Persian Gulf war still occupies readers’ minds
- LETTERS tTh°e EDITOR
Path to war
must be examined,
avoided
Here we are again enmeshed in the
pain of war. If it forces us to examine
the path that brought us here and to
avoid a similar one in the future, then
it will have lasting value.
It we blame Saddam Hussein or
George Bush or any one person or
nation, we are oversimplifying and
thereby missing the point. It is time to
look at our personal involvement or
lack thereof on this path.
We are glued to the news, but what
a costly price tag our attention has.
The people who a month ago had no
time to listen are now discussing the
issues with “expert authority." It seems
a shame that their inexperience makes
them vulnerable to sensationalized
versions and sources.
I hear an altitude of celebration
over the destruction of Saddam, but
where were these voices during the
recent years when ma.iy from the
West were fortifying his military
capabilities? If he is the “embodi
mcnt oi evil or insane as now
suggested, did he become this way
overnight? If I could believe that our
leaders and all of us had used our
every capability to understand the
people and problems in thai area and
were now forced to these measures as
a last resort, then I would have less
confusion and anguish.
If the statistic is true that in 1988,
75 percent of us could not locate the
Persian Gulf on the map, can we now
impose our “expertise” and pretend
to have answers to gulf residents’
problem s when we do not care enough
to know where and how they live?
While others arc asked to physi
cally bury their heads in the sands of
the Middle East, is it unreasonable to
ask ourselves to stop emotionally and
intellectually burying our heads in
the sands of ignorance concerning
people and events around us? Is it too
much to ask that we decide to listen to
the “unexciting news.” To read, to
become informed beyond our borders
and to regularly ask our leaders to
answer our questions?
Beverly Shippy
senior
arts and sciences
Saddam’s brutality
further proven
by civilian deaths
We hear from Jordan and Yemen
of outrage at American precision
destruction of a large rcinforced
concrcte building, surrounded by
barbed wire, with a camouflage roof,
fiber-optic cable connections, and with
a track record of military radio broad
casts. Sounds like a reasonable target.
Did Jordan and Yemen also ex
press outrage at Iraqi missile attacks
on Israel? These were not precision
attacks. They were intended to inflict
civilian casualties. Or were these
civilians “only Jews?”
I am not an Israelophilc (in 1967,
they sank a U S. Navy ship and ma
chine-gunned the survivors in their
lifeboats!), but I certainly am not an
anti-Semite.
Saddam Hussein is clever. Pack
ing civilians into military structures
is similar to placing prisoners of war
there, or using his former hostage/
“guests” in a like manner. One recent
report said that he had installed mili
tary communications equipment in
the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, where
the reporters are staying. What’s next?
Militari/.ing hospitals? Orphanages?
“Baby milk factories?”
This guy is a despicable barbarian.
Thank God our president had the in
testinal fortitude to raise the hatchet
before Saddam had a functional nu
clear arsenal. What if this had hap
pened during Carter’s tenure? Empty,
conciliatory words. Eventually, we’d
hear “Allah Akbar!” and see mush
room clouds. I am a pro gun control,
environmentalist Democrat myself,
but thank God for Republican presi
dents!
Robert J. Tobin
graduate student
geology
Foreign policy
blamed for death
of U.S. soldiers
This letter is in response to Adam
Tyrrcl’s letter (DN, Feb. 14). I don’t
think there have been any soldiers
returned home from the Persian Gulf
that have been spat upon. If the so
called “peaceniks” that I know are
any indication, I doubt that any of us
would “spit” on returning veterans;
many of us know people over there as
well. Some of my friends have been
in the military and do know how it
feels to be a soldier.
When I’ve been involved in public
dissent, I have engaged in the shout
“No blood for oil.” It is the blood of
American soldiers, the blood of the
innocent Iraqi civilians and the blood
of Iraqi troops being spilled. I object
to this because there is no rational
reason for it happening. There have
been many situationsacross the globe
in which the United Slates could have
objected to a country’s invasion by an
aggressor in the same way that Presi
dent Bush has condemned Iraq’s in
vasion of Kuwait. The only apparent
reason that B ush has done so now is to
stabilize (gain control over) the Middle
East and its oil supply.
I’m sorry if my dissent hurts the
feclingsof soldiers, Adam. They need
to hear these words that object to an
irrational foreign policy that will make
it more likely that they will die. Most
of the American soldiers I know have
the courage to risk death in defense of
this country’s freedom. The combat
in the Persian Gulf doesn’t protect
our freedom. It is a battle largely
fought over a natural resource that is
being consumed by the gluttonous
energy use of America.
James A. Zank
senior
art and English
Rodeo criticism
based on fallacies,
misinformation
In response to Marcia Anderson’s
letter (DN, Feb. 13), once again it is
good to hear of the concern the Humane
Society of the United States, the
American Humane Association and
the Greater Nebraska Animal Wel
fare Society have for the animals
involved in rodeo activities.
