From a recent internet post by Pat Elder. 

We held a spirited demonstration yesterday at the corporate headquarters of
Lockheed Martin in suburban Washington to honor Dr. Martin Luther King and
to draw attention to Lockheed's insidious record.  Lockheed produces the
Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Each MLRS can fire up to 12 rockets at
once, and each rocket contains 644 M77 submunitions, or cluster bombs.  Each
bomblet can kill up to a 12 foot radius.  The damn things don't all explode
and innocent children are regularly killed by these devices produced by my
Lockheed neighbor..

I helped to organize the event and 30 of us proceeded to the empty compound
where we were met by 26 heavily armed police officers assembled at the front
gate of the weaponeer.  We made brief speeches invoking the memory of the
slain civil rights leader and we noted that Bush administration officials
defended the use of cluster munitions at the U.N. last week.

It was a brief protest.  After all, it was cold and no one was listening
anyway.  Then it hit me.  

I walked away from the demonstration with two heavily-bundled activists
carrying their signs about Lockheed and the war and I asked them if they'd
received my emails about sending a letter to their school board about the
ASVAB. They'd received the emails but they were uncomfortable about sending
the letter.  I couldn't decipher exactly why they were so reluctant to get
involved in this campaign.  These are folks who have been arrested on
several occasions because of their passionate beliefs, but felt
uncomfortable about sending a letter to their school board.  One told me she
felt she didn't understand the nuances of the issue sufficiently to take a
stand that way.  The other said he wasn't "one to send letters." When I
explained that the work was already done and all they had to do was click on
a few links to familiarize themselves with the issue, they both responded
that they were more comfortable sticking with the street protests.

O.K. 

When are people gonna get it?  I participated in that event because it felt
good and I got off carrying a sign with a great MLK quote.  There's
something deeply ingratiating about street demonstrations, but they've not
been effective in stopping this war.  Counter recruitment is different
because we are being effective.  We are being successful.

I posted an ASVAB LETTER TEMPLATE a week ago and I received two emails
from people who promised to send letters to their school boards.  C'mon!  We
can break the back of the ASVAB as a recruiting tool if folks on this list
would send the letter to their school superintendents and school boards.
You don't even have to risk arrest!  Please, set aside a half hour and study
this.  Then, send a letter to your superintendent and school board.   For
more on the ASVAB, see: www.nnomy.org and click on ASVAB.

- Pat Elder