Green party

Dr. Robert Jensen, assistant professor at the University of Texas department of journalism, spoke Saturday to a small group of students in Dallas Hall, contesting SMU’s traditional conservative outlook with the war on terrorism.

Jensen’s lecture, organized by the Dallas County Green Party organization, centered around the possible war with Iraq and the reasons behind it. Jensen discussed the importance of “differentiating between rhetoric and reality” in president Bush’s public desire to stop terrorism and liberate the Iraqi people. The conflict with Iraq, he said, “goes beyond Bush’s desire to crush the evil doers.”

“What students especially need to see is, here is the rhetoric – what does history suggest is the reality? Bush talks about bringing justice, when what he really wants is oil,” Jensen said.

One of Jensen’s primary points was that interference in the Middle East has historical precedents.

“The Middle East has resources we are interested in.” he said. “We have been doing this for years.”

Jensen spoke of the United states as “an empire striving to maintain global control,” referring to Bush himself as a metaphorical “emperor” who “has served notice that the world’s governing body can either act in accord with the empire’s wishes, or step back and watch the empire do its work.”

Speaking about Bush’s commitment to the people of Iraq, he expressed his concern over the possibility of civilian casualties due to the U.S. military’s “preferred use” of high altitude bombing. He believes that those who voice dissent against these measures are now basically alone in their protests, and are in need of organization.

Amy Anderson, a member of SMU’s Green Party and a graduate student in history, saw Saturday’s lecture as an important opportunity for people with dissenting views.

“The American people do not want to go to war, but Bush will go anyway,” she said. “This is undemocratic – we tell him what to do. It’s understandable that Americans are angry, but we need to be more cautious.”

Anderson believes that the United States and Iraq may eventually come to war.

“I hope people will become more informed about the situation. If there has to be a war, it should be as short and unobtrusive as possible,” she said.

Jensen said that the reception of his anti-war lecture in the conservative atmosphere of SMU hadn’t worried him, citing conservatives such as Scott Ridder as clear advocates against Bush’s desire to go to war.

“This is an anti-war movement with different elements in it,” he said. “Even students who don’t agree with the viewpoint should accept the rhetoric at face value.”

Jensen’s hope is that students who came to Saturday’s lecture were convinced to examine the facts of the Iraq argument, and to come to their own judgement. The lecture itself was followed by a lengthy question and answer section, which Jensen said clearly showed that students wanted to talk about the issues.

“People are hungry to have in-depth discussions,” he said. “We live in a democracy. People need to come to a judgement, and write to the White House or call their congressman. There’s a lot of work to be done, especially on campuses that don’t have a tradition of student organizing.”