Readers deride,support Hanna, blast abortion coverage
Critics of Hanna
should recognize
learning, change
I am seriously troubled at the re
sponse made by so many letter writ
ers to die ethical dilemma faced to
day by Gary Hanna and many others,
as they question their capacity and
willingness to engage in the warfare
and destruction that others seem to
feel is so unquestionable. Since 1962,
under Department of Defense Direc
tive 1300.6, military regulations have
provided that service members who
object to participation in wax in any
form may apply to be discharged or
transferred to noncombatant status.
This provision is supported by the
same civil court rulings that relate to
C.O. claims under a military draft.
It is easy to make self-assured
judgments and call names like “cow
ard” or “selfish.” It takes but a little
more thought to realize that, hope
fully, people learn and grow through
experience, and that possibly, one
thing learned about oneself and one’s
values through military service could
be that you want no pan of killing or
the physical and psychological prepa
rations to kill.
The military system has recog
nized this possibility since 1962 and,
generally, honors those who take
recourse to it. I’m sorry that, in the
heat of patriotism, or whatever, your
letter writers cannot do the same!
And, not incidentally, who but
educators, like John DeFrain, should
be able to think about and suppon
human learning, growth and change?
Rev. Larry Doerr
coordinator
Lincoln Draft Information Center
buest students
should stay out
of U.S. debates
In response to Mr. Ashad Altaf
Shaikh’s letter (DN, Jan. 28), it mat
ters not whether I agree with your
statements. What does matter is who
is making those statements, as I am
assuming you are from another coun
try studying in America on a student
visa.
Mr. Shaikh, as a student in this
country, you are a guest, not a citizen.
When was the last lime you were a
guest at someone’s house, and you
interjected yourself into the middle
of an argument amongst the family
members with emotional criticisms
of their decisions?
If you feel as though America is an
oppressive country and your educa
tional opportunity is not worth the
imperialistic nature you have to en
dure, then maybe you could choose
another country to attend a univer
sity. Your other choice is to keep your
opinions to yourself and leave the
debates regarding American policy
to Americans.
Mr. Shaikh, please don’t label me
a “Kill the Foreigners” type. I have
nothing against foreigners studying
here. In fact, I’ve been in your shoes
before, having spent six months over
seas, studying at a foreign university.
However, when I had disagreements
about the policies of the government
of my host country (and I had many),
I kept my opinions to myself, where
they belonged. In respect for your
host country and in light of the ten
sions between Americans and Middle
Eastern students, I request you do the
same. _ n. ..
Dave Bialke
sophomore
College of Law
Reluctance to fight
shows cowardice,
not conscience
Gary Hanna, somewhere in your
Army Basic Training Course, they
should have taught you the meanings
of the words “privilege" and “respon
sibility." *
Responsibility and privilege arc
inseparable. If you accept one, you
accept the others. In accepting the
privilege of public funds to be used
for your education, you accepted a
legal and moral obligation to live up
to the corresponding responsibilities
of service to your country.
- LETTERS tTh°e EDITOR
Moreover, the tact exists that you
sought and assumed your duties vol
untarily. You were, presumably, of
sound mind and judgment when you
entered into your enlistment contract,
and I suspect that your reluctance
now stems from cowardice rather than
conscience.
I am a member of the Air National
Guard, so I understand your fear. But
I have not attempted to weasel out of
my duties. Your actions have been
dishonorable and have disgraced the
good name of your service.
I don’t believe that, in your func
tion as engineer, you would be called
on to kill, other than in self-defense. I
understand your moral objections to
killing, but you should have thought
those things through a little more
carefully before going ahead with your
enlistment.
Professor DeFrain, can you be so
foolish as to believe that the U.S.
military would cause a conscientious
objector to disappear? For one thing,
a military member is too valuable in
terms of training cost and other fac
tors for the Army to cause him to
“disappear.”
Moreover, if the military wanted
to make an example of a conscien
tious objector, a criminal charge of
dereliction of duty, a trial and a pos
sible conviction and prison term in
Leavenworth would be a more public
and useful example. Whatever your
opinion is, it is nonsense to believe
that America is a police state.
Finally, I have a comment for Ms.
Navratil and the DN staff: What sen
sationalistic, trashy coverage. Con
gratulations on elevating yellow jour
nalism loan art form. You have given
your support to a coward when you
need to be supporting our military
personnel overseas.
Scott Farber
senior
political science
War objector
doesn’t deserve
label of coward
Gary Hanna might be obligated to
serve in the military for his country,
but he does not deserve to be termed
as a coward, a wimp or a guy getting
a free ride to college.
