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4 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER
Focus ■ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1990
With the recent Iraqi invasion of
Kuwait, and the subsequent United
States reaction, the idea of American
involvement in foreign crises is
again brought to light
Students at campuses nationwide
have spoken out both in favor of and
against this country’s involvement
in such affairs. Is sending American
troops to protect foreign lands a
good idea? Read on.
Yet another
generation of
wasted youth
By Robert Anglen
■ Ohtorw Monitor
Ohlone Collage
The winds are beginning to blow
once again, bringing the imminent
and frightening prospects of war to
the next generation of prospective
disillusioned vets.
To protect “our’ assets in the
Middle East, President Bush initiat
ed a aeries of directives against Iraq
for invading Kuwait which could
leave Americans dying far another
shadowy cause in a foreign land.
Embargoes have been effected.
Alliances were made. Hostages
were taken. Economic sanctions
were instituted. Propaganda was
created. Diplomacy failed. Shots
were fired. And the military reserve
was activated — a grim testimony.
(The last time the reserve was com
missioned was 1968 in an insignif
icant country called Vietnam.)
Domestically, the attitude is
nothing short of congratulatory for
Bush’s quick actions toward stop
ping the ’mad dog” Saddam
Hussein, Iraq’s leader.
Nationalism has been sold to a
bigoted majority, taught to bate
throughout history. Now, flag-wav
ing pride can be directed at Iraq,
mostly because we don’t under
stand them and it is more conve
nient to hate than to learn
The fact is, the assets *we* are
protecting in Kuwait are two
things only—oil and oil refineries,
lb use this as an excuse for mih tary
intervention is ludicrous. A very
small percentage of our oil comes
from Kuwait to begin with. Do peo
ple really need to die for big oil prof
its? Already we pay for the privi
lege of having oil. Gas prices in
America averaged $1.30 a gallon
right after the crisis began.
Nobody owes anything to an oil
company. If oil companies want to
fight a war, they should hire their
own army — not buy the United
States armed forces.
And if by chance the winds of war
blow past us it would do good not
to praise Bush for his handling of
the situation but to question how
we allowed him to push us so dose
to the brink in the first place.
PRO
ARIZONA
WILL POWERS, STATE PRESS ARIZONA STATE U
Caring enough to send the very biggest... Arizona State U. student Rick Miller signs a giant
greeting card, which was sent to American troops in Saudi Arabia. The card was designed by
two ASU dorm residents, who wanted to show support for the U S. military in the Middle East.
Alabama
Please, Mr. Postman . .. Students at the
U. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, wishing to
write to U S. military serving in the
Persian Gulf can do so with stationery and
envelopes provided by a campus organi
zation. The Kaydettes, a group that serves
to support Army ROTC cadets, purchased
the stationery in the hopes that students
would be more willing to write soldiers
overseas. “Many oftheletterswillbe given
to those who aren’t receiving mail from
home," said Sgt. Maj. Carol Cochran, a for-
mer public relations chair for the
Kaydettes. “Mail call is the most impor
tant time of day to a soldier overseas," said
Lt. Col. Donald Crabtree. “The letters
from university students will demon
strate to them that someone cares.” ■
Melissa Tucker, The Crimson White, U. of
Alabama, Tuscaloosa
IOWA
200 points Of light. . . Close to 200 U. of
Iowa students, faculty and community
members of all ages gathered for a silent
vigil in September to protest United
States military involvement in the
Middle East. The vigil began with a
short speech from Dennis Gilbert of the
Wesley Foundation, a Methodist stu
dent organization. “As a group ... we
were divided on many aspects of the sit
uation in the Middle East, though we
were united in thinking military solu
tions to conflict are no longer viable,"
Gilbert said. “What concerns us most of
all is the implication that the military
involvement has popular support — we
have heard very little humanitarian
concern,” he added. * Jennifer Glynn,
The Daily Iowan, U. of Iowa
KENTUCKY
Beers for bull's-eyes ... In the desert
like heat, Western Kentucky U. junior
John Morgan took aim at one of the
most infamous figures in recent his
tory. As Morgan fired his projectile, he
narrowed his eyes and breathed out
beer-tinged breath. His dart hit the
mark — Saddam Hussein was dead.
For his heroic efforts Morgan was
given not a medal of honor, but a beer
from the Fajita Factory About 30 stu
dents gathered at the Bowling Green,
Ky., restaurant to "kill” Saddam
INDIANA
Bag it . . . Students at Indiana U.,
Bloomington, are collecting Ziploc plas
tic storage bags to send to troops over
seas. Military personnel need the bags
to protect their personal hygiene items
from desert insects, said Barry Porter,
of the Red Cross. “This is our chance to
help them find an item that they are
specifically requesting,” said Porter.
“Plastic storage bags are in demand.” If
the university gathers 42 square feet of
boxes of the plastic bags, the Red Cross
agreed to send the packages overseas.
“We’re not involved with the politics,”
said IU sophomore Melissa Halaschak,
organizer of the baggie drive. “We’re just
trying to make the lives of the men and
women who are forced to be there a little
easier.”" Rebecca Velten, Indiana Daily
Student, Indiana U., Bloomington
Hussein. Participants paid 25 cents to
throw two darts at a picture of the j
Iraqi leader, in hopes of winning a
beer. “I think the board represents peo- ;
pie’s views about things,” said sopho
more Chad Chilton. ■ Paul Baldwin,
College Heights Herald, Western j
Kentucky U.
CALIFORNIA
‘American’ oil
is worth the
price of war
By Kay Gervais
■ Th» Nfchoda Worth
Nicholls State U.
We’ve heard a lot of complaints
that the United States’ main objec
tive in the Middle East crisis sr.ot
to re-establish the sovereign state
of Kuwait or to protect our any,
Saudi Arabia, but to protect
American oil interests.
Our main objective, after prot, t-
ing American Uvea in the Mid ;le
East, should be our oil interest
We import anywhere from 20 to
40 percent of our oil supply. What
would happen if Saddam Hues- n
gamed control of most of the world's
oil?
How would we fuel our cars 9 How
would we warm our homes? How
would we transport food, clothes —
or anything for that matter? How
would society survive without en vi
ronmentally dangerous non-
biodegradable petroleum-based
products?
This crisis should be solved
quickly. If diplomatic measure
aren't effective, then any means
available to put an end to Hussein -
reign of terror should be used.
If military force is necessary to
stop the insane plans of a man who
used the wealth of his country to
fight an eight-year territorial war
with Iran, then so be it
Some American people seem cau
tiously supportive of President
Bush's decisions pertaining to this
crisis. And with good reason when
comparing the Iraqi “crisis’ with
the Vietnam “conflict.’
And there are those who, withou-
question, will support any militai >
action America takes regardless
circumstance or consequence
Seeing what’s at stake, America:
cant afford to turn their backs on
this one.
•Angella Champagne of The
Nicholls Worth contributed to thi s
column.
SUZANNE STATES. DAILY BRUIN. U. OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGftES
Oil and war don I mix... More than 300 activists, many of them students, protested near the U
ot California. Los Angeles, against U.S. involvement in the Middle East. Claiming that the main
purpose was to protect oil interests, one protester remarked. "A better solution would be tor us
to change our lifestyles so we don't need the oil.”