Student pacifists should wake up

Omaha World-Herald ^ | 9/23/01 | HOWARD W. ANDERSEN

[Jean S]

The headline said, "Students, others urge restrained justice."

The story told of rallies being planned at more than a hundred campuses in what was being described as a national "day of action" in opposition to America's becoming involved in a war. "Nerds Against War" read one of the student-made signs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Wake up, campus nerds. The United States of America is already at war, having been attacked by terrorists waging war against this country. Campus protests might much more logically and fairly be directed not against fellow Americans who are willing to reply to force with force if necessary but against the terrorist warriors responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent persons in New York and Washington Sept. 11.

There comes quickly to mind a one-question quiz for the campus protesters:

Do you think the American people would prefer that our national policy be set by student protesters and like-minded pacifists in the entertainment world and in the leadership of the National Council of Churches or by President Bush and the members of Congress who rose repeatedly to applaud his Thursday night address expressing determination, using military force if necessary, to assure "not an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world"? ***

All signs point to the prospect that it will be a long, long time, if ever, before the American people get back to a "normal" life, if by "normal" we mean life as we lived it until 8:48 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Sept. 11, 2001.

To that reality let me add my hope and my belief that our "new normality" will be influenced by but not indefinitely dominated by terrorism and counter-terrorism. In that spirit, let's today spend some time on things that have no connection to hijacked-jetliner terrorism - things like a letter from an Omaha friend who is a proud Notre Dame alumnus but also a proud Nebraskan.

My Omaha friend wrote that he was "pleased and proud" when he read the contents of the weekly "Go Blue and Gold" newsletter that went out to Notre Dame fans after Nebraska's 27-10 victory over the Irish in Lincoln Sept. 8.

Tim Prister, Blue and Gold editor, wrote: "You had to be in Memorial Stadium ... to appreciate what remarkable fans Nebraska has .... As the Irish players exited the field through a tunnel, every Nebraska fan in that area ... stood and cheered ... the fans formed a tunnel all the way up to the Notre Dame locker room entrance ... 40 yards of Nebraska fans, lined up on each side, cheered, clapped, slapped the Notre Dame players on the back."

The Blue and Gold editor continued: "I didn't know which Nebraska fan to say it to, so I finally just stopped and said to the nearest red-clad fan: 'I've been covering Notre Dame football for 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this. You are the most incredible fans I've ever seen ....'

"So if you're a Nebraska fan reading this, God bless you. If you know a Nebraska fan, please give him a copy of this, because his attitude is a dying breed in college football stadiums across the country." ***

Let me set the record straight in regard to one facet of that case in which G.W. Woody Egermayer Jr., 54, with U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson riding with him, was stopped by police about 11:50 p.m. Jan. 13 on suspicion of driving on the shoulder of West Dodge Road.

Egermayer was charged with second-offense drunken driving after tests showed a 0.20 percent blood alcohol level, more than the legal limit for driving. In one of the most puzzling judicial rulings of the year (I'm tempted to call it the most puzzling of the year, but there's some pretty tough competition for that title), District Judge Mark Ashford held that police didn't have enough reason to pull Egermayer over.

Now as to the facet of the news reports that needs correction: One news story said Egermayer and Nelson were returning from the annual Game Dinner at Mahoney State Park, a dinner that "attracts some of the region's most prominent business and professional leaders." A second news story said Egermayer and Nelson had "spent the evening" at the annual dinner.

As one of the hosts of that annual affair, I can tell you - as I told a reporter after the first story appeared - that Egermayer and Nelson were at the dinner but did not "spend the evening" there, nor were they returning directly from the dinner.

A cocktail hour precedes our annual game dinner, and the dinner adjourns promptly after the meal and a short program. Last Jan. 13, the dinner was over and guests were heading home - or, obviously, for other destinations - by 9 p.m.

The writer, retired publisher of The World-Herald, may be reached at P.O. Box 27347, Omaha, Neb., 68127. The telephone number is (402) 593-4553.

[Southack]

Funny how these students always seem to be spending more time protesting America's right to respond to terror attacks than they do against the terrorist attacks themselves.

