 at 3:10 am
I feel I am a relatively open minded person. People the want to keep stating things like ” We are only at war for the oil” This has become an extremely overused cliche that drones are using because they disagree with the war. And to disrepect members of the armed forces isjust simply ignorant. You dont need to praise the troops if you disagree with current military actions, butdo not blameor attack its members. And to reply to the statement in all caps stating the 99% of military jobs wont transfer to the civilian world is the dumbest thing i have heard thus far in 2010, its just pure ignorance. 99% of jobs will easily transfer over.
The Air Force recieved some of the best training in the world and if a real certification is earned that is not military only, they are all civilian certs. Sounds to me the poster has exp with this and is a dumb bitter fucking tool that got the shitiest job and is a full out hater now.
I could go on forever about this, alot of money is being made on this war, atleast most of them are american jobs earning it. If we did not have the armed forces doing what we do, this post could very well be in german, or worse off french. I would love for some of you to come to a base an discuss your views face to face with those who you disrespect with this utter BS, I highly doubt the same things would be stated out of the freedom of your computer screens.
Chip and Larry February 20th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Saying that 99% of the jobs in the Air Force don’t transfer to the civilian sector is false. Saying that 99% do transfer is also false. I’ve been in the AF for 6 years and am finally getting out and I couldn’t be happier about it. Serving used to be something to be proud of. A place for people who make a difference. I became very depressed when I realized that my 6 years was a waste and the only thing I have to show for it is a GI Bill. The AF is a place for people who wouldn’t make it in the civilian world. That includes officers and enlisted. Not to say that some career Airman couldn’t make it, but the majority couldn’t. People in positions of authority are completely inept at making sound, “common sense” decisions. The AF is full of people who have their own agendas and will step on as many people as they have to in order to accomplish it. If you are a young man or woman out there please heed this warning and save yourself the pain and depression that comes with being in a glamour branch. If you want to serve your country and make a difference, join the Army or Marines.