Amnesty with the Hands Off
stroke of a pen
by Karen Nipper
What exactly is Amnesty
International? According to
Meredith senior Sarah Booth, AI
is a group of about fifty cpuntries
which investigates human rights
abuse cases throughoutthe world.
Not only do these nations
investigate, they also work to
obtain fair treatment or release of
prisoners through a very simple
process that many students do
every day: letter-writing.
Yes, ordinary students write
letters to governments which
abuse the human rights of political
prisoners by denying fair trials,
submitting prisoners to torture
and even death. Students can let
those goverrunent’s officials know
that the worid is watching and
disapproves of their actions.
Amnesty International
publishes a newspaper, Urgent
Action, which provides letter-
writing guidelines such as how to
address a government leader,
Dying-In
by Karen Nipper
whether or not to sign a feminine
name and other crucial details
that help make working for human
rights easy and rewarding.
Rewarding because it works.
Letter-writers have been able to
pressure governments into
releasing political prisoners.
Perhaps as fulfilling is the
knowledge that prisoners realize
that they are not forgotten and
alone.
If letter-writers are worried
about safety, she does not have to
put a return address or sign her
name on the letter.
Amnesty International's most
important cause is to see that
prisoners are treated justly. For
more information about letter-
writing or to help start an Amnesty
International chapter at Meredith,
contaa Sarah Booth at 856-9911
or join second Fairdoth at its hall
educational on April 15, 1991 at
7:30 pm.
by Karen Nipper
As American soldiers return
home from the Gulf War amidst
the happy hugs and cheers from
friends and family, fourteen
Marine reservists are being held
up at Camp Lejeune. They are
conscientious objector? (COs)
awaiting trial.
Although each reservist
voluntarily submitted himself to
the military justice system and is
willing to finish out his contract
in any civilian job that does not
conflict with his beliefs or support
the “war machine,” these COs are
being tried as “deserters."
Seven were tried on January
22 and 23 and the remainder
were scheduled for trial in late
February. These men face up to
seven years “in the brig” regardless
of the outcome of their hearings.
The COs have received hate mail
and phone calls threatening them
and their fiimilies. Some of the
men have endured physical
assaults from other Marines and
one has suffered a nervous
breakdown.
same cemetery. The group feels
that it is crucial to find workable
peaceful solutions to conflict
between countries in order to
prevent further callousness, hatred
and carnage.
For more information about
Students for Peace, call Karen
Nipper at 829-7653.
Almost all of the COs admit to
signing contracts with the reserves
simply to further their college
educations with the money they
would earn as reservists. They
wrote a “Declaration of Peace” as
well, v/hich states in part, “We
believe in the freedom our country
was founded upon and that every
American citizen has the right to
life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness."
Any interested person may
write to the COs commanding
officer: Commander General, 4th
Marine Division (REIN) FMF, 4400
Dauphine St., New Orieans LA
701^5400. To write the COs
directly: LCPL Leacock, Building
H-1 Wing A, 2nd MEB, MCB,
Camp Lejeune NC 28540-5090.
For specific names and
information, call Karen Nipper
(829-7653) or contact Hands Off!
at 111 East 14th Street Room 132,
New York NY 10001, phone
(212)353-2445 or (212)475-6647.
Editor’s note: This article was
February 27th at 10:00 pm
began a 24-hour peace vigil at the
North Carolina State University
brickyard, hosted by the NCSU
Students for Peace. In response
to the ensuing ground battle in
the Gulf War, students staged a
“die-in" to display the
consequences of war.
Side-blinded participants
could see only straight ahead to a
mock television contained a
dancing puppet and were
oblivious to the effects of the war
outside the television.
A personified “War" carried a
paper airplane and swept over
other participants as they carried
out everyday activities such as
dancing, playing basketball, and
conducting business.
The “dead" lay motionless
until personifications of “Death”
dragged them off to a mock
cemetery filled with cardboard
written prior to Guif War cease fire.
tombstones.
Eventually, the unsuspecting
television-watchers were carried
away by the ravages of “War" and
“Death,”
Others represented villagers
and other victims in Mid-East
countries such as Iraq, Isreal, Syria
and Saudia Arabia.
The point of the mock dying
was to show fellow students and
faculty how easy it is to be lulled
into detachment through
television and other distractions,
forcing a sense of callousness to
carnage and injustice. The
participants auempted to remind
observers that other countries are
involved In the war and may
suffer more de^ly from its impact
Students for Peace is
concerned not only for Americans,
but for other citizens as well, as
demonstrated by the fact that all
of the “dead" were buried in the
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