I was nowhere near shocked to
read that GNAWS requests we all not
attend a rc-cnactmcni of the Great
American West’s past. I would also
advise those who do so not to patron
ize public zoos, circus performances
and Sea World shows.
1 cannot comment on the remark
that “rodeo remains an unnecessary
cruelly to animals that a (civilized)
society can and should forgo” be
cause no examples of cruelty were
directly described by Marcia Ander
son I wish she would have been more
explicit in her own paragraph of the
article as to the cruellies rodeo stock
is,subjected to. The general state
ments of the quotes give no examples
cither. If you fear the examples up
permost ir your mind would be too
grotesque to discuss in the media, I
would caution you not to believe that
we in rodeo condone such examples.
The public may look with disgust
upon these individuals, but among
the rodeo community, they arc out
casts and not respected. Not only are
we unimpressed by the image pro
jected on rodeo, but we arc also
humanitarians caring for our animals
as if they were family.
These individuals arc no different
than the few loose screws that tease
dogs, loss cals and cage birds. Strange
that the owning of pets is not discour
aged.
And now a few words about the
quote issued in a joint statement by
the HSUS and the AHA — “The
stress inflicted on the animals." I am
curious if this is the same stress that
causes the family dog to relieve him
self in the living room during the
holidays.
Three generations of my family
have been involved in rodeo, myself
included for the last 21 years. I dare
say I know the animals involved and
their personalities much belter than
my fellow man. I can recall no litera
ture in the field dealing with animal
stress from the above time period.
The quote also states that during
practice sessions, especially, the ani
mals endure abuse and suffering as
HSUS and AHA have determined.
No statistics were provided with this
statement. I’m sure that I saw some
body hiding behind a tree with a clip
board as I picked myself up from the
practice arena dirt on cool summer
evening.
In the final paragraph of the joint
statement, a remark is made about
how rodeos do not portray ranching
skills. Rodeo is not ranching. It is a
spun jusi as is nuniing or usiiing. n
does, however, use hundreds of tech
niques used everyday in modem, past
and hopefully future ranching opera
tions not only in North America, but
in Australia, South America and many
other “civilizations.”
And as for the “probability of pain,
injury or death,” I’ve seen more dead
animals along road ditches in a year
than I’ve seen injured or killed in
rodeo performances in at least the last
10 years. Those who wantonly break
the rules arc dealt with accordingly
and professionally, just as in other
sports.
It would be best when considering
moral obligations to condemn those
condemnable rather than the masses.
Stepping on toes without sound con
victions is very impolite and highly
immoral. I urge attendance to a nos
talgic showing of the Old West. Stand
on our side of the fence if you like and
don’t be afraid to ask a competitor
about America’s number one sport.
Toby R. Brown
junior
physics
War protest
demonstrates
U.S. freedom
When I was growing up, my dad
used to give me all kinds of advice.
He still does. But while reading the
news reports of “Operation Desert
Storm,” one little phrase I heard re
peatedly in my youth when I was
working on my bicycle or trying to
build something out of scraps of wood
I found in the basement keeps rever
berating in my skull; louder and louder.
“Think, don’t jam.”
And it looks like we’re jamming
things up in the Persian Gulf pretty
well.
Sometimes news from Lincoln takes
a while to reach us out here in San
Francisco. So when we heard about
the messages Paul Chandler stenciled
around campus, “War is stupid,” “Bush
kills” and “Impeach Bush,” we all
said “Right on, Paul!”
Why? Because it was the Ameri
can thing to do. When Paul stenciled
those messages on Broyhill fountain,
the student union and elsewhere, he
exercised his First Amendment right
of free speech.
Some may disagree with the mes
sage, and most probably disagree with
its method, but desperate times call
for desperate measures. What he did
took a lot of guts and, in our opinion,
is much more patriotic than tying a
ribbon around a tree. Much more.
That’s because, in Nebraska, Paul
is taking an unpopular stand. He is
confronting us with some unpleasant
ideas. But war is an unpleasant thing.
Paul is asking us to think about the
complicated military situation — the
full implications and consequences
of which are nearly impossible to
fully comprehend. Where better a place
to do this than a university — where
people learn to think critically and
express ideas.
Without the free marketplace of
ideas and the healthy rigorous debate
it inspires, Americans would not en
joy the ability to think and behave
freely. Paul’s actions send a strong
signal that dissenting voices can still
be heard, loud and clear, in the United
States — that American is still free.
So basically, we’re proud of you,
Paul.
War is stupid.
Think about it.
Mick Dyer, Maura McLaughlin,
Jim Nygren, Beth Thew, Joeth
Zucco, Dave Sullivan and Chris
Albright.
UNL graduates
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That's the first step. But engineers, just like companies,
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If you're open to global thinking and are interested in
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An Invitation For Engineers
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On Campus Feb. 26th & 27th
Delco Electronics Division of GM will be interviewing
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