Opinions about war and protesters conflict
‘Silent majority’
circulates petition
to back soldiers
“I may not agree with what you
say, but shall defend to the death your
right to say it.” The great French
philosopher Voltaire wrote this hun
dreds of years ago, yet this statement
still holds true in today’s world.
In the past five months, anti-war
protesters have exercised their right
to freedom of speech. They have voiced
their feelings and concerns regarding
the hostile invasion of Kuwait as well
as their anti-Bush/anti-war sentiments.
We defend their right to speak out and
we acknowledge their freedom to do
so. Now, however, we, (and you could
call us the silent majority) have cho
sen to speak out as well.
In recent polls from all across the
United States, more than 86 percent
of the people in this country have cast
their votes in favor of supporting our
troops. We here at the university are
among those 86 percent, and we now
want to lei our troops and our govern -
ment. know that we support our fellow
Americans who arc currently engaged
in Operation Desert Storm.
In the next few days, there will be
a petition going around the UNL
campuses and the petition reads as
follows:
“Saddam Hussein must be ejected
from Kuwait. Period. We the people
of the United Slates agree with this
statement, and we support our fellow
Americans who are currently engaged
in Operation Desert Storm. We back
our troops 110 percent. Go get 'em!”
This petition is going to be sent to
the troops in Saudi Arabia to let them
know that the vast majority of citi
zens in the United States is backing
them and is thinking of them. We
need to let our troops know that only
a small minority of U.S. citizens is
against Operation Desert Storm. The
troops need to know that we believe
in them, and Saddam Hussein needs
to know that we believe in them as
well.
Many of you who are in the minor
ity may be thinking: “What a bunch
of Rambos!” Let me assure you of
one major fact: we do not love war—
no one does, but we do love our
families and friends who are doing
their jobs in the Middle East. For this
reason, we (the silent majority) have
chosen to no longer remain silent.
May ever)' American defend to the
death our right to do so.
Mitzi Myers-Nannen
junior
business
Jean Meister
sophomore
education
Protesters,
go tell it
to Saddam
, I find it very disturbing to sec the
: very vocal minority of anti-war pro
testers across our nation and on our
own campus. These people seem to
be very ignorant and misguided. They
seem to feel that this nation is follow
( ing a tyrannical leadership, in the
. course of global domination, under
the guise of some sort of blind patri
otism. In that, they are mistaken. The
well-informed American majority have
placed their trust in our leaders who
are freely elected officials whose
actions arc under daily scrutiny. If
these protesters want to complain about
a militaristic society in which the
people are blindly following their
leader in the hopes of global domina
tion, then they can go tell it to Sad
dam.
These protesters believe that the
United States spends so much money
on its military because we arc a mili
taristic nation. Again, they are wrong.
The hard-working American people
have afforded this great nation a mili
tary second to none so that we can be
ready to stand up for the strong be
liefs that this nation holds no matter
where they might be threatened.
As for the argument, “No Blood
for Oil,” I agree, that would be nice.
However, again they’re complaining
to the wrong people. Go tell it to
Saddam. After all, he’s the one who
threatened to take over the entire
Middle East, thus controlling OPEC
and with it a large proportion of the
world’s oil that could further his mili
tary regime.
When this war is over and the
world community, again under the
leadership of the United Stales, has
defeated Saddam and his military
regime, this country still will be the
greatest on Earth. The hard-working
American people will help the Iraqis
and Kuwaitis and the rest of the Middle
East rebuild. We will go to work on
paying off our own war debts. We
will congratulate and welcome back
our victorious troops. We will honor
the brave men and women who sacri
ficed their lives for the safety of the
world.
The anti-war protesters, on the other
hand, will have to find something else
to complain and gripe about in our
great nation because, once again, they
will have missed the boat, and it will
be too late to “tell it to Saddam.”
