On Protest

To the Editors of The Crimson:

The purpose of this letter is not to convince people that U.S. involvement in the Gulf War is wrong or right. The object is to encourage those people who are against the war to take the side that they truly believe in, without being confused by the misuse of the phrase "support for the troops."

I also want to encourage those who do not agree with U.S. involvement to make their views known and not to believe that once the President makes a decision it must be supported whether right or wrong.

I myself am confused when I see demonstrators chanting "Support the troops!" Initially, my reaction is, "What an obvious thing to say! Almost everyone supports the troops themselves; no one wants them to fail and come home in body bags."

The confusion comes because the slogan "support the troops" has unfortunately become synonymous with "support the war." This is partially due to the pro-war demonstrators who use the "support the troops" slogan to bring people to their side by playing on guilt; they want people to think that it is cruel and unsympathetic to the troops if you do not support the decision to put them into a war. They hope their side will be the only one recognized as supporting the troops, portraying the anti-war demonstrators as uncaring traitors who hate and would spit upon the soldiers who are fighting the war.

The media itself is beginning to call the pro-war side the pro-troops side also, while referring to the other side merely as the anti-war side.

But the conflict here is not about support for the troops. The anti-war demonstrators are just as much in support of the troops themselves as the pro-war demonstrators are. The difference is that the anti-war protesters are against the decision made by the U.S. government to use these troops in this war.

No one wants the troops to die, and everyone supports the troops, so let's recognize this conflict as pro-war versus anti-war, not pro-troops versus anti-troops.

Some people have refrained from speaking out against the war because it will give low morale to the troops overseas. I do not deny that it would be discouraging for a soldier to fight for a cause that is not supported back in the U.S. However, anti-war protesters are trying to keep the troops' morale up by saying that they do support them, although they disagree with the mission.

Low morale that may come from protests at home does not kill; bombs and bullets do. U.S. troops will not be killed by peaceful demonstrations at home against Bush; they will be killed by enemy fire in which Bush has placed them. If the demonstrations help bring the troops back soon, many more lives will be saved than will be lost by soldiers' half-heartedness in fighting brought about by any low morale from anti-war protests.

Some people believe that protesting is useless, since the war has already started, and few believe that Bush will stop the war because of protests back home. But protest could help by making Bush think twice before he rejects a possible settlement or considers calling for a draft or a suspension of civil liberties.

An attitude similar to the "helpless" attitude is that it doesn't matter whether we think the decision to enter war was right or wrong; we must rally 'round the flag and support any cause that America enters, because America represents freedom and democracy.

However much one loves America, one must admit that neither the spirit of freedom nor the country of America decided to enter this war, the decision was made by men--and men can make mistakes. Bush may have been placed in a frighteningly high position of authority, but he is just a man--and he may have made the wrong decision for America. It is important not to give George Bush a blank check from the American people for anything he wants so long as he does it in the name of America.

The point is that the pro-war side does not have a monopoly on Americanism, patriotism or support for the troops, despite the fact that they are waving the flag hardest or that they organized an incredibly nationalistic Super Bowl halftime. The true American has a duty and an obligation to speak his or her mind.

People are dying, and we need to know why. The answers can only come about by discussion and debate, not by blind faith in our government leaders. It has always been important in a democracy to stand up for what you believe in; now it is truly a matter of life or death. Jim Ebenoh '93