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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1981)
Students fret over possible war SEARCH class on nuclear war draws sell-out crowd By GAYLA LEOPARD Of fh* Emerald At last count the sociology SEARCH course "War in the Nuclear Age” had an enrollment of 153 students — not bad con sidering 400-level sociology courses usually draw about 25. Students take the class, says instructor Joseph Austin, because they are scared. "We're going to blow our selves up by accident if we don’t some other way," Austin says. "They’re (students) frightened, they’re concerned." That concern is not confined to University students. Last Tuesday, Austin spoke by phone for two hours to a Miami radio talk-show audience. And Pres. Jimmy Carter spoke of the threat of nuclear war in his farewell address to the nation the following evening. Austin devotes a lot of class time to discussing the United States’ vulnerability to nuclear attack. In a report on the proposed MX missile system, one author says the United States won't have an adequate defense until 1988, Austin says. But even when our defense against nuclear attack is con sidered adequate, Austin says he won’t be optimistic. Austin says possible defen sive nuclear weapons are really weapons of retaliation. And whatever the motives of military planners, "it means hemorr haging the resources of this country” to build a means of totally destroying our enemies, he says. That destruction may not necessarily result from aggres sion, Austin says. It may be caused by simple errors. “Three times last year, we nearly blew up the world through human error," Austin says, referring to faulty signals received by the United States' early warning systems. A 20-megaton weapon can devastate 200 square miles, ac cording to Austin. The intense heat can ignite wooden houses 30 miles away. Although he is "not neces sarily for unilateral disarm ament," Austin says he is an gered by politicians who ad vocate nuclear acceleration. "I can only think of two words — insanity or ignorance." The public’s ignorance on the issue of nuclear war is fed by political misinformation about defense, Austin says. For this reason, he backs up his lectures with "home-grown and reliable” scientific writings. "Get it off the shelves," Aus tin advises. Although he says he can’t, in good conscience, as sign pro-war material to his class, he does encourage vary ing views in classroom discus sions. Emerald Graphic Vet: U.S. mobilizing for Mideastern invasion By DOUG BUTLER Of the Emerald The United States’ military has crossed the line separating contingency planning from a real commitment to war, a University Veterans Association member claims. Dave Isenberg, acting UVA director, says scraps of infor mation from U.S. military documents seem innocuous when examined individually, but provide "pretty conclusive proof” of gradual war mobiliza tion when studied collectively. Detailed plans for the inva sion of Iran and the creation of a desert training camp and mili tary and political analyses of Middle East fighting all indicate U.S. involvement in a resource war — a war for oil, Isenberg says. A group of policy-makers in Washington is spearheading this movement because they see a war in the Middle East as inevitable and believe the Unit ed States could gain the upper hand by striking first, he says. Isenberg says he believes members of this pro-war group are in the administration, Con gress and Pentagon. To win such a war, the military needs transport systems, ma terial, experienced personnel, plans and public backing. Isen berg claims the group is becoming increasingly suc cessful in securing these needs. Isenberg's arguments include: • Continued draft registra tion. • Mock draft lottery and call up staged by the Selective Ser vice. • The formulation of new guidelines for draft evaders. • Joint military exercises between the United States and Egypt. BUY ONE CLASSIFIED GET ONE FREE Emerald Office, 300 EMU Recycle this paper • Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat’s offer of the use of Egypt’s military facilities in the event of a western intervention. • The military’s recall of re tired personnel for service on the continent so younger peo ple will be released for de ployment overseas. Isenberg says moves have been made in Washington to spend billions of dollars on a training center in Barstow, Calif., on the creation of a rapid deployment force, on military transport systems and on the material needs of the 82nd Air borne Division. "This is the critical stuff needed for operation and main tenance of fighting forces,” Isenberg says. These new expenditures don’t mesh with the stated goals of the Defense Department, he says. "These acquistions are not earmarked for NATO or Korea or Southeast Asia. They have no official purpose." The training center in Barstow is described by the military as a NATO facility, but European topography is noth ing like the California scrub de sert, Isenberg says. With the military well on its way to being prepared, the war effort is aimed at convincing people that war is necessary, Isenberg says. The conflict in Afghanistan boosted the Amer ican public's willingness to ac cept war, he says. "If the majority of people think we are being economically strangulated by the Middle East,” then pre-war buildup essentially will go unopposed, he says. "They are working for a na tional consensus.” Draft registration, a small part of the war process, has en countered the most opposition, Isenberg says. People must make their own decisions about registering, but resisting regis tration draws the most attention to war preparation, he adds. Isenberg, called Doctor Doom because of his grim forecasts, predicts that “it’s just a matter of time before it's put into gear.” I— FAMILIES—| Having behavior problems with your child? The U of O Psychology Clinic has openings for families seeking individual low cost treatment for the behavior problems of their 3-12 year old children. Call 686-4954 for more information. Bulk Cleaning and Laundry 20% OFF professional dry cleaning (clean and press) with this ad OPEN 7 DAYS 1430 Orchard St. (Behind McDonald’s) Expires Feb. 28,1981 345-6133
