Speaking of my own personal Congressman...

...Jim McDermott penned a guest editorial for the Seattle Times, addressing the currently hot local topic of military recruiters in high schools. Personally, I have mixed feelings on the subject. There are probably some appropriate circumstances and settings for recruiter contact with high school students old enough to sign a recruiting contract, and there are almost certainly inappropriate circumstances and settings as well. I don't think anyone too young to enlist should be recruited. Jim's against it altogether, though, and his case is pretty reasonable and focused on the twin issues of local control of schools (I'm for that) and basic rights for youth (I'm for that, too).

Newspaper articles don't often inspire me to reexamine my own position, but McDermott makes such a reasonable case for his views that I'm thinking about mine...

A provision buried in the No Child Left Behind law forces high schools to turn over student contact information to military recruiters. Any school that balks can lose all of its federal money. The Seattle Times casually tells its readers that a student can sign a form to opt out. The reality is that young people have lost their right to privacy and The Times is stone-cold silent on restoring this fundamental right in a free society.

I served my country as an officer in the United States Navy, and I believe that every American has a responsibility to give back to our country. For some, a career in the military is the right choice. But a decision to even consider a military career belongs solely with the individual, and that's not what we have today. That's why I joined with the punk band Anti-Flag to launch a nationwide drive to alert students on how to opt out and demand that Congress restore student privacy. (More information can be found at www.militaryfreezone.org)

He understands the problem, and respects the men and women whose job it is to solve it...

...don't blame the recruiters. These people were selected because they are role models, the best of the best to represent the military. Now, they suffer under a quota system, and recruiters are under increasing pressure to find soldiers. Army National Guard recruitment plunged 31 percent in February and fell another 12 percent in March.

...but finds the student's right to privacy trumps the recruiters need for prospects. He makes a good case, and proves once again that I've got me a great Congressman, willing to tackle tough issues that hit close to home, and able to approach them thoughtfully.