Several students met in the Cave Thursday night to debate the issue the impending war on Iraq in an open forum sponsored by ETSU Campus Greens.
“This is mainly to help promote freedom of speech,” said Josh Gambrel, the Campus Greens president.
The forum was small and informal, allowing anyone who wanted to speak an opportunity.
Mark Peters, who wore a patriotic American flag tie, spoke strongly in favor of the United States going to war.
“Our goal is to spread democracy throughout the region,” he said.
However, for every pro-war comment Peters or other supporters made, there was a counter comment made from those who protest the war.
John Arwood