I am not a close friend to Gary
Hanna. Neither do I owe him any
favors. But we worked together as a
team at the Computing Resource
Center last year. He is a man of hign
morals, a man who respects life and
the people around him. Through the
many projects and tasks we have
completed together, I judged him as a
responsible person. He is the kind of
person who would refuse to go to war
not because he is afraid to die, but
simply because he docs not favor
killing. It is not fair to condemn him
in strong terms while he is ready to
leave for Fort Leonard Wood to serve
his obligation.
This gulf war business is getting
ugly. Not only has it changed the
lives of many Americans who arc
serving their duty now in the gulf, it
has also changed the lives of many
others back here at the home front. I
have been attempting to get a hold of
Gary since Tuesday, but I could only
reach his depressing message on his
answering machine. He is upset be
cause he must become part of the
“war machine,” not because he couldn’t
get the conscientious objector status.
This has come as a shock to us when
a peace-loving person has to prepare
for war in just a few days, leaving his
job, his family and friends, not to
mention the greater impact on his
emotion.
The sign that says war is stupid
on the sidewalk in front of the Ne
braska Union will, fade away when
the snow and the rain comes, but the
consequences of the war will edge a
hole in our lives for many years to
come. And this is just the beginning.
I support the allied troops in the
Persian Gulf, but 1 won’t live with the
idea that we have to come to a point
where wc send our brothers, sisters
and friends to the war, risking their
valuable life in exchange for the ide
ology of this nation.
We want a new world. Not a nuke
world.
God bless you, Gary.
Hai-Wei Tan
junior
electrical engineering
Hanna voluntarily
enlisted in Army,
obligated to serve
We would like to comment re
garding Mr. Hanna’s belated attempt
to avoid being recalled to active duty.
The great majority of reservists called
up have returned to duty to serve their
country, many at great incon venience
and financial cost. When Mr. Hanna
initialled each block and signed his
enlistment form, he knew what his
obligations to the U.S. Army (and his
country) were. In return for college
assistance, he was expected to be
available for military duty for eight
years (only three of that active duty).
The recruiters did NOT force him to
enlist in the Army. He (and probably
many others) joined for that financial
assistance. Mr. Hanna, unlike many
during the Vietnam era, was not in
voluntarily drafted into the service.
We find it very self-serving that he
received pay for three years of active
duty (and we assume GI bill educa
tion benefits now) and now reneges
on his own VOLUNTARY obliga
tion to our country (and ourselves as
taxpayers)!
Some do question the role of our
r—■ 1
country in the Persian Gull, and we
encourage everyone to be informed
and express your opinions (including
you, Mr. Hanna). However, when he
signed that enlistment form, he agreed
to serve his country for EIGHT years
in any manner that the Commander
in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Presi
dent Bush) should determine to be
necessary. If he cannot do that, we
believe that he has defrauded the
American public of three years of
training plus whatever educational
benefits he has wasted during his time
at UNL. Therefore, we hope the mili
tary authorities do not allow Mr. Hanna
to make a mockery of our VOLUN
TARY military services.
Capt. D.T. Hickenbotiom USMCR
graduate student
electrical engineering
Steven Green
graduate student
electrical engineering
Walk for Life
attended by many,
ignored by DN
The Daily Nebraskan apparently
has decided that ignorance is bliss.
I read the DN every morning; every
day, there is at least one item in the
paper that manages to irritate me
enough so that I don’t fall asleep
during my 9;30 class. Monday, how
ever, I was kept awake by something
I couldn’t read because the DN didn’t
cover it: Saturday’s Walk for Life
attended by 5,000 supporters.
When 5,000 people gather at the
State Capitol, march to the Federal
Building and hold a reception in the
Nebraska Union (a university facil
ity), one would think that the univer
sity’s newspaper would see fit to at
least inconspicuously bury a couple
of paragraphs about it.
The only argument that I could see
against covering the walk would be
that events in the Persian Gulf have
captured peoples’ concern. But if 5,000
people show up to protest against
abortion, it would appear that a good
number of people are still, indeed,
concerned about the issue.
The DN is the only written news
source for most, but fortunately not
all, students. As such, it has a respon
sibility to cover those issues that people
are concerned about. When 5,000
people gathe/ to demonstrate their
leanings, we ought to read about it no
matter what their cause—the Middle
East crisis, abortion on either side,
the environment, the unavailability
of parking or even the mistreatment
of laboratory dung beetles on East
Campus.
Journalists often warn the public
about governmental censorship. Few
people, however, stop to think about
the media’s ability to censor through
deciding which stories to cover and
which ones not to cover. That deci
sion is a powerful one and carries
with it the ability to manipulate pub
lic opinion.
Joe Luby
junior
history and math
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