[Peace-discuss] conscientious objectors and today's WILL Morning Edition

[Barbara kessel]

I did hear it and I know Merlin Taber, the CO interviewed. I agree
with all of your objections. I imagine Merlin would be sorry about the
ending note as well for all the reasons you mentioned. All in all, it
seemed designed to throw cold water on the entire idea of conscientous
objection.
        Anyone interested in hearing the longer version of this piece,
it is going to be on in 45 minutes - WILL 2:40 PM, September 19,
today. Barbara Kessel

On 9/19/07, Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> Peace Discuss,
>
> Did anyone else hear the WILL Morning Edition program this morning? It was part of the World War II Central Illinois Stories (here is a description of the entire project http://will.atlas.uiuc.edu/index.php/WWII/ ). Today's segment  was about the local Conscientious Objectors of WWII. This segment could have been much much better. It left a lot to be desired.
>
> I have 2 main objections:
> * Only 1 of the 2 people interviewed was actually a CO; the other person decided that to "[r]ender unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's" meant giving his body and soul to the military and that bombing civilians was simply a cost of war.
>
> * The program ended with Merlin Taber, the only CO interviewed, doubting his CO-ness after seeing pictures of the concentration camps.
>
> My first objection can be addressed in the light of how the segment was actually advertised. Today's program was about the struggle between religious beliefs and the military draft. One interviewee chose to file for CO status (the Quaker), the other decided to follow his dream of flying (the Mennonite, later turned Methodist).
>
> I have an uncle that was a CO. He too was drafted. The military trained him as a medic. He was at Normandy. So I  object to the implication that the COs only served in Civilian Public Service or that they stayed out of harm's way.
>
> Since WILL's program has an extremely limited number of WWII veterans still living in 2007, I would have liked it if they had not only interviewed these two people who struggled with their beliefs, but also had given some other background information.  When your sample size is extremely small, then some perspective needs to be given on the representativeness of the case studies, which these 2 interviews are.
>
> My second objection was to end the segment with Merlin Taber's internal struggle being expressed as a doubt. We all have doubts, or we all should question our positions. Merlin Taber twice decided that he was a conscientious objector, for two different wars. That speaks louder than his doubts. The segment should end with a more representative statement. I also maintain that Merlin Taber's doubt was oversimplified by WILL. My bet is that Merlin is a person who, if he had been in Germany rather than the US, would not have followed orders and done what was done in the concentration camps, and yet Delbert Augsburger would have. If more Germans had faced the struggles between their beliefs and doing what a commander asked of them, Hitler would never have come so close to ruling the world.
>
> -karen medina
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