Renowned author, infamous political activist, anti-Vietnam advocate and Wisconsin enthusiast were just a few of the descriptions history professor James Donnelly used to introduce former California legislative member Tom Hayden.
Thanks to the sponsorship of the University of Wisconsin Department of History and the Havens and Harvey Goldberg Centers, Tom Hayden gave a lecture entitled “Saving Democracy from the Globalization and from the War on Terror” Thursday night in Grainger Hall.
“[This lecture] is going to give students an important perspective of what they need to consider in deciding how they regard today’s current issues,” Donelly said.
In his lecture, Hayden focused on issues of the past that are affecting the war movement surrounding today’s world. He also discussed how the Iraq situation is weakening the foundations of democracy.
“We don’t control history,” Hayden said. “Mistakes are made . . . and a rough picture emerges of where everyone stands.”
Thus, Hayden said he feels the world’s impending war is one built upon the war activities of the past. To help substantiate his points, Hayden discussed the progressive movements of the 1960s, primarily of the Vietnam War.
In his opinion, “the nightmare” of Vietnam serves as an uncanny parallel to today’s situations.
In his speech, Hayden asked numerous questions that added new perspectives to today’s war-infested situations. Some of these included whether America is really preparing for war in an effort to stop terrorist activities. Instead, Hayden said he feels the United States is creating an empire, with motives to invade Syria and Iran sometime in the future. In time, Hayden says, these countries will become permanent protectorates of the United States, providing easy access to oil.
Such concerns are ones Hayden heard echoed in his days as an anti-Vietnam activist.
Although the primary focus of Hayden’s topics dealt with America, his speech clearly pertained to worldwide issues, as foreign exchange students Bryony Dobbs and Sheinal Jayantial pointed out.
“I want to learn about current terrorist issues and how they’re affecting the world,” Jayantial said of why he attended the seminar.
Dobbs also saw Hayden’s lecture as a way to catch up on topics that are affecting not only America and Iraq, but the rest of the world as well.
Donnelly said he feels Hayden’s speech not only pertains to the adult world but has direct pertinence to the UW student body.
As he pointed out, a war with Iraq would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion.
Donnelly, a fan of Hayden’s work, developed a close relationship with Hayden while working on Hayden’s recent book “Irish Hunger.”
“Through these two books, I have come to know him intellectually,” Donnelly said of Hayden’s other works.
Donnelly said although he doesn’t agree with all of Hayden’s political views, he believes Hayden has plenty of good ideas that can give students exposure to many political issues.
Hayden is also partaking in several activities today, including a lunch discussion of his new book, “Irish on the Side,” and another lecture, “Seminar on the ’60s,” which will be held in the Curti Lounge of the Humanities Building from 2-4 p.m.
