Our Town: Who'll fight next time? Our Town: Who'll fight next time? (October 20, 2004)

by Don Kazak

War and peace were in the air in the quad at Paly during the noon hour last Wednesday -- sometimes troubling for some students. They are the future, but it is our world they try to make sense of.

The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, Vets for Peace, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) - including members known as the "Raging Grannies" -- were among 15 or so groups that had set up tables around the quad, dispensing information.

The event was one of Palo Alto High School's two annual community service opportunity fairs, when community groups recruit young volunteers.

When the noon hour hit the area came alive with students. Many just plopped down on the grass to eat their lunches, but many wandered over to the tables to talk to the people there.

The three peace groups got heavy traffic, particularly the WILPF table, because the Grannies were giving out peace buttons. Four WILPF members were in their Grannies bonnets and shoulder scarves -- the Grannies sing at peace rallies.

Granny Ruth Robertson said more students than usual were visiting the WILPF table.

"Usually, they all go across the street to Town & Country for lunch," she said.

"Oh, look at this one," one girl said, pointing out a peace button. She and a half-dozen members of the Paly girls' volleyball team perused the buttons. They then moved a few yards away, formed a circle and began bopping a volleyball, keeping it airborne -- laughing just to laugh, what life should be.

But kids think about what's happening in the world, too, including who will fight the next war, or perhaps "this war" in Iraq if it continues long enough.

"There are definitely a lot of people here trying to keep up with what's going on," said Sam Sheldon, 15, a sophomore.

"There are some conservative kids," said Malcolm Harris, 15, another sophomore, who added that most kids at Paly are pretty liberal, just like their parents.

"There's a lot of Bush-bashing," Sheldon added.

There were snippets of talk around the three tables about a military draft. Several students knew that a bill is pending in Congress to re-institute the draft, which was repealed in 1973. College deferments meant young men of color died in higher proportionate numbers than young white men in Vietnam.

The draft bill probably may not be going anywhere, but it's on the minds of young people.

"We talk about it a lot," Sheldon said.

"We'd be the first ones on the list," Harris said, because "there shouldn't be any college deferments this time around."

"It's a reasonable concept," Erik, 17, a senior, said of the draft. "If you are willing to subscribe to the idealism of the country, you should be willing to fight for the country. But if you're going to have a military draft, make it universal."

Erik, who has college on his mind, thinks that attacking and invading Iraq was wrong.

"But we should stay there," he said. "The human cost of leaving is worse than the human cost of staying. Iraq is not Vietnam."

One parallel between Vietnam and Iraq is that the men fighting in Iraq are also questioning the reason they are there.

In a remarkable front-page story in the Oct. 10 Washington Post, reporter Steve Fainaru wrote about spending a week with Marines during patrols in a dangerous part of Iraq.

The Marines talked openly with him about their increasing disillusionment about what they were doing. Fainaru asked one Marine if he and other platoon members feared being punished for speaking out so critically.

"We don't give a crap," the Marine replied. "What are they going to do, send us to Iraq?"

Near the main office at Paly, there is a large board listing all the universities that will be represented at an upcoming college-night visit for Paly and Gunn seniors. That's what high school students should be thinking about.

"I want this one," said Efron Villanueve, 14, a Paly freshman, moving up to the Grannies' table with two friends last Wednesday, picking out a peace button.

So do most of the rest of us, kid.
Weekly Senior Staff Writer Don Kazak can be e-mailed at dkazak@paweekly.com.

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