Soldier won't fight if called to Iraq, he tells protesters
Michael Morris is a sergeant in the Army Reserves.
If he is called to serve in Iraq, he says, he will not go.
“I would refuse the order probably,” Morris said after a Saturday morning anti-war rally at the state Capitol.
He was among several hundred people who protested the war in conjunction with a national procession in Washington, D.C.
“I did swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against our enemies, both foreign and domestic,” said Morris, who is from Nebraska City. “... and I would obey the orders of the president of the United States of America.
“But what happens when supporting the Constitution and supporting the president come into a state of contradiction?”
Morris, 23, said he wanted to go to Iraq when the war started, but he changed his point of view this fall when he heard horror stories from his two brothers who were there.
“Some of the things they had to do just were controversial enough for me to start to question what are the reasons we’re over there,” Morris said. “My conscience won’t allow me to fight in that type of a situation for something that is unjustified.”
Protesters braved a cold, blustery morning, playing drums and waving signs with such slogans as “Bring our troops home.”
“This war is a mistake,” said Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln. “Everybody seems to know that but President Bush.”
As a politician, Avery said, he offers no opinion on the war in Iraq, but 32 years as a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln helped develop his point of view on international conflicts.
The Bush administration, he said, didn’t use proper foreign policy to deal with Iraq. It did not follow rule-based foreign policy. It did not form international coalitions and it did not listen to other nations’ opinions.
“I believe this war came about because of reckless and very careless disregard for time-tested rules of behavior that have guided American foreign policy for more than 60 years,” Avery said.
Megan Jackson, 24, of Bassett, said she believes peace, not war, is the answer to problems in Iraq.
“I’m here to facilitate this conversation of peace, to get people to think about peace and not only about ending this war,” she said.
Bishop Ann Sherer of the Nebraska United Methodist Conference said her religion does not approve of war as foreign policy except to prevent genocide, the suppression of human rights and international aggression.
“We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between and among them,” Sherer said.
The crowd stretched for three blocks as it marched from the Capitol to the federal building and on to UNL’s city campus.
“I think we have to make a showing of numbers to get people to pay attention,” said protester Bill Munn of Lincoln, whose brother fought in Vietnam.
“To me, from the beginning, I’ve equated it with the Vietnam thing, because I thought it was totally wrong and we had no business doing it the way we did,” said Munn, 67.
Melissa Illian, who works with the Coalition for Peace and carried a sign saying, “End the war before there are more,” said she thought turnout for the rally was good because of recent political developments in the Iraq war.
“It’s just amazing,” she said. “I think now is the most critical time for people, and they realize that.”
Of all the speakers, Morris drew the most applause.
Morris, who serves with the Second Battalion, 377th Regiment, Second Brigade, 95th Division of the Army Reserves, said he has written a letter to his superiors about his stance on the war.
“They have a duty to inform me of the consequences,” Morris said. “It’s nothing against them. They’re some of the best leaders that I’ve directly been in contact with.
“The soldiers have nothing to do with it. It’s more the position and why were over there in the first place.”
Reach the Journal Star City Desk at 473-7306 or citydesk@journalstar.com
If he is called to serve in Iraq, he says, he will not go.
“I would refuse the order probably,” Morris said after a Saturday morning anti-war rally at the state Capitol.
He was among several hundred people who protested the war in conjunction with a national procession in Washington, D.C.
“I did swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against our enemies, both foreign and domestic,” said Morris, who is from Nebraska City. “... and I would obey the orders of the president of the United States of America.
“But what happens when supporting the Constitution and supporting the president come into a state of contradiction?”
Morris, 23, said he wanted to go to Iraq when the war started, but he changed his point of view this fall when he heard horror stories from his two brothers who were there.
“Some of the things they had to do just were controversial enough for me to start to question what are the reasons we’re over there,” Morris said. “My conscience won’t allow me to fight in that type of a situation for something that is unjustified.”
Protesters braved a cold, blustery morning, playing drums and waving signs with such slogans as “Bring our troops home.”
“This war is a mistake,” said Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln. “Everybody seems to know that but President Bush.”
As a politician, Avery said, he offers no opinion on the war in Iraq, but 32 years as a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln helped develop his point of view on international conflicts.
The Bush administration, he said, didn’t use proper foreign policy to deal with Iraq. It did not follow rule-based foreign policy. It did not form international coalitions and it did not listen to other nations’ opinions.
“I believe this war came about because of reckless and very careless disregard for time-tested rules of behavior that have guided American foreign policy for more than 60 years,” Avery said.
Megan Jackson, 24, of Bassett, said she believes peace, not war, is the answer to problems in Iraq.
“I’m here to facilitate this conversation of peace, to get people to think about peace and not only about ending this war,” she said.
Bishop Ann Sherer of the Nebraska United Methodist Conference said her religion does not approve of war as foreign policy except to prevent genocide, the suppression of human rights and international aggression.
“We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between and among them,” Sherer said.
The crowd stretched for three blocks as it marched from the Capitol to the federal building and on to UNL’s city campus.
“I think we have to make a showing of numbers to get people to pay attention,” said protester Bill Munn of Lincoln, whose brother fought in Vietnam.
“To me, from the beginning, I’ve equated it with the Vietnam thing, because I thought it was totally wrong and we had no business doing it the way we did,” said Munn, 67.
Melissa Illian, who works with the Coalition for Peace and carried a sign saying, “End the war before there are more,” said she thought turnout for the rally was good because of recent political developments in the Iraq war.
“It’s just amazing,” she said. “I think now is the most critical time for people, and they realize that.”
Of all the speakers, Morris drew the most applause.
Morris, who serves with the Second Battalion, 377th Regiment, Second Brigade, 95th Division of the Army Reserves, said he has written a letter to his superiors about his stance on the war.
“They have a duty to inform me of the consequences,” Morris said. “It’s nothing against them. They’re some of the best leaders that I’ve directly been in contact with.
“The soldiers have nothing to do with it. It’s more the position and why were over there in the first place.”
Reach the Journal Star City Desk at 473-7306 or citydesk@journalstar.com
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