War objector offers advice to students By CAMILLA COHEE Young people who object to war and want to avoid any military draft should keep a file documenting their beliefs, such as an opinion letter written to a newspaper, a snapshot of themselves at a protest, or a bus ticket proving they attended a peace rally. This advice was passed along to a group of about 40 Dos Pueblos High School students who attended an informal lunchtime lecture Friday given by UCSB professor and conscientious objector Stephen Pope. Although there currently is no draft, all men between the ages of 18 and 26 are required to register under the federal Selective Service System. Teacher Shawn Perkin invited Mr. Pope to the campus to tell students about becoming conscientious objectors -- by definition, someone who is opposed on all moral or religious grounds to serving in the armed forces or bearing arms. Attendance at the lunchtime presentation was voluntary. Although Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in January there would be no need for a draft because the nation's military is thriving, Mr. Pope said that could change, and young people should protect themselves. "Now is when you start keeping that file, write an essay for the school newspaper, get pictures of yourself in protest, write letters to the editor," he told the group, adding that such activism only enforces the peace movement. "Wear your heart on your sleeve. Why not? That's where it belongs, anyway." Mr. Rumsfeld has said the U.S. military is effective because it's volunteer-based. "The people that are in the armed services today ... are there because they want to be there and are ready and willing and, without any question, capable of doing whatever the president may ask," he said. In the event of a draft, young people who receive an induction notice can always tell the draft review board they are conscientious objectors, but they would need documentation to prove it, Mr. Pope said. "You want to be able to convince the review board, 'I will not be good company if you draft me into your military,' '' he said. Dos Pueblos senior and student-body president Steve Storman helped coordinate Mr. Pope's visit. He believes he would qualify as a conscientious objector because he opposes all forms of war and violence. He hasn't started a file for himself yet, he said, but could put one together quickly. "There is absolutely no way I am going to war," he said after the talk. "I don't want to be party in the process of killing people in any manner. I don't want to be a button-pusher as much as I don't want to be a gun-shooter." Another senior, 18-year-old Devon Cunningham, added, "There is is no reason why we should be the world's policeman, demanding that other nations give up their weapons of defense while we still cling to ours." Another student attending the talk, freshman Richie DeMaria, 14, said "I don't support violence of any sort, and I'm certainly opposed to being drafted. I wouldn't make a very good fighter, anyway. I'd probably be a coward. Instead of bombing with bombs, I think we should bomb with flowers. It's a confusing but peaceful resolution." The local movement to inform draft-age students and their parents about conscientious objection to military service is gaining momentum, with a telephone hot line, trained counselors like Mr. Pope leading discussions, and volunteers distributing information at college and high school campuses. |
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