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Military recruiters from Washington state to Vermont have recently faced a growing number of protests inside their offices or at recruiting efforts at public events. In most cases, activists oppose military recruitment methods they say target minorities and the poor. They say recruiters put more focus on the financial rewards of signing up than on the hazards of the job. `Make students aware' "When [President Bush] chooses war to control countries he has issues with, there certainly will be more troops used and the peace groups are going to have to protest the recruitment to make students aware of what they are getting into," said Dennis McQuade, 58. McQuade, a Madison resident who helps lead counterrecruiting efforts at high schools nationwide, is a member of Veterans for Peace. The national group stages anti-war demonstrations, supports recruiting protests and sends its members to high schools where they talk to prospective recruits. Some national activists predict protests might further shift from college campuses to high schools and community recruitment offices after the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled last month that universities can restrict military recruiters from campus without risking the loss of federal funds. Activists saw that decision as a triumph, and now want to let high school students know they can opt out of federal regulations that require their schools to hand over students' personal contact information to recruiters. [more]