Sorta makes ya wonder just where their loyalty resides...

[alloysteel]

"Whosoever is not with us, has raised his hand against us...."

Pacificism clearly has no place in this discussion. To promote pacificism is to give aid and comfort to the enemy at our gates, and who has already breached our first defenses.

[onyx]

Might I assume that the parents of many of these youngsters are reliving the 60's vicariously through their offspring?

[Balding_Eagle]

Pacifism Begets Violence.

[gcruse]

Might I assume that the parents of many of these
youngsters are reliving the 60's vicariously through their offspring?

Maybe, but some wisdom accrues over the years.  One
need not stay a hippie forever.  More likely, the Marxist
professors ensconced in academia are just doing their
usual poisoning of the student mind.  Parents are the
last to know.

[Don Myers]

"Wake up, campus nerds."

They are awake. Their position is they don't want to go to war. That was the position of the college kids while I was in Vietnam. They don't want to serve.

[RightWhale]

Sorta makes ya wonder just where their loyalty resides...

Such pacifism does nothing but encourage the enemy to continue their attack. It is viewed as proof of weakness, softness. Japan thought that America didn't have the belly for war, so they attacked. Thanks to a popular university pacifism movement Hitler thought that England didn't have the belly for war, so he attacked. If the students don't want to fight, they will be viewed by the enemy as willing to surrender, as in Vietnam.

[RobbyS]

They don't want to serve. Their country, that is. The "ME Generation"lives on.

[riley1992]

They are awake. Their position is they don't want to go to war. That was the position of the college kids while I was in Vietnam. They don't want to serve.

That was a whole different ballgame.

[progunner]

I for one openly state that you are quite CORRECT</FONT COLOR="maroon">. I can relate this to the 60's when, I'm A Viet Nam veteran,, shot and stabbed,,, I returned to the states and got called a baby killer by my cowardly EX friends. Talk about a kick in my a$$. They were cowards then and the ones that are still living are still damn cowards.

It's real simple,,,, when someone is about to shoot you, you try to shoot first. Unfortunatly it doesn't always happen that way as was proved on 9/11/01. Which leaves the task of eradicating the killer to some damn body</FONT COLOR="maroon">. Now,,, if one of these "campus nerds" see's one of his/her own take a bullet, I often wonder if he/she would take up arms. Something tells me no.

[headsonpikes]

America's leftists have found their totalitarian soul-brothers in these Islamic Terrorist swine.

Smoke 'em out!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #11 Just more hugging and moaning followed by more Bush-bashing and Clinton-nostaligia

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #11 Just more hugging and moaning followed by more Bush-bashing and Clinton-nostaligia

[onyx]

I'm getting the same pit in my stomache as I had during the Vietnam war worring about the children of VVets doing the fighting now, whilst the spoiled offspring of the war protestors are doing their anti-American things, just like their parents did 37 years ago.

[Don Myers]

"That was a whole different ballgame."

Perception is everything.

[SCHROLL]

They are loyal only unto themselves. Here's and idea, take them to Ground Zero, then give them a slicker, a pair of boots, and a shovel. Make them go through the search and rescue effort, then have them go with the recovered bodies to be ID'd. Once that's been done have them go to the families of the dead and explain to them why we shouldn't do anything about it. Maybe then the light might go on in that pea brain of theirs.

[Dan Day]

Here's and idea, take them to Ground Zero, then give them a slicker, a pair of boots, and a shovel. Make them go through the search and rescue effort, then have them go with the recovered bodies to be ID'd. Once that's been done have them go to the families of the dead and explain to them why we shouldn't do anything about it. Maybe then the light might go on in that pea brain of theirs.

That has been my suggestion for the pacifists of all stripes all along.

[riley1992]

Yes, and the fact that they would perceive a direct attack on our own soil against our own citizens the same as the kids did with Vietnam is not very reassuring, is it? That is a horse of an entirely different color, Don.

[Don Myers]

"That is a horse of an entirely different color, Don."

Well, for the most part, college kids are pretty materialistic and they don't go in for intangible things like patriotism. They are too busy "having fun" on momma and daddy's dime.