Robert L. Bryant III
sophomore
business
Student responds
to protest slogans
painted on campus
I thought I might tell everyone that
there is a new voice against the gulf
war. I first walked up to Oldfather
Hall and my opponent said “Think
Solar.” I told my opponent that solar
would be a great energy alternative to
coal and oil, but solar is not always
immediately available so we cannot
do away with existing fuels. My
opponent had nothing else to say at
that time, so I went to class.
Later, 1 met up with him in front of
the Nebraska Union. Now, he had
more to say. First he said that “Bush
Kills.” To that I said no one who is in
the gulf was forced to go. They all
signed up with the military knowing
that they may have to be used in
possible deadly situations. To this my
opponent again said “Bush Kills.”
Since I stated my opinion once, I
moved on. But now he said “War is
Stupid.” In one way, it is. Killing
someone is dumb, especially when
you don’t know the person, but pre
venting one person from taking over
and controlling other countries is not.
Hitler (oops!, I mean Saddam) must
be kept in check and force is required.
I met my opponent at otner pnces
on campus, but his words were not
always understood. I saw him making
the peace sign all over campus. I then
guessed my opponent’s words were
set in stone. I did not try to change
them. I figured that my opponent was
told what to say. I was r^ght.
Everyone should now know who
my opponent is, and I would like to
thank those people who told my op
ponent what to say.
David Dye
senior
computer science
Demonstrations
against war
sadden reader
I value very much the freedoms
and rights I have as an American.
Freedom of speech, religion and the
Press are values I cherish and protect,
acknowledge that I have these rights
as a result of the battles fought long
ago in Lexington and Concord, and
debates within the Continental Con
gress. I recognize that peace and free
dom are ideals worth sacrificing life
to defend and secure. 1 believe that
these are the issues our courageous
young men and women in Saudi Arabia
are fighting for today. We are en
gaged in a war against an unlawful
aggressor who look away the funda
mental rights of Kuwait.
To see my fellow Americans
demonstrate against such action sad
dens me. I, too, pray for peace, but I
know that now we must as a country
support our President, our leaders and
our troops with our words, actions
and prayers. We must learn from
Vietnam and unite as a country, so
that this battle for freedom in the
Middle East will be the final chapter
of the Cold War and the beginning of
a new peaceful world order.
Jill Durbin
Lincoln
Support of troops
does not preclude
opposition to war
I write in response to your edito
rial column (Eric Pfanner, “Flag
Blankets Reasons For War,” DN, Jan.
21).
Your main point is correct: In re
sponse to this war, we cannot cloak
ourselves in a piece of cloth in a blind
frenzy of nationalism.
Further, this war is not about our
freedom. Our country is not threat
ened. This war is about oil and he
gemony. Moreover, your implicit
message, revealed in the stories you
cover and the headlines you give them,
is also correct: Dissent and protest is
an essential part of democracy.
but l take strong exception to a
minor point you assert in your edito
rial: that protester support of the troops,
though not necessarily the war, is “a
wishy-washy way of saying they
support the war,” and that “it’s im
possible to oppose the war and sup
port those who do the killing.”
This is patently incorrect.
The notion is spawned, I suspect,
by a simplistic model of the war in
which military personnel are unthink
ing, unfeeling machines who carry
out the directives of the White House
and who bear full responsibility for
the calamity they find themselves in.
I have friends who were called
away from school to the gulf. I sus
pect you do as well, though possibly
not. One friend in particular comes to
mind: we have been friends since
elementary school; he is introspec
tive and kind. He plays guitar. He is
not the one-dimensional automaton
you depict simply as one of “those
who do the killing.”
Paramount right now is to end this
war as soon as possible. But with
drawing the emotional and moral
support of friends and relatives is, in
addition to being wrong, not the way
to that end.
The way is to criticize our govern
ment and its policy makers.
I do not support the policy that led
to this war.
I do support my friends who are
obliged to endure its horrors.
