Vol. 4 No. 2, October 19, 1967 - James A. Cannavino Library - Marist ...

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PACE 2; OCTOBER 19; 1M7 i ~ \'
Declaration Of 7
Independence?
"~ 'Can you stilT recognize me among so many hoardes waving
so many arms calling down the wrath of some supreme being upon
each other? Is it possible to remember me now, when for you
the world has become so monstrous and life so brittle? If you
can recall my name among the thousands of uncertain words they
scream at you like "duty"«'Eneiny'y«eliminate*\please forgive me
for writing today. You see I've /chosen the worst of days to write,
today is July 4th. I am sorry this particular date had the arrogance
to fall on my writing day, but many things seem to fall on the wrong
days lately for the wrong persons. I guess I should be very impressive
and quote something appropriate ,like "the,time is oulof
joint", they've always seemed to please you, but I've somehow lost
the heart for that. .' \
Oh, why is the fourth such a wrong day?- I'm unsure, but I^think'
is has something to do with you. July 4th is a day very sacred to
some people because it is supposed to be the day when'God will most
certainly hear American prayers for the way we want peace or war
or - whatever we want. And ior~ other people it is a scriligious
celebration, the supreme ritual which turns iconoclast because
America is the anointed archetype of all villainy. Remember what"
you said about fighting the one grand abstract war, oppression vs.
liberation, Lucifer vs. Michael, and how you could riot be proud to
join the myth, especially when your country has to play both roles.
- You -were even so disloyalto say the war was not proud, you said it
was humiliating. No, I am not betraying my country to you or anyone,
I know patriotism. It was one of our former presidents who,
when asked if God were on our side in' 1 the war, said he always thought
it was" more important if he were on God's side. But he was very
odd, Mr. Lincoln. | > I \
FARAWAY IN ASIA..
It is strange, my friend, but-it will be hard forme to send you
this letter as' it is to write it. But let me talk about that later,
I can't write off what you are doing somewhere in Asia/ it does
" not convince me 1 that you are\ the personification of righteousness,
you or any of us. Yet here' I stand watching the hands clapping,
flag waving crowds shouting'about the cause and across the street
some people demonstate with flames, their hands look like other
. hands,, and. thejflag, is the same but they are.chanting-think of
it-singing about infanticide. / Cause,' murder; and .whai.'.are my
thoughts? Is it so. laughable 'that .1 am' 'Junking only of a friend?
' We • have soiled - this day each -in our own style; but perhaps I
write because I think we might be able to celebrate this 4th, in
our way, without being too sure what it means. Without demanding
its submission to our approval. That too, is a celebration, don't
you think,."" serving the uncertainty of youth.
' . < i
I - - :
COOL WINTERS ???/
Your last letter, the one about how cool the winters really are
in Viet Nam wasn't convincing.' The paper wes shrivelled where
your hand sweated hi blotches -on the letter, perhaps while you -
pondered too long over the*hext- word. -I'm gland you d^d though,
they-were words worthy-of-your-serenity of, mind. I always said •
you should have been another Mahatmayoa idiot, instead of a soldier.
Nerve mind, I forgive you. But would you.please omit that p.s.wish-you-were-here
footnote in each letter v Some humor! I canft
blame^ you; a man has to smile occasionally even in Asian winters.
They say-you're a lunatic, you know. That's myfault again. They
wanted to know why you were fighting in some rice field if you don't
believe in it-all. First, I said in my most serious voice, "In a rice
field!". £>h, they don't fight in that much, they only sleep there! Then' -
I felt very sich about the ridicule, and told them what a real person
you are and what your typical faraway words < tried to tell me, in ,<
hoping my dried blood would flow again. So I told, them that you;
felt you were guilty, thatyour' hand somehow cut a wound, even if;
a very small one, into someone else, perhaps "without knowing it. !
