VERMONT - November 30 - Students from the Mt. Mansfield Union High School (MMU) Peace Club unite with Iraq Veterans Against the War and Vermont's impassioned anti-war community to engage in non-violent civil disobedience and hold a rally at the Military Recruitment Office at 166 Sycamore St. in Williston, VT, to protest the insidious and pervasive presence of military recruiters preying on our young people in our public schools, and the unjust, immoral and merciless occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the heels of a campaign launched earlier this week from the halls of MMU, the crowd on Friday will unite under the banner, "Out of Our Schools – Out of Iraq," which in part "calls upon high school students to learn about and use non-violent civil disobedience to intervene directly in all institutions that are waging this war. Now is the time for students to do this as it becomes increasingly obvious our government, our parents and our teachers will not do it for us," MMU student Phoebe Pritchett explains.

"Military recruiters have had unfettered access to our schools and our personal, private information for too long. We demand an immediate end to this war based on lies and deception, and that our schools shut their doors permanently to the military. We are done doing push-ups in the hallway for a free t-shirt today, and a flag sent home to our parents tomorrow," says Emily Coon of the MMU Peace Club.

Those gathering, while determined to see that no one is recruited into the military in Williston today, will also directly engage in educating the community about the truths of recruitment and military service. "Every day, all across this country, there are military recruiters lying to persuade young people to sign up for the military," says Dottye Ricks, a member of Military Families Speak Out.

"Our schools should be hallowed halls of education, not stores of cannon fodder for war." adds Matt Howard, Iraq Veteran and member of IVAW.

At the rally the names of 33 Vermonters and an estimated 1 million Iraq casualties will be read in order to remember the massive and devastating death tolls caused by this totally unnecessary war.

"Out of Our Schools – Out of Iraq," is a campaign that will not end in Williston today, organizers are clear that Vermont's anti-war community will continue to challenge the war and the military coercion of our youth even more directly in the future.

For more info, contact MMU Students: Phoebe Pritchett at kiwilover1234 (at) riseup.net or (802) 598-6721, Emily Coon at susurro7 (at) riseup.net or (802) 373-4641.

Contact IVAW's Matt Howard at mhoward09 (at) yahoo.com or (802) 343-1181, and
Dottye Ricks of MFSO at drrdaerin (at) hotmail.com, or (802) 522-4703 or (802) 476-0942.