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University of Iowa anti-war protests, 1970

1970-05-12 Daily Iowan Editorials: ""Pleas for legitimate protests"" Page 2

[Handwritten] DI May 12, 1970
2 (of 4)
[Printed}]
To the Editor, from the people

Pleas for legitimate protests
To the Editor:
[Left side of article on preceding page]
I am writing this letter because I simply can't contain the sadness that I have felt over the past week's events. I looked proudly on as some 6,000 students took part in a "peaceful Moratorium" march and rally last October. At that time I was firmly convinced that there was some hope for this crazy, bloodthirsty world of ours, because a group of my fellow students seemed so dedicated to the principles of peace.
However, the events of the past week seem to negate all this. This last week has witnessed attempts by a minority of this campus's students to identify themselves with the peace movement through the thoughtless destruction of university and public property. They do this supposedly in protest against the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the subsequent killing of the four students at Kent State.
Whatever their reasons may have been, I deplore this senseless destruction. Burning buildings will never result in peace or mutual understanding betweena government adn students. Beaking windows will not end this senseless war in Vietnam. Shouting profanities will not find the true causes for those sad deaths at Kent State. It takes real work to make as large a government as ours listen to the individual citizen. This is true. I'd be the first to admit this. However such violent actions will only produce a leftist example of the Nixon-Agnew syndrome: totally unresponsive to the needs of this country.
So don't sing the praises of Bruce Clark and his rock throwing crowd to me. I've seen and listened to too many of his type of perennial cause grabbers to believe that the rock throwers really care to make this country more responsive to its peoples' needs. It's so much easier to complain and burn buildings than to get off your rear and learn how to work through effective governmental means.
The violent overthrow of any governmental system does not necessarily dictate that a more benevolent one will arise. Maybe it's about time that we stopped the complaining and showed that not all students want to repeat the violent follies of our elders. Use the system for peaceful means! It can be done; it's just more work than rock-throwing.
Make this blind administration see that students can and will bring peace where Nixons and Johnsons have failed. Don't let the hate-mongers represent us!
Frances E. Giron, A4E
1030 Finkbine Park

To the Editor:
RE: the 200 and some arrests Friday morning.
I think that the sacrifice made by those students, while courageous, was ill-advised. The arrests had nothing to do with legitimate protest against ROTC or the murders at Kent—they were the direct result of the entering of the Old Capitol and Jessup Hall and the vandalism committeed there.
If we are blindly going to enter buildings and destroy them, let us do so with an eye to their esthetic value. Old Capitol is the only half-way decent structure on Campus—if we are simply going to blow off steam, let's burn Old Dental.
If violence becomes necessary, as it seems it has, let it not be wanton. Let us give direction and purpose to our violence. Everyone claims to be attempting to rid the campus of ROTC; so let's have our rallies in front of the Field House. If we are then to enter buildings, let us enter the ROTC headquarters and destroy it!
Bands, festivals of life, and smoking dope on the Pentacrest only forestall that day when the University will, as it must, appease us. Aimless rock-throwing and destruction can only harm our movement, as was seen Friday morning. If violence is to be employed, it must be calculated and precise, with an end in mind.
The difference between the Wednesday evening-Tuesday morning rally and the Thursday evening-Friday morning rally was the entering of the buildings and the arrests made by the police. Obviously, one precipitated the other. Take note—a legitimate protest against the war or ROTC did not precipitate the arrests; it was the wanton vandalism of a few.
Jay Ketterer, A1
810 Rienow 11