And to hell with ideologists you said. Hate caused this war, every war 1
and if at anytime any where we-have ever hated even for a moment,
then* we too have bur share in the war. And you weren't proud of
that. You said,' (oh, you are an ass) that you had to fight because
this was your, war; "fault" was the word you used, and that you
felt you must'accept your, part of the pain. How they shook their
heads in disgust when you admitted you hoped somehow tosacrifice.
a little more than to inflict So, you see what a"wonderful cor-.
respondent I am. In one interview I ruined your reputation. I
don't feel ashamed of that; you.alwaysprtded yourself .on not being
curdened by^reputation. I-suppose you should thank me then. Yes,
look what your "disreputable" creeds brought you, an Asian winter,
whatever mat' means. I should disown you for good. But why can't
I, it -doesn't make sense, but. I really wouldn't, fool that your are.
[ -a ' *
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A CHANGE OF ADDRESS
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Yes, I find it very difficult for the first time to send you a letter.
Impossible. The other day I received notice that you - how do they
say it - "suffered a change of address" - "deceased in service"
or something. Letters are no longer in use you know, for us. I guess
they would call this piece of writing posthumously received - isn't
that the word? Has my friend suffered enough, his share? f have
even been writing in the wrong tense>v I think it would have been
proper to use the past definite. But you won't ever reprove me for
that. Everything seems too definite and past, but perhaps somehow
their is a kind of triumph in this. I thought you would have wanted to
celebrate this your triumph, so forgive me, and even if you would,
recognize me.
As ever,
A Correspondent
., Peace In A
-" - - >
Revolutionary War
by Au Trong Thanh (CPS)
Editor's Note: Au Trong
Thanh, former finance and economic
minister of.South Viet
Nam, was kept from running for
president in the South Vienamese
elections because he planned to
campaign on a peace platform.
He has received several,invitations
to speak :n/ the/ United
States, but at present-the Sai-_
gbn Goverijment has refused to
let him go. This article, written
shortly before the Vietnamese
election, explains how he believes
peace can be brought to
Viet Nam. It was given exclusively
to Collegiate Press Service
by Tran_Van Dim, Vietnamse
journalist and -CPS
columnist. \
Up. until now, all efforts made
to end or escalate the war have
proven ineffective. Violence,
which is normal in a convention­
''" Why so? Because of the lack
of time for an analysis of the
.facts with due consideration to
the genuine opinions of the materials
of the country in which
the war is being-waged. It is
now the right time to fill this gap
and to find in a rational way an
approach' to the notion of peace
within the- context "of a.revolutionary
war, , " ~ -
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
• Generally speaking, it takes
some time to start a revolution-ary
war. because the simple and
primitive. • can be politically
' transformed only under particu- '
.lar circumstances and with time..
In practice, the "circumstances
most conducive to a rapid and
violent explosion of.a revolu­
tionary- war, can be found in .the '
negative attitudes of the colonial .
power which refuses to grantgenuine
independence to the colonized
people, a fact that crystallizes
all the will of liberation of the
people.
In" the- case of Vietnam,, the
mechanism has been launched
by the.armed struggle to regain '
national independence. Once the -
mechanism has been launched,
the process of development-of"
the liberation, war went on 'a
* self-feeding system, because a
war- waged on a larger scale
strengthens the factors found at
the start of a revolutionary war.
In effect, an ideological war
with foreign intervention thatfollowi
the war for independence
does worsen the thirst for national
sovereignty.
EFFECTS OF THE WAR
- Also the war, in alienating the
city folks from the farmers causes
more social injustice, creating
at the same time among city
folks a widening gap between
war profiteers and war sufferers
and thus aggravates a dangerous
social imbalance.
Continued on page 7
Hey,VLodk \Me- ^O ver
\. Hallowed by thy halls, MOTH, for ever and ever, amen. You are
\* v Vietnam is the typical example the epitome of progressive education in the oil-infested valley of the
i of a revolutionary, war. The long Hudson." Breathlessly do your monuments of stone and thought climb, .
, duration of'this war has enabled - even to the pinnacles of your punch-card, Adrian.
