University of Virginia Library

To The Editor

Emotional Unthinking

William Kunstler, Wednesday
night, told us that the united and
mobilized students throughout the
country must shut down their
universities. The effect of a shut-down
are dramatic. If students
show their determination to not
participate in our society as it
stands, the powers that must
change. When business and industry
realize that their flow of educated
talent has stopped they will be
forced to reevaluate their position.
This is our power, this is our power,
this is our force. This is the
determination we must show.

Jerry Rubin spoke of our
conditioning - by parents, schools,
and universities - to salivate at any
given moment. This obviously
applies to the establishment (words
like communism). Yet doesn't it
also apply to the unthinking,
impassioned left. The words are
different (establishment, pigs, and
revolution) but is this not salivation,
too? The difference between
the students and the establishment
should be that we think, that we
consider. Only thinking can defeat
conditioning.

Students only stop thinking
when, weakened and frustrated,
they succumb to the brutal ideology
and tactics of the establishment.
The events at Carr's Hill and
Maury Hall vividly illustrate the
result of this lack of thinking. It is
no doubt easier to yield to this
immediate release of pent-up emotion.
But what does this violence
accomplish?

Kunstler also spoke of the
necessity of keeping up the pressure,
of resisting the temptation of
faltering and taking the easy way
out. It is a harder road to shut
down the University and to resist
the inevitable pressure to which we
will be subjected by keeping it shut
down, but it will accomplish our
alms without resorting to the insane
violence which is the only alternative
of the unthinking establishment.

Yesterday a reordering of
priorities took place. Moderates,
adamantly anti-war, but truly
libertarian, won the overwhelming
endorsement of concerned
students. The issue is unifying,
singular and clear. The issue is the
war. Our goal is to end it. I join
with the University Student
Council in endorsing a
University-wide boycott of Chases
through next Monday. The purpose
is to mobilize anti-war activities on
our campus, in our community and
across the country.