Impeachment Forces Clash At Campus Rally

Inside the Science Center last night, Carly Simon sang and an auditorium full of anti-impeachment supporters cheered Clinton's cause.

But the real political battle was taking place outside the Science Center. Just outside the revolving doors, overflow crowds of students and local residents supporting the rally mingled with a handful of pro-impeachment demonstrators, exchanging slogans in the bitter cold.

The crowd began to form even before the 7 p.m. rally, when the 350 seat auditorium was full. It would eventually number in the hundreds. And while the speeches from inside were broadcast to the throng outside, a petition against impeachment circulated through the crowd.

But also outside the Science Center was a sizeable anti-impeachment contingent. Jeff A. Letalien'01, treasurer of the Harvard Radcliffe Republican Club, helped organize a counter rally which sported 30 students from Harvard and Boston University protesting with signs reading "Jail to the Chief!" and cheers of"Gore '98."

Republican Club President Anne L. Berry '01said the club was not officially sponsoring thecounter-rally so as not to label the impeachmentcause as "partisan."

Still, while most participants of the counterrally were affiliated with Republican groups oncampus, others said they simply held a strongmoral compass.

"I've developed a strong conviction that BillClinton has committed perjury, which is animpeachable offense. I'd like justice done," saidKyle D. Hawkins '02, who said he was a registeredindependent.

But those students participating in thecounter-rally were clearly a minority in a vocallyanti-impeachment crowd.

"It is way more than clear that Harvard isopposed to impeachment," said Michael B. Fertik'00. "This is a hijacking of the country by alunatic fringe."

Leah A. Plunkett '01, who held a signadvocating gay rights, was spurred to action afterobserving a protester carrying a sign during thespeech of Rep. Barney Frank '61 (D-Mass) whichread "Barney Frank=Moral Leader?"

Some participants even mocked proimpeachmentparticipants. Matthew N. Stoller '00 held aplacard that read "Impeach Clinton... I am anIdiot."

"Anyone who doesn't appreciate the Constitutionwe've been imbued with... really is an idiot,"Stoller said.

The undergraduate crowd outside the ScienceCenter also included several Boston-arearesidents. The elderly Cambridge couple ofDeCoursey and Iten Fales braved the temperaturesin the low-40s to add more names to a petitionthey had started against impeachment.

Over a two-and-half-hour period in the Squareearlier this week, the couple collected more than450 signatures, they said, and they added to thatnumber during the protest.

"I think this impeachment is part of aRepublican program that endangers the continuationof democracy," DeCoursey Fales said.

The protest ended with a sing-along to folksinger Carly Simon's live rendition of "We ShallOvercome," performed inside the Science Center andplayed over the outside loudspeakers.

While some students swayed and sang the song,other protestors called out to "make perjury, notwar."

However, after the last students had streamedout, Joe Sanberg '01, president of theHarvard-Radcliffe College Democrats and vicepresident of the Massachusetts College Democrats,said he still felt giddy.

Sanberg, who had helped organize the event withFrankfurter Professor of Law-and prominent Clintonsuporter-Alan M. Dershowitz, said he felt theevent indicated students are not as apathetic asthey seem.

"This proves that Harvard students care. Whatstruck me is not all the students cheering inside,but even when we ran out of room, the hundreds whowent outside into the cold to cheer," Sanbergsaid

Republican Club President Anne L. Berry '01said the club was not officially sponsoring thecounter-rally so as not to label the impeachmentcause as "partisan."

Still, while most participants of the counterrally were affiliated with Republican groups oncampus, others said they simply held a strongmoral compass.

"I've developed a strong conviction that BillClinton has committed perjury, which is animpeachable offense. I'd like justice done," saidKyle D. Hawkins '02, who said he was a registeredindependent.

But those students participating in thecounter-rally were clearly a minority in a vocallyanti-impeachment crowd.

"It is way more than clear that Harvard isopposed to impeachment," said Michael B. Fertik'00. "This is a hijacking of the country by alunatic fringe."

Leah A. Plunkett '01, who held a signadvocating gay rights, was spurred to action afterobserving a protester carrying a sign during thespeech of Rep. Barney Frank '61 (D-Mass) whichread "Barney Frank=Moral Leader?"

Some participants even mocked proimpeachmentparticipants. Matthew N. Stoller '00 held aplacard that read "Impeach Clinton... I am anIdiot."

"Anyone who doesn't appreciate the Constitutionwe've been imbued with... really is an idiot,"Stoller said.

The undergraduate crowd outside the ScienceCenter also included several Boston-arearesidents. The elderly Cambridge couple ofDeCoursey and Iten Fales braved the temperaturesin the low-40s to add more names to a petitionthey had started against impeachment.

Over a two-and-half-hour period in the Squareearlier this week, the couple collected more than450 signatures, they said, and they added to thatnumber during the protest.

"I think this impeachment is part of aRepublican program that endangers the continuationof democracy," DeCoursey Fales said.

The protest ended with a sing-along to folksinger Carly Simon's live rendition of "We ShallOvercome," performed inside the Science Center andplayed over the outside loudspeakers.

While some students swayed and sang the song,other protestors called out to "make perjury, notwar."

However, after the last students had streamedout, Joe Sanberg '01, president of theHarvard-Radcliffe College Democrats and vicepresident of the Massachusetts College Democrats,said he still felt giddy.

Sanberg, who had helped organize the event withFrankfurter Professor of Law-and prominent Clintonsuporter-Alan M. Dershowitz, said he felt theevent indicated students are not as apathetic asthey seem.

"This proves that Harvard students care. Whatstruck me is not all the students cheering inside,but even when we ran out of room, the hundreds whowent outside into the cold to cheer," Sanbergsaid