Campus protests traditionally have played an important part in promoting peace  
and resisting state terrorism.  Born in the late ‘50s, I was fed a large quantity of 
television visuals depicting student protests throughout the ‘60s and early ‘70s 
against Southern white racism and the increasing body counts of the Vietnam 
War, napalming of Vietnamese farm families, and U. S. draft slavery.  But it 
wasn’t until 28 February 1983 that I was afforded the fascinating experience of 
personally attending one.  At noon on that date, Students Against the Draft 
organized an anti-draft rally in response to the government’s Hayakawa Solomon 
Amendment that would deny Title IV state aid to all eligible males who chose 
not to register for the draft with the government’s Selective Service Administration.

Up to that point in time, I had served in the U.S. Air Force under three different 
Commander-in-Chiefs: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush Sr 
(who, as vice-president, had filled in for Reagan while he was on the mend).  
I became unsettled by my increasing familiarity with the Air Force’s close 
military association with Britain’s Royal Air Force, which bordered on traitorous.  
In addition to the Falklands War, “Brits” were everywhere we were.  I wondered 
just who was whose lap dog?

My experience in AWACS and with Carter’s Middle East doctrine that labeled 
Persian Gulf oil as “our lifeline” to be defended by “any means necessary”, 
including AWAC support for MI-6 and CIA-installed dictators such as King 
Saud and Ayatollah Khomeini, troubled me greatly as the federal government 
made repeated attempts to reinstate the domestic machinery for draft slavery 
by trying to enforce a draft registration proclamation issued in 1980 by Carter.  
The “Defense” argument was feebly attempted by government to justify a draft.  
But the argument simply had no merit.  From FDR to Johnson and Nixon, the 
draft and war have been used to bail the U. S. out of disastrous economic 
situations caused by the very same government policies.

When U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter Jr ruled against the government in its case 
against David Wayte, Hatter rightly took the judicial arm away from the Selective 
Service System.  Hatter said that the government had violated Wayte’s First 
Amendment rights and he told the government to stop selective prosecution of 
draft registration resisters.  So the government tried a new tactic – they passed 
an order denying federal funds to students who do not register for the draft.  
Even in those cases where they and their parents were taxpayers, students who 
did not sign up for draft slavery would be denied federal education assistance.

The effects were far-reaching.  Government is supposed to serve people, not the 
other way around.  People do not exist for the glory of the state.  Our public 
servants have been given no power to dispose of our lives as they see fit.  
Colleges who wanted to remain free of government strings could no longer do so, 
as Grove City College later learned.  George Washington had warned us long ago 
that “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force!  Like fire, it is 
a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”




The Draft Protest Rally


Students Against the Draft was a coalition of student and off-campus groups 
and individuals of various political affiliation who believed that resisting 
government and state terrorism was urgent.  Hundreds of soon-to-be-
disenfranchised students listened inspirationally to 7 speakers sharing their 
love, dedication, and bravery for peace and liberty at South Oval.

Syeed Milky, a foreign exchange student from Bangladesh, told the audience 
that “Fighting for peace is the most difficult battle I’ve ever fought”.  He said that 
he saw his government kill students and other people in his home country and 
that, although the draft did not affect him personally, we must make our 
collective voices heard for peace.

Rex Friend, a member of the National Lawyers’ Guild who had worked on several 
draft registration resister’s cases, had assisted resister Ben Sasway in his 
unsuccessful defense from prosecution for not registering for the draft and later 
saw him jailed.  Friend said that hundreds of thousands of American youth refuse 
to register for draft slavery.  He explained that the government’s prosecution of 
draft resisters is unconstitutional because, to avoid the costs of prosecuting 
everyone, it seeks to punish only a select few.

Elizabeth Fleming spoke on behalf of the Society of Friends.  She spoke 
about the people in Central America and Africa who have been mortared and 
shot by CIA mercenaries.  Fleming envisioned a Peace Academy to promote 
peace and stop government from waging endless wars.

Jerry Messick, a member of Vietnam Veterans Against War, explained how 
the CIA invades Central American countries, bombs factories, bombs civilians, 
kidnaps teachers, kills children, and creates nameless graves.  Messick said 
that U.S. corporate interests in Nicarauga and El Salvador are responsible for 
the CIA presence there. He explained from a veteran’s perspective how the 
draft uses its victim before discarding him.

Mary Long, a member of a student Socialist group, explained how the military is 
too often the only escape available to America’s rural and urban poor.  Long 
reminded the audience that later that night would be the last broadcast of the 
television sitcom “MASH”.  She said “Tonight when you are toasting the end of 
BJ and Hawkeye’s war, you should be thinking about how to stop our wars”.

Robert Chambers, a McDonald’s manager and member of the Libertarian Party of 
Oklahoma, explained that individuals founded this country through battle against 
a British king.  Our Founding Fathers said no more will people be subservient to a 
king; government representatives will be servants of the people.  Chambers said 
that draft slavery violates the Bill of Rights.  He also explained how draft slavery 
creates a caste system – “you become cold, you become iron, you become steel, 
you become a resource”.  Chambers argued for a noninterventionist foreign policy and 
a military that polices U.S. borders only.  “I am offering a solution”, he said, “vote 
the Democrats and Republicans out of office”.

Dennis Cohen, a veteran student protester from the ‘60s, was the last speaker.  
That is not to say that there were not more speakers waiting for a turn at the 
podium.   In fact, we’ll never know if there were more speakers or not because 
Cohen led the listeners to a march on the OU President’s office.  He said that 
government was on the offensive and that we had to resist.  He explained that 
resistance to government tyranny and endless wars would become more imperative 
in the coming decades. Cohen then said he was marching to President Banowsky’s 
office to demand he do something.  About 50 people followed him, me included.




The Sit-in


The university’s security personnel had radioed President Banowsky that the draft 
protesters were on their way, and accompanying them were an Oklahoma City 
news video team.  Banowsky, a master of photo opportunity, was well prepared.  
When the student’s reached his office, he was sitting with Todd Webb, editor of 
“The Oklahoma Daily”, the OU student newspaper, apparently having lunch.

With the grace and flair of Ricardo Montalban’s character on the television series 
“Fantasy Island”, Banowsky welcomed the students, television crews, and 
security personnel into his office where many sat on the floor.  What initially 
looked like a student sit-in, quickly became a press conference. Banowsky 
said “If I were sitting in the window of the draft, I would be concerned too.  
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.  I’m going to check with my legal 
advisor, Stanley Ward, to see what the university’s obligations are in this.”

He then asked everyone to return (including the television camera crew) on Friday, 
March 4th, for a press conference.  On Friday, Banowsky disappointed the 
audience that “We will follow all duly constituted laws made by the federal, 
state and local governments”.   A student asked Banowsky if lawmakers were 
to duly constitute a law requiring university officials to horsewhip students, would 
he then horsewhip students?  Banowsky remained speechless until someone 
else asked him another question.




Emphasis on Peace and Liberty


Although the economics of tuition assistance was the hook for many students, 
the anti-draft activists were moved by their respective visions of another world of 
justice, freedom and peace rather than repugnant CIA-installed dictators and 
injustices done by our government.  Students Against the Draft believed that 
citizens, whether socialist or libertarian, liberal or conservative, must make their 
voices heard to help determine the direction of our democracy.

Although Students Against the Draft have been relegated to the pages of history, 
their causes are more relevant than ever.  You are probably unaware that men and 
women are being drafted in America as you read this – it is called the “back door” 
draft.  When an enlisted soldier or airman is due to separate and be discharged, 
the military keeps them for a few months longer or even a year – all in violation of 
the contract.

Empire is violence and aggression.  It is what the British did for hundreds of years.  
Our Founding Fathers fought against empire.  I learned from my military experiences, 
my teaching and research in Europe and America, and my study of Arabic and Urdu 
that the U.S. government is providing the brawn to British Empire at the behest of 
an Anglo-American oil elite.  To this end, CIA has installed kings, dictators and other 
despots as rulers in other peoples’ countries thereby disrupting the peace and liberty 
of the world.  The Vichy-type U.S.-installed sham democracies in Iraq and in 
Afghanistan are two examples.  Our young men and women in the armed forces 
are facing years of dangerous and dastardly duty as protectors of corporations 
and their statist friends.

Harry Browne, former U.S. Presidential candidate, warned us “that the inevitable 
consequence of America’s fearful national offense would be retaliation by foreigners 
who are fed up with America’s bullying”.  Why should we live like Brits who fear IRA 
reprisals?  Let us reclaim America from the Bush-n-Blair Gang and their Billionaire 
Club bosses.  Contact www.lp.org and www.VeteransForPeace.org.

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