Chris Potter
senior
physics, philosophy, math, history
AS UN senator
War supporters
must condemn
other invasions
I am finally going to be man enough
to admit that I was wrong in opposing
the war against Iraq. After days of
contemplation and seeing that I was
in a tiny minority, I’ve come to real
ize that what the United Nations is
doing is right. No matter that Kuwait
had been waging economic warfare
against Iraq for years, or that days
before Iraq invaded Door little Ku
wait, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq
assured it that we would remain neu
tral. The United Nations is right— no
country should invade and/or occupy
another country. But if the “New World
Order” is to be truly legitimate, the
rules have to apply to everyone. Not
only should Iraq be driven from Kuwait,
but Israel should be driven from West
Bank in Gaza. Israel also should be
punished for its raids on Lebanon.
Naked aggression must be resisted
everywhere. The United Nations
should immediately condemn the U.S.
invasions of Grenada and Panama,
the Soviet Union’s actions in the Baltic
Stales, the government of El Salva
dor for its death squads, China’s
continuing oppression of demonstrat
ing students and South Africa’s brutal
and barbaric system of apartheid.
If the United Nations and interna
tional law is to truly work, it must be
swift and consistent The United States
isn’t above the law, and neither is
Iraq, Israel, the Soviet Union, China,
South Africa cr El Salvador.
But the next time you see those
people marching and protesting the
war, remember this isn’t China. They
should be able to protest without being
harassed or having their patriotism
questioned. So if you are one of the
many flag-worshipers out there, try to
remember what that flag symbolizes
— the right to say what you want,
how you want, read what you want,
look at dirty magazines if you want,
listen to dirty music if you want, and
yes, even to bum the flag if you want.
God bless America — we need it.
Reynolds Towns
Lincoln
Nexus*
Sat.,Jan. 19 8:00p.m.
'I'ickets: Sjo. sl(>. S|J l INI. Students ^ Eolith: SIO. SS. SO
I’eel the rhythmic waves of music w ith the su|x*rhl\ talented \e\us |XMVussion
ensemble. Cioinjjwac lx*yond the simple lx-at of a drum \e\us creates
sounds heard not onl\ with \our ears, hut w ith
every inch of yourliody! c\J}(
The Kansas City Symphony
performing
“ALEXANDER NEVSKY’*
Sat., Jan. 26 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: SI8. SI t. SIO
l INL Students & Youth: S9. s'. SS
Scryoi I'isonstdiis I‘MS filmoLissii Ixirsl.s^
tc* life* ;is 'Hie* k;:nsi.s< iity Symphom |xr
forms I’rt>kofk/\ s jx >\\ erf ill so>iv.
Also sponsored ill pari by ilie Thomas Koo.ikl .iikI
Julia (iiyr Delaney Memorial Fund.
Pioneer *
Paul Dreslier Ensemble
Thur. & Fri., Jan. 31 & Febr. 1
8:00 p.in.
Tickets: S20. Sib. SI i
I \l. Students & Youth:
IS 10. S8. S'
Paul I )resher s honin' iso >ntemp< >
rar\ cutting-edge musical thealre-Hi
combining the weird and the w hint*
sical n ith high energ\. intense
drama. Parental discretion isadv isc-cl.
IViol Dristhcr I iiM-nihk In cnllahofMktn Hit It
Kohtrl Vt.MKlrnll. ferry .Mien. Kim!. I chert.
Jo Harvey Mien untl John l>ti>kc<s.
Good seats still available!
Call 402/472-4747
1-800/432-3231
Lied Center Box Office
12th & ‘R’ Streets
Open Mon.-Fri.
11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
UNIVERSITY Of NEBRASKA-UNOOLN
LIED CENTER
FOR PERFORMING ARTS
'With tlu- support ol' tin Nebraska Arts Council.
"A Mkl America Arts Alliance program.
a Made possible in part by a grant from the National kndowmrnl for the Art*, a federal agency.