• us to see the successive steps of
- an evolution through the different We've got to admit it: • if you want it, the U has it. We've got FDR
phases of a development which on an annual basis, of course; classical musak(if the meter's" runnin');
had been conditioned by internal Laurel and Hardyin January and May; psychedelic Kheingold; rent-aand
external circumstances. cops; and a provocative faculty.- We've got a Hound Table, with King
Arthur at the helm, which can't be equaled; credit must be dropped
upon the infallible domes of nine (or ten, or how many there are in
our bureaucratic daimgogy) guys who get together and decide how to
mete-out the 24,030 under their thumbs.
al war, has been used in vain, . .Let's see ... the Football Club gets 1,500; tha Varsity Club — 1,100
Pathetic appeals to stir up hu­ (they've got a feast comin' up in May); otiier minor players, a thou
manitarian feelings have been . here or there; and the cultural committee - a buck or two, 'cause
launched also in vain. Offers of they put on the lectures and jazz since the U's departments don't
assistance with the lure of ma-" have the dough, or time, or interest, or whatever. All in all, we've
terial advantages also were not got a right to be so,damned smug,-»cause we run the show ...right?
responded to as expected. All
rthese attempts not only fail but - We do such a fantastic jSbthat nothing but MOTH could be the ful­
.also spread a climate of miscrum of our world. But take a look around puffkipsee once in-a while.
trust, of discouragement, and of, Last week, two members of, our glorious-staff trucked on over to-'
-importance in therfaceof the, Dutchess Community to'report- on a-.speech by Barry AuHOH (thanks '
..daily intensification of .the war.' to Dr. James Hall; the Pres of that,stepping stone to a*b.a.). -Barry.
was"up/;on the'-fhill--because of some-sort of-lyceum^eries.put-Tmby-
- PEACE 'DIFFiCULTY our lowsr brethern'-- just like Wayns Morse will he before too long,
' and Pierre Salinger, for you jackie buffs. . --" "-• !, ' --•"'*
Anyhow, Dr. Hall let us have a look at'that two-year place mat-most'
of us fail to recognize as existing. And get ready,all you bookworms,
DCC has a thing or two to offer (if you're turned on by cultrel stuff). -.
Okay, okay - they've got a good thing going with culture, but we're'
still bigger than-they are. Theyfre so hick that the DCC Student
Association' (we .call it a S. G„) controls a 91,000 dollar income^ -We've
got WMCS '- what do -they have - channel 8, Dutchess TV.' Granted '
that* somebody other than DCC students paid ibr and _nstalled the
viedo equipment, and WMCS got off the ground. only because of
MOTH men "support, but the fact remains that the super high school
on the "other side" of this town of traffic tickets has got it groov'ey.
' -*' - •" -, ' . 'v. ' .* - "
MOTH is a fine place; you won't find-many better! Just don't"'
think that,the Uis the "only" place, because (excuse me,'if you will)
-yes, Virginia, there is a Dutchess.
(ffi) > /THE CIRCLE, (ffi) »
RAYMOND J. HESLIN, F.M.S.
Bro.-Michael Flynn
; . : Managing Editor'
J. G. O'Connell' .
. ;. News Editor
'•.TIMOTHY P: SLATTERY
...Editors in Chief
Bob Jakob Feature Editor
Charlie Dunn -
- .. .-Sports FxLtor
Mike Ryan ' .
-. . .Photo Editor
Bob Burke - ~
..... Circulation Manager
.- - . Marty Haggerty ~. -~_' '.
- ... Business Manager ' —-
- NEWS REPORTERS: Tony Barker, Bro. Frederick Brand,
Dave DeRosa, Ed Duffy, Pierre Gaudet, Ed Flaherty, Bill Karl,
Bro.^Joseph Kubat, Bob Mindenauer, Steve Nohe, Bruce Or emus,
Mike Pepe, Tom Reichart, MerwynRomeyn,Bro„ JohnSheehan,
Jim Sullivan, Ed Synan, Larry Travefs, Tom Ulasewicz.
- FEATURE WRITERS: Pat Casey,.Father John Magan, Pete
Petrocelli. -