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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16,
Dr. Ivan Volgyes
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iHigh
Moratorium march
draws 4,000 people
In the cold, Wednesday afternoon
rain approximately four thousand
people mcrched to the state capitol
In support of the National Vietnam
Moratorium.
The demonstrators met at Love
Library about 3:30 p.m. and formed
the line of march down thirteenth
street. Most wore raincoats or carried
umbrellas and one carried a gas
mask.
It took thirty minutes for the entire
line to reach its destination and it
stretched the entire distance from the
Library to the Capitol for fifteen
minules.
Traffic bucked
Traffic was backed for several
blocks along streets intersecting the
march route. A number of cars began
blowing their horns, but the
demonstrators remained quiet and
orderly.
As the line moved there were sev
eral comments from people watching
the demonstration. One man ex
claimed: "Is the police escorting
these sons of bitches?"
A dialogue between two old men
standing in a doorway was:
"Whose urmy were you in?"
"The United States Army in World
War I."
At the capUol, the crowd stood
quietly in the rain until all the pro
testors had arrived. They comple ely
filled the north steps and spilled to
the area across K street.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Dr. Clarence
J. Forsbeig, pasior of St. Paul's
Methodist Church, began the peace
vigil with an invocation.
Then 350 names of Nebraska war
dead were read to the silent crowd.
XX
protrudes above the umbrellas that
1969
The
ting for ideals-4poppycock' says
iin.Li iulu J,y RjH Smitheriliail "PonnVfnfW Mr Nlxiiii That I. a Th
by Bill Smilheruian
Nebraskan Staff VVrld-r
"Most of us are ready to get out
of Vietnam," Alan Siporan of the
moratorium steering committee
began. "We are here to get the facts
so that we can convince others."
More than 2,500 people listened to
Siporan, other speakers and music in
the Union Centennial Room preceding
the march to the capitol during the
Vietnam moratorium Wednesday.
Dr. Ivan Volgyes, assistant pro
fessor of political science, was the
most popular speaker judging from
the audience reaction.
"I'd like to tell you of the dream
of an immigrant," he said. "Myself,
thirteen years ago."
lie said that he came to the United
States In search of ideals. These were
"that all men were created equal,
all men have the right to govern
themselves and all men have the right
to justice."
Cannot believe
"We are told we are fighting for
these very ideals In Vietnam", he
continued. "I cannot believe this."
"I see over 40,000 Americans killed
and ask why," he said.
Nixon says there will be freedom,
justice and democracy in Vietnam
when the United States has won the
war, Volgyes said.
Ihe rain began to fail harder, but
very few demonstrators left.
After twenty minutes of reading, the
crowd dispersed as silently as it had
come.
During the demonstration, about 25
anti-demonstrators from Lincoln
Southeast High Scrool held pro-war
and anti demonstration signs. Some
of the signs read "Better Dead Than
Red", "Don't Abandon Our War
Dead" and "Moratorium Day Day
of Shame."
Ron Anderson, spokesman for the
Southeast students, said that his group
was trying to show that there Is
another side to the war issue.
Equal time
He said that the anti-demonstration
group was formed after school Mon
day. The Southeast High School
moratorium committee called the
group together because they needed
someone to take equal time against
the moratorium, he explained.
The moratorium group at Southeast
wore black arm bands, he said. His
group wore red, white and blue ones.
He added that the school ad
ministration had given Individual
teachers the option to dismiss their,
classes so group members could at
tend the anti-war demonstration.
However, the group chose to remain
in class as a further protest against
the moratorium, he said.
Mike Shonsey, chairman of tie
University moratorium steering com
mittee, commented that the "turnout
and attitude of the people have been
tfroat
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moratorium marchers used to defend
111
LINCOLN,
"Poppycock, Mr. Nixon. That is a
lie , he added.
There is only one way that
American boys will not have died in
vain, he continued. "We must take
this war as a lesson and learn from
it.
"There have been criticisms that
the Moratorium members give aid and
comfort to the enemy. But re.aHv. we
give aid and "comfort only to what
is the best element in America."
Lost at home
"This country was born in revolu
tion and based on the right of
dissent," ho continued. "If we no
longer believe in this right we have
lost the war at home, not in Vietnam.
He said that America has always
cherished its voices of disagreement
and he urged all those present to let
the President hear their voices.
"Show the President that you
believe in America," Volgyes con
tinued. "As a proud American say
not 'my country, right or wrong," but
'my country - let us make her
ngnx.
Black Student Alan Buckingham
asked those In the crowd if they
realized what it was like for a black
man fighting in Vietnam.
"They say you're fighting for
freedom, but black children in
Mississippi can't go to school without
having rocks thrown at them," ho
shouted.
He said that the only thing students
seem concerned with is Vietnam. Look
at problems right here at home, he
continued.
Siporin, one of the student
organizers of the meeting, said that
one of the worst things about the war
Is that it takes our attention away
from those problems at home.
"When you talk about Vietnam
you re talking about America." com
mented Dr. Robert Keohane. Keohane
is a member of the National
Moratorium, Committee and a pro
fessor at Swarthmore College.
Americans are arrogant in their in
sistance that they are right, he said,
this has been one of the reasons wbv
we are still in Vietnam, he continued.
Keohane said that the demonstra
tion in Nebraska was more important
than those on the east and west
coasts.
More impuct
He explained that Nebraska has
been solid "Nixon Country" and t h a t
a demonstration here will have more
impact than one in traditional non
Nixon areas.
Keohane also said that national
policy makers have been deluding
themselves. In a great many Instances
they have believed Vietnam War in
te'ligence reports that are not correct,
he said.
He explained that such reports come
from bureaucrats cut to prove that
they did a good job. Reporters who
have seen for themselves usually
know more than men who have read
the intelligence reports, he added.
"If you have read the newspapers
and magazines you probably know
more than President Nixon who is
held prisoner by his own misinforma
tion agencies", Keohane said.
Edgar Pearlstein, instructor in
physics, spelled out a number of facts
and presented pro and con arguments
to the crowd.
against the rain.
Nebraskan photo by Mike Hayman
NEBRASKA
There are manv reasons for trotlint?
out of Vietnam, he said, and some
are idealistic and some are
pragmatic.
Over 4D.0CI) Americans have been
killed in Vietnam, he continued. Over
250. (X'D have been wounded.
Vietnamese dead are from 5(10 to
COO thousand, Pearlstein said. There
are also many thousands of dead
'civiJi"rt.' '- - -
The United States is spending some
$.')0 billion a year on the war, he
said. He broke this down to $000 per
family per year.
"There are about 30 million men,
women and children in Vietnam,"
Pearlstein said. "This means that we
are spending $1,000 on each person
in Vietnam to destroy their country.
"This money Is being worse than
thrown away," he continued. "It is
being used to destroy other valuable
things including human life."
Blood bath
Considering the prediction of a blood
bath of South Vietnamese loyalists if
the U.S. withdraws, Pearlstein said
he had a number of points to make.
He pointed out that there has
already been a blood bath In Vietnam
for the past eight years because of
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Two marchers patiently wait for the march to begin. When the Union crowd moved outside, much of the
handout literature and other debris was left behind.
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The march started slightly ahead of schedule when Union accom
modations became overcrowded.
Ibroslho
the war.
"If we persist with the present
policy it will mean a continued blood
bath for many years," he said.
However, he explained a number
of ways to avoid the blood bath. The
money now being used to light the
war could be used to transfer the
supposed victims from the country or
some other plan could be devised,
" he said.' " " -
Pearlstein also spoke of the
"domino theory." He said that only
the most unlettered hawks are still
using this argument.
The theory assumes that a 1 1
Southeast Asian people are alike and
this is not true, he said.
No history supports the theory,
Pearlstein added and it overlooks the
fact that China and the Southeast
Asian countries are traditional
enemies, he said.
"We have heard a lot of talk about
peace with honor," Pearlstein con
tinued, "However, those who use the
phrase never define exactly what they
are talking about. We may only tell
what they mean by 'honor' from con
text." Pearlstein said that the first precept
in this concept of honor is saving
face. Tiie second precept is that
America has never lost a war and
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Vol. 93, No. 17
Volgyes
shouldn't start now. The third is that
40,000 Americans should not have died
in vain.
"These deaths are all tragedies, but
I can't see how piling 40.000 more
on top of them will help," Pearlstein
continued.
Loss of honor
"The U.S. Itwt -TrtTWtrf lost cons
iderable honor in Vietnam," he added.
"Every day that we stay there we
are losing more."
He continued that all we can do
about gaining honor is stop the
dishonor and then regain honor
through truly good deeds.
"You are the generation in a
militaristic society," Pearlstein said.
"I hope your children will not be the
third generation in a militaristic
society."
"All the present policies can lead
to is year after year of war", he
continued. "Eventually we will have
to get out. Why not now."
William B. Campbell, assistant
professor of physics, urged those at
the meeting to take place in the
march to the capitol.
"Young Americans are dying in the
rain in Vietnam," he said, "You can
gel your feet wet today."
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