 | The Cavalier daily Thursday, March 29, 1973 |  |
Destruction: Who Can Be Held Responsible?
By LISA DUGGAN
man is responsible for himself,
we do not mean that he is
responsible only for his own
individuality, but that he is
responsible for all man."
They turn on the T.V.
and they listen. Yes, yes, the
Communist menace must be
stopped. Once the Communists
gain control, people's lives are
ruined and there would be a
bloodbath. We must not let
that happen. It is they who are
responsible for the evil and the
misery.
The pilot flies over Hanoi
with his orders and his map. He
is highly trained and goes back
to the base for dinner, but he
does not see how well he does
his work. He does not see the
earth scorched and the
buildings crumbled and the
bodies broken. He does not see
how the Communists are
taught a lesson.
The children cannot be
trusted. Viet Cong will stoop
to any trick. What is a soldier
to do when he knows that a
child can bring him death?
These children, of course, must
be dealt with.
The housewife prepares
dinner. Her husband will be
home soon, the children are
outdoors enjoying the first
spring warmth. She turns on
the T.V. to stir the quiet.
David Brinkley is talking about
the war again. She is tired of
hearing about the war, but
"The Lucy Show" does not
come on until 7, so she
watches. The streets of
Vietnam are brought to the
screen: she sees women crying
and the children with their ribs
protruding and the refugees
marching. She peels the
potatoes. It is ten minutes until
7, "The Lucy Show" will be on
soon.
"Look, I'm just a pilot, I
follow orders, I don't make
decisions. I only know where
I'm to hit, not what I'm to hit.
I can't be held responsible.
"It was either go into the
army, go to prison and have a
felony on my record, or leave
my family and my friends.
What kind of choice is that? I
was to give up two years or ruin
my entire life. I didn't make
the law, I didn't decide where I
was going or what my
assignments would be. I can't
be held responsible."
The air is filthy, the water
cannot be drunk. Cars clog the
roadways; there is no longer
anywhere to park. Workers fill
the city. The crime rate rises
and rises while the population
explodes. Animal species die
out and open spaces disappear.
The people are urged to use
more – more electricity, more
clothing, more appliances. The
cars are bigger and have bigger
engines. The bus lines go out of
business.
Susan is a student. She
comes back from pasting-up
the school newspaper, collapses in
the dorm and takes a long, hot
shower. She comes into the
room and plugs in her hair
dryer, her radio, and her alarm
clock. She puts some toast in
the toaster and the hot pot on
to boil. She gets out her ecology
book and reads tomorrow's
assignment. It's about power
plants and the ill effects of
unnecessary power
consumption.
John has been working hard
at a construction job all
summer and he can finally
afford to buy a car of his own.
It's such a pain waiting for the
bus, and bicycles just don't
work out in bad weather.
Today he bought a new
bumper sticker for his new car.
It says, "Save the Earth."
The businessman runs a
textile plant. It's so hard to
make a profit in his business
that he has to use all the
economy measures he can. He
knows that the air has gotten
awfully smoggy, in fact, he
complains about it on his way
to work in the morning. But
the new control devices are too
expensive. He has to stay in
business: he has a family to
think about.
"I can't just introduce any
old thing I please, you know,"
says the senator. "I'm elected
and I have to be concerned
with public reaction and the
feelings of my big contributors.
The time just isn't right for
mass transit, and American
business just isn't ready to
shoulder the burden of control
that some people are
demanding. I know the
problem, but I have a
responsibility to my
constituents. I can't be held
responsible.
"Look, I don't make the
laws, it's the people with the
power in Washington who do
that. What can one person do?
I can't be held responsible."
| The Cavalier daily Thursday, March 29, 1973 | |