NEWS
Anti-war activist interrupts College Republicans
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by Drew Hamm
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
A panel discussion of war veterans on the University of Wisconsin campus became a little more contentious than planned Tuesday, resulting in police removal of an anti-war activist.
The UW College Republicans brought the panel together at Grainger Hall to discuss referendums in cities and towns across the state — including Madison — to "bring all military personnel home from Iraq now."
Members of the UW Stop the War! movement attended the meeting to voice their support of the referendum. However, when Stop the War! member Chris Dols became too "disruptive," two UW police officers asked him to leave.
"It is a little hypocritical for them to publicly denounce Stop the War! when they won't even debate us," Dols said.
However, College Republicans Chair Jordan Smith defended the formation of the panel.
"It was a 'vote no' panel, so we wanted all panel members advocating 'vote no,'" Smith said.
The panel consisted of Marine Kevin Lewis, Army soldier Greg Seidlitz, Army Reservist Mike Hahn, and Bill Richardson, treasurer of the "Vote No to Cut and Run" organization.
The overall opinion of the panelists was that they love the people of Iraq, and that the response from Americans has been overwhelmingly positive since returning home.
"The response has been very good to me," Hahn said. "People have been kind, polite and gracious when I tell them that I am a veteran."
Hahn added that he was "a little bit surprised" when he heard that the referendum was on the ballot.
Lewis echoed Hahn's sentiment, saying that it "broke his heart" that Madison was considering passing this referendum.
The panelists also all agreed that if American troops immediately withdrew from Iraq it would not be good for the Iraqi people.
"If we leave tomorrow, the country will go back to hell in a hand-basket," Seidlitz said.
There are currently 130,000 troops in Iraq and, according to Richardson, it would be "chaos" if they were pulled out now.
"If we pull out of Iraq right now, the terrorists win," Richardson said.
The dialogue went back and forth for a majority of the meeting on whether or not the troops should leave.
"We are all for getting these soldiers out of harm's way," Dols said. "I want you and all your friends home."
This was one of the only topics that the two sides agreed on during the meeting.
The College Republicans set up the "Vote No" panel to educate students on their views on the issue. Dols requested to be on the panel but was denied because he had views opposing the College Republicans' stance.
Dols and his constituents came into the meeting and called the College Republicans "cowards" for not debating him, which set off a yelling match between the panelists and Dols.
Despite the differing opinions, Smith said she thought the meeting went well.
"It is good for debate and discourse," she said.
She said she decided ahead of time that debate between the two sides would not be productive, however, as she said a "token conservative" at a Stop the War! meeting would just be "shouted down" and "attacked."
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 7:42am):
Come on. This article could not be more biased. The Anti-War folks don't have debates. They hiss when someone opposes them and they cheer when someone they argree with talks. Let them have their OWN panel and stay away from other ones. Yes, Chris was disruptive, rude and down right disrespectful. Just as if he were debating someone, he would not allow a word in edge wise. Shame on you Drew Hamm and the Badger Herald your horrible horrible report and for rewarding Chris and his inflated ego. This will just encourage more of them to come to CR meetings and make a scene.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 7:47am):
Interesting article.
Reminds me of the good old days in Madison when political debate tended to get a bit contentious from time to time.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 8:22am):
"It was a 'vote no' panel, so we wanted all panel members advocating 'vote no,'" Smith said.
Haha! Sounds like College Republicans would like to limit the 'marketplace of ideas' at UW-Madison.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 8:52am):
Dols obviously is an idiot. All panel discussions don't have to be debates.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 9:44am):
Why would the College Republican chair say that debate and discourse is good...if no opposing voices were allowed on the panel?
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 9:45am):
FIRST bring the troops home from Germany, Japan and Korea! I think we have succeeded in establishing democracy in those countries by now, even though many thought it impossible when we started the process so many years ago.
Hopefully the troops will be back from Iraq in less than the 60 years we have been in Germany and Japan.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 9:46am):
or maybe he's just the next Chris Dols? You know, not everyone who has a soul is just trying to be like Ashok.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 12:54pm):
"FIRST bring the troops home from Germany, Japan and Korea! I think we have succeeded in establishing democracy in those countries by now, even though many thought it impossible when we started the process so many years ago."
But then we can't rule the world! Imperialism just doesn't work if you have Air Force bases in EVERYONE'S back yards.
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 12:54pm):
I think the amount of anger and hate towards liberals who would dare show up at your meeting is intriguing. It's interesting that Smith says they wouldn't show up at a STW meeting because they would be "shouted down" or "attacked", isn't that what happened to the liberals who tried showing up at your meeting? I can't think of a CR ever being stopped from showing up or talking at a College Dems or Stop the War meeting. Maybe you could learn something about the real world if you came outside of your bubble and learned the opposing point of view before sending your guards after Chris Dols.
"Despite the differing opinions, Smith said she thought the meeting went well.
'It is good for debate and discourse,' she said."
What differing opinions if you refused to have anyone FOR the referendum on the panel?
Anonymous (March 29, 2006 @ 2:01pm):
A Vote No panel would only include those that would advocate a vote no on the referendum.
QED.
Duh.
Anonymous (March 30, 2006 @ 1:47am):
"Dols requested to be on the panel but was denied because he had views opposing the College Republicans' stance."
Did this reporter even go to the meeting?
The CRs invited this panel to speak at the meeting to inform CR members of its cause. After Dols and his followers interrupted the meeting by walking in late, he further disrupted the meeting by asking to be on the panel. Since Dols was not a member of the "Vote NO to Cut and Run" organization, he obviously was denied a seat on it's panel. This was not a debate. This was a question and answer session. Not only did the Stop the War members fail to ask valid questions, they also proceeded to give the CRs a little "history lesson." In the end, Stop the War members did nothing but annoy and convince me that they are not only disrespectful of fellow student organizations but fellow Americans as well.
I shudder to think what Hamm would be writing if the CRs crashed a Stop the War meeting by demanding to be a guest speaker and calling their audience cowards.
