FORUM Protest politics of Persian Gulf war, not soldiers Soldiers hope for peaceful settlement By Joy Pope With Jan. 15 encroaching. I am becoming increasingly con cerned about the attitude of this new generation of anti-war ac tivism. I am particularly ad dressing those activists who have taken it upon themselves to correspond their anti-war po sitions directly with the sol diers sitting in the desert, trem bling with the fear of death and the sadness of lives left behind. My brother is one of these soldiers. Commentary I support the anti-war move ment wholeheartedly when it comes to protesting the reasons behind this conflict and the corrupt actions and individuals associated with the U.S gov ernment. On Jan. 15. I will be out there protesting along with all of you who think this con flict is unwarranted and poorly handled. However, my anger will nev er be directed at the soldiers, and 1 plead for this same senti ment from my fellow war pro testers. The image of the American soldier has been badly tainted by Hollywood's portrayal of the Vietnam conflict. I am disap pointed to see how easily this image has been swallowed by my generation. To think that everv soldier sweating out his or her tear in tin- desert is un educated or negligent or even more patriotic than human is a grave mistake 1 ask you, the ones who choose to so carelessly question the soldiers' intellect or reason ing. to travel out of narrow mindedness to rural America and see for yourselves the pos sibilities available to men and women who can't afford col lege. who come from broken families, or who desire a chance to see and experience the world. These men and women are intelligent enough to leave oppression for oppor tunity The soldiers who desire blood are certainly in the mi nority It is up to us to stop the anti soldier propaganda before it gets out of hand as it did with Vietnam. Wo can’t just sit in our trendy little pubs and smoke our French cigarettes, out of the cold and in the com fort of our friends, and wait for an organized chance to spit on our soldiers. We can’t disre gard the pain felt by the fami lies saying goodbye to their sons and daughters, husbands and wives to their lives. childhoods and futures 1 would be so impressed by an intelligent anti-war move men! that could protest the hor ror going on in politics and philosophy while respecting the sacrific e and the loss felt so deeply by our soldiers and their families, (.ain't we voice our op position and our sympathy in the same breath? If it is a hu manitarian issue we are protest ing, can't we protest in a hu manitarian manner? I will certainly lie there with you to protest on )an. 15. To gether we can voice our con cern and troublesome thoughts about the politics behind this possible war. There will lie one fundamental difference be tween you and me. however. When it's over and |an. IB comes around, you can go back to your pubs and smokes and forget about the pain involved in this war until the next time someone is bold enough to stage a protest. But when the Hith rolls around for me, and all the days after until this situ ation is settled. I must listen to the news, watch for the mail and swallow my pain ev erythin the telephone rings, dreading the possibilities Jay Popo is iy trmT^ : QDIj UrtMon Pony hm^rgld ODE THE FAR SIDE By GARY LARSON C *°y are Thiti^i a cinch' J I 5 ! * God makes the snake