Vote before you leave
To the Editor:
One of the casualities in a situation where numbers of students may be leaving town abruptly could be the loss of their opportunity to vote in the very significant State Primary election scheduled for June 2.
It is significant because there are three contests in which peace candidates are opposed by men who will benefit and perhaps win if students do not vote.
Insisting on the opportunity to vote is still possible, but more complicated than it seemed a week ago. 
Here are directions. If there are further questions, the headquarters of any of the candidates named below will be happy to answer them. But the initiative in picking the situation which fits your plans must obviouslhy be yours:
1. IF YOU ARE GONG TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR JOHNSON COUNTY ON JUNE 2, you may vote at a polling place in the regular manner. If that needs explanation, contact headquarters or any candidate named below.
2. IF YOU ARE GONG TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR JOHNSON COUNTY AFTER MAY 18, BUT WILL LEAVE BEFORE JUNE 2, you may vote in advance, in the regular manner, by gong to the Johnson County Courthouse to the Auditor's Office, and asking to do so. You will be given your choice of voting either a Republican or Democratic ballot (since this is a primary election) and a private means by which to register your preference among the candidates.
3. IF YOU ARE GONG TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR JOHNSON COUNTY AFTER MAY 13, BUT WILL LEAVE BEFORE MAY 18 you may go in person to the Johnson County Courthouse Auditor's Office and file a request for an absentee ballot. This will then be mailed to you, along with instructions for how to fill it in and return it.
4. IF YOU MUST LEAVE TODAY, MAY 12, then you can still receive an absentee ballot by writing: Auditor's Office, Johnson County Courthouse, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240. In your letter give your Johnson County Address, the address to which you wish the absentee ballot mailed and specify whether you wish a Republican or Democratic ballot.
To guide this choice, it might be added that on the Republican ballot, in the
[remainder of column missing]
 
In the Democratic contest for State Reprsentative from Johnson County, West, Arthur Small has done a great deal of work for the peace movement in the past several years, and is particularly deserving of student support, I would feel. His serious opposition comes from a Farm Bureau spokesman.
Vance Bourjally
Rt. 3, Iowa City

Questions logic
To the Editor:
Saturday night I received a flyer stating that some of the enrollees of the University were boycotting classes to register their disapproval of the President's course of action in Southeast Asia. I fail to follow the logic of such a course. Given the condition that I were enrolled to demonstrate support for President Nixon, any deviation from said course would register dissent. I am enrolled to gain an education. By avoiding the rigors of my classes I register not disapproval for U.S foreign policy, but for my own capacity to formulate a rational course of action and pursue it to completion.
Any move to completely close the University is not a decision to tell the President the world or anybody anything. It is merely validification of the image which is sweeping the nation—that the kids don't know what they want nor how to get it. By closing the university this small minority is attempting to force their wishes upon me. They are usurping the authority to violate my rights and in the name of freedom?
Commendations are in order to President Boyd for not compromising on this issue. If we are going to protest, let's define the issues and make them responsive to the cause we seek to further. The issues are not related to whether we remain in school. He evidently perceived this and faced his issue like a man. If we must protest, let's be re-
[missing remainder of article]

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[Handwritten] DI May 12, 1970 2 (of 4) [Printed}] To the Editor, from the people Pleas for legitimate protests To the Editor: [Left side of article on preceding page] I am writing this letter because I simply can't contain the sadness that I have felt over the past week's events. I looked proudly on as some 6,000 students took part in a "peaceful Moratorium" march and rally last October. At that time I was firmly convinced that there was some hope for this crazy, bloodthirsty world of ours, because a group of my fellow students seemed so dedicated to the principles of peace. However, the events of the past week seem to negate all this. This last week has witnessed attempts by a minority of this campus's students to identify themselves with the peace movement through the thoughtless destruction of university and public property. They do this supposedly in protest against the U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the subsequent killing of the four students at Kent State. Whatever their reasons may have been, I deplore this senseless destruction. Burning buildings will never result in peace or mutual understanding betweena government adn students. Beaking windows will not end this senseless war in Vietnam. Shouting profanities will not find the true causes for those sad deaths at Kent State. It takes real work to make as large a government as ours listen to the individual citizen. This is true. I'd be the first to admit this. However such violent actions will only produce a leftist example of the Nixon-Agnew syndrome: totally unresponsive to the needs of this country. So don't sing the praises of Bruce Clark and his rock throwing crowd to me. I've seen and listened to too many of his type of perennial cause grabbers to believe that the rock throwers really care to make this country more responsive to its peoples' needs. It's so much easier to complain and burn buildings than to get off your rear and learn how to work through effective governmental means. The violent overthrow of any governmental system does not necessarily dictate that a more benevolent one will arise. Maybe it's about time that we stopped the complaining and showed that not all students want to repeat the violent follies of our elders. Use the system for peaceful means! It can be done; it's just more work than rock-throwing. Make this blind administration see that students can and will bring peace where Nixons and Johnsons have failed. Don't let the hate-mongers represent us! Frances E. Giron, A4E 1030 Finkbine Park To the Editor: RE: the 200 and some arrests Friday morning. I think that the sacrifice made by those students, while courageous, was ill-advised. The arrests had nothing to do with legitimate protest against ROTC or the murders at Kent—they were the direct result of the entering of the Old Capitol and Jessup Hall and the vandalism committeed there. If we are blindly going to enter buildings and destroy them, let us do so with an eye to their esthetic value. Old Capitol is the only half-way decent structure on Campus—if we are simply going to blow off steam, let's burn Old Dental. If violence becomes necessary, as it seems it has, let it not be wanton. Let us give direction and purpose to our violence. Everyone claims to be attempting to rid the campus of ROTC; so let's have our rallies in front of the Field House. If we are then to enter buildings, let us enter the ROTC headquarters and destroy it! Bands, festivals of life, and smoking dope on the Pentacrest only forestall that day when the University will, as it must, appease us. Aimless rock-throwing and destruction can only harm our movement, as was seen Friday morning. If violence is to be employed, it must be calculated and precise, with an end in mind. The difference between the Wednesday evening-Tuesday morning rally and the Thursday evening-Friday morning rally was the entering of the buildings and the arrests made by the police. Obviously, one precipitated the other. Take note—a legitimate protest against the war or ROTC did not precipitate the arrests; it was the wanton vandalism of a few. Jay Ketterer, A1 810 Rienow 11 Vote before you leave To the Editor: One of the casualities in a situation where numbers of students may be leaving town abruptly could be the loss of their opportunity to vote in the very significant State Primary election scheduled for June 2. It is significant because there are three contests in which peace candidates are opposed by men who will benefit and perhaps win if students do not vote. Insisting on the opportunity to vote is still possible, but more complicated than it seemed a week ago. Here are directions. If there are further questions, the headquarters of any of the candidates named below will be happy to answer them. But the initiative in picking the situation which fits your plans must obviouslhy be yours: 1. IF YOU ARE GONG TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR JOHNSON COUNTY ON JUNE 2, you may vote at a polling place in the regular manner. If that needs explanation, contact headquarters or any candidate named below. 2. IF YOU ARE GONG TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR JOHNSON COUNTY AFTER MAY 18, BUT WILL LEAVE BEFORE JUNE 2, you may vote in advance, in the regular manner, by gong to the Johnson County Courthouse to the Auditor's Office, and asking to do so. You will be given your choice of voting either a Republican or Democratic ballot (since this is a primary election) and a private means by which to register your preference among the candidates. 3. IF YOU ARE GONG TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR JOHNSON COUNTY AFTER MAY 13, BUT WILL LEAVE BEFORE MAY 18 you may go in person to the Johnson County Courthouse Auditor's Office and file a request for an absentee ballot. This will then be mailed to you, along with instructions for how to fill it in and return it. 4. IF YOU MUST LEAVE TODAY, MAY 12, then you can still receive an absentee ballot by writing: Auditor's Office, Johnson County Courthouse, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240. In your letter give your Johnson County Address, the address to which you wish the absentee ballot mailed and specify whether you wish a Republican or Democratic ballot. To guide this choice, it might be added that on the Republican ballot, in the [remainder of column missing] In the Democratic contest for State Reprsentative from Johnson County, West, Arthur Small has done a great deal of work for the peace movement in the past several years, and is particularly deserving of student support, I would feel. His serious opposition comes from a Farm Bureau spokesman. Vance Bourjally Rt. 3, Iowa City Questions logic To the Editor: Saturday night I received a flyer stating that some of the enrollees of the University were boycotting classes to register their disapproval of the President's course of action in Southeast Asia. I fail to follow the logic of such a course. Given the condition that I were enrolled to demonstrate support for President Nixon, any deviation from said course would register dissent. I am enrolled to gain an education. By avoiding the rigors of my classes I register not disapproval for U.S foreign policy, but for my own capacity to formulate a rational course of action and pursue it to completion. Any move to completely close the University is not a decision to tell the President the world or anybody anything. It is merely validification of the image which is sweeping the nation—that the kids don't know what they want nor how to get it. By closing the university this small minority is attempting to force their wishes upon me. They are usurping the authority to violate my rights and in the name of freedom? Commendations are in order to President Boyd for not compromising on this issue. If we are going to protest, let's define the issues and make them responsive to the cause we seek to further. The issues are not related to whether we remain in school. He evidently perceived this and faced his issue like a man. If we must protest, let's be re- [missing remainder of article]