The print., April 25, 1979, Page 2, Image 2

opinion
ÿ-
$
Endorsements
•>î
V
other viewpoints
Editor’s note: This editorial ran in the
Oregon Daily Emerald, the student
newspaper at the University of Oregon.
It was written as a position paper from
the University of Oregon Veterans and
compiled by Russ Linebarger.
average test scores of recruits hiave^ risen
(testimony to the fact that the quality of the
recruits has improved under the A VF
system), educational levels are higher nod
retention of enlisted personnel and
disciplinary incidents have decreased since
the early 70’s.
In recorded testimony before the House
Armed Services Committee last year, all ol
the heads of the Armed Services had to con­
cede the AVF was working well. Secretary
Brown agreed as early as January of this
year.
veterans. It claims there is no significant
emotional affect stemming from the Vietnam
War; it continues to ignore the fact that many
of us áre chemicál' time-bombs waiting to go
off. And how that many of ús are standing up
to speak out against another atrocity in the
making; we are branded by the VFW, the
American Legion (groups supposedly ad­
vocating for veterans), and the military, as an­
ti-American or unpatriotic. We are neither.
We are veterans who have'seen the waste,
corruption and death that our over-zealous
military has created and operates within. We
search for a way that our young and future
generations may live without having to face
such degradation.
150,000 are used to build railroads and works
on far ms; ¿430,000 for internal security; 500,
000 are permanently stationed^;along the:
Sino-Sbvwat border; another -55,000 troops
are stationed in Czechoslovakia and would
have questioned the quality of these troops. It
should also be pointed out that the Soviets
have outnumbered us much of the time since]
the end of World War II.
For the second consecutive year, the Print
is making editorial endorsements of can*
didates for key Associated Student Gover* •ÍÍ
nment positions.
University Veterans is an organization of
We are doing this because in a student %
Vietnam-era and post-Vietnam era veterans.
election there is little opportunity for voters $ In recent months this organization hasz led the
to really get to know the candidates and $ fight against the draft and draft registration.
3 We have been questioned, chastised and at­
platforms and goals.
tacked for this stand. This statement,
Campaigning is done over a short period
therefore, is to clarify for the record our intent
of time and most students learn little about
But, the U .S. needs arms sales to control its
and motivation concerning this life>-and-death
the candidates except information they gain
investments in and access to strategic raw
issue.
,
from posters?
materials. Currently the U.S. imports 75 to
University Veterans is headed by veterans- 100 percent of these materials. Although this
The candidates were interviewed by
who have direct war experience through the strategy seems quite apparent, the military
members of the editorial board and asked
Vietnam War., As survivors of that war, wé still uses fear to persuade civilians that we are
identical questions. Based on the results of
came home to the alienation of friends,
vulnerable to Russian attack . . .out-man­
these interviews the edit board decided on
families and a society caught up in its own ned and out-gunned. But, Pentagon figures
candidates to support for each office. We
guilt about the war. We were greeted, not by are often (distorted and often downright lies. 1
felt that candidates for business manager
brass bands, but by a swollen and inflated
For example, the Pentagon would have the
economy where unemployment or underem­
were so closely qualified, that we endorse
public believe that the Russians have such a
ployment
was
the
norm.
Our
G.I.
Bill
was
so
either candidate.
eaten up by inflation that many have been large military that this nation is under im­
We hope that this makes voting easier
minent peril of being attacked. In 1975 the
unable to sustain themselves while trying to
and helps create an informed voting student
gain back the education that was lost .to. time Soviets had 4.8 million troops in their military-
as opposed, to our 2.1 million. Yet many of
body rather than one that votes on looks or
.while fighting a dirty and unpopular war.
the Russian troops are used for jobs that our
plays eenie-meenie- minie-moe at the ballot
The Veterans’ Administration continues to
civilians perform here at home, for example:;
booths.
cut back programs that are a direct benefit to
250,000 troops are used for ¿(instruction;
8
President
On the basis of campaign platforms and
personal interviews, we believe Cindy Ben­
nett to be the best qualified candidate for
Associated Student Government president.
