Yesterday was the big protest day in Madison and around the
country. A day where students were supposed to skip class to
protest and stand up for “books not bombs.”

Apparently, students were supposed to ignore that the federal
government does not provide money to state universities in the form
of general purpose revenue (GPR funding), and so the war and
increased tuition are completely unrelated. Students were supposed
to ignore how hypocritical it is to protest increased tuition by
walking out on the education they are already paying for.

Some students did ignore these basic facts and walked out. The
crowd on Bascom Hill was a decent size — but 95 percent of
students went on with their life and did not ignore the hypocrisies
the far left trumpeted through their bullhorns.

Yet, more disturbing than any protest is what didn’t happen in
at least two classes on this campus and what did happen in at least
one, likely more. Professor Susan Pastor, who teaches Womens
Studies 102 and 103, cancelled lecture Wednesday and discussion
this week because of the protest.

While tuition may be cheap for the value of the education we are
receiving, it still costs a good deal of money. Many students who
support our fight on terrorism and students who believe the most
valuable thing they can do while at UW-Madison — regardless of
their feelings on a potential war — is learn, were deprived that
opportunity because Prof. Pastor and others decided to make a
political statement by canceling class.

Professors, just like students, have a right to their own
opinion and to share that opinion. But professors do not have the
right to ignore their first obligation, which is to teach in the
classroom, simply to make political statements.

Freedom of speech applies to everyone, and I support Chancellor
Wiley’s sentiment that individuals have a right to express their
“personal and political views on the premises of UW-Madison, as
long as the manner of that expression does not impede the rights of
others to live, work and study.”

The problem is Prof. Pastor’s actions did impede on the rights
of those students in her classes. Prof. Pastor should be
reprimanded, and the university owes the students in these courses
an apology and a refund of their tuition in the amount of two class
periods.

Students should also not have to endure the diatribes of
professors like Larry Nesper who did not cancel class but instead
decided to change yesterday’s lecture from the material that he had
been teaching in Anthropology 104 to a rally cry for the antiwar
movement.

I do believe Prof. Nesper is incorrect, but I am not criticizing
him for his opinion on the war. He has a right to that opinion. But
Prof. Nesper is abusing his position and ignoring his obligation to
educate students on anthropology when he spends almost an entire
class period lecturing on his opinions about a potential war.

The students in that class are not paying tuition to listen to
his rantings against war; they are paying for their education —
and Nesper is impeding on the rights of the students in his class
to receive that education.

The protests brought many incredible sights. You saw the
“hackey-sack protesters” as I call them. They were the students at
the protest who weren’t listening to what was being said (not that
they missed many truthful statements) and were instead enjoying a
rousing game of hackey-sack.

But two things stood out in my mind the most about the day. The
first was when the war supporters and antiwar protesters were
facing off at the Capitol.

As I left the Capitol, I felt good. I have used my column in the
past to make it clear that I believe Saddam Hussein has left us no
choice but to go to war. I was proud that both sides were able to
express their views. No violence broke out.

The most noticeable difference between the two sides was that
the war supporters carried American Flags and were proud of their
country and America’s actions. The antiwar protesters had flags
from Palestine and Libya and blamed the United States for
everything wrong with the world. It was disturbing that they would
carry these flags, since both of these governments actively support
terrorism. But I saw an incredible show of free speech, as everyone
had the freedom to express an opinion — something that would never
occur in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.

The second thing that really stood out in my mind was seeing the
antiwar protesters sitting on the lap of Abraham Lincoln, who was
president during the bloodiest conflict in American history.

Many of the people against the war justified their position by
claiming Iraqi citizens would likely die in a conflict. Innocent
civilians dying are a legitimate concern, no question. But I
wondered if those protesters would have opposed the Civil War,
because it certainly had to be obvious back then that so many
innocent people would die. The North outlawed slavery. Yet they
were willing to go to war against the South because, among other
factors, they knew slavery was wrong, and 360,000 Northerners gave
their lives for the belief that all men should be free.

People are dying in Iraq every day due to persecution and
state-sponsored violence, and we are willing to go to war even
though we know some of our soldiers will die, because removing
Saddam Hussein from power will end most of the oppression against
the men, women and children in Iraq and it will make the world a
safer place in its fight against terrorism.

Such a high calling requires a high price — one those students
who left class Wednesday without repercussion came far, far from
paying.

Matt Modell ([email protected]) is a senior
majoring in journalism and political science.