Bennett's
enthusiasm
and
deter­
mination to get the job done are a serious
factor in any election of this caliber.
True leadership must be for the benefit of
the followers, not the enrichment of the
For these reasons, we oppose the current
leaders. Bennett’s campaign exemplifies
efforts at reinstituting the draft. We know and
this leadership behavior both for the benefit
see the draft for what it is: a vehicle to carry
of her cabinet and the student body.
this country to war.
She plans to include delegation in her
Our top leaders have said so, and still the
every day tasks of being president. We feel
public remains deaf to these messages.
Energy Secretary James Schlesinger > has
that to delegate responsibilities and
said that the Persian Gulf is the key to the free
problems to her staff would benefit the
world as we know it. Defense Secretary
students in the long run because more
Harold Brown has said we would use
issues of concern could be covered. There
“military force” to protect U.S. oil interests.
would also be more creative ideas
And Deputy Assistant Secretary William
generated because of the increased student $ Crawford has stated that the U.S. would be
willing to go to “war” to protect Saudi oil.
involvement.
Bennett seems to be well informed on
When put into context, these statements
lend credence to the Pentagon’s new ter­
student and current issues. She has covered
minology of protecting our “national in­
her bases well and deals well with problems
terests.” The military has forgone even trying
she faces.
to whitewash our intended aggressive action
Lao-Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher,
in the Persian Gulf by labeling it “national
once said, “As for the best leaders, the
defense.” In the words of the DoD’s own
people do not notice their existence. The
study, “we depend increasingly on external
sources of raw material, with oil the most
next best, the people honor and praise. The
disturbing example of our dependence. For
next, the people fear; and the next the
that reason alone, our-interests in the Middle
people hate . . . When the best leader's
East and the Persian Gulf are bound to be
$• work is done the people say, “We did it our­
substantial.”
Even though our leaders and military have
ÍÍ selves'.”
stated our involvement in the Persian Gulf is
We believe, if Cindy Bennett is elected
mandatory, the Pentagon still tries to claim its
ASG president, the College will benefit
All-Volunteer Army is a failure, and that the
from a feeling of group accomplishment.
I
•A
Page 2 ‘
£
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need for the draft.therefore is crucial. But the
.DoD’s own study, entitled “A Report on the
All-Volunteer Armed Forces” states. that
On the European front, one which the
military claims would be overrun in a matter
of days, DoD numbers fail to include the
50,000 French troops stationed ¿ in West
Germany of the 330,000 troops France has in
its military. Our military also does not tell us
that NATO outnumbers the Warsaw Pact by
200 million people, has nearly three times the]
Gross National Product (GNP) of Russia and
a 70 percent higher GNP per capita than the
Russians.
As University Veterans, we are tired of the
facts being distorted to meet the military’s
end. As University Veterans, we strongly op­
pose this kind of national policy . . . a policy
built on aggression, selfishness and waste. As
veterans, we are painfully aware of the
DoD’s intent to use “experienced” veterans to
fill initial battle loses of “green” troops, or to
train new troops. With a cadre of combat-
trained veterans, the DoD intends to boost
morale and troop strength, in the event of a
sustained conflict, and it has made its attem­
pt known in provisions set in HR-23.
University Veterans contend that what this,
country needs is not a foreign policy based on
protection of our “national interests,” but
rather a national policy based on moral for­
titude, and a realistic view of Russian
“superiority.”
As a consumer of 30 percent of the world’s
oil, while having only 6 percent of the world
population, the U.S. needs to control its
energy consumption and rely less on its
protection of multinational corporate profits.
If this current “national interest” is allowed
to continue, then it wil be our sons and
daughters paying with their blood so our
vehicles can continue* to toll down American
highways.
,
,j
Wednesday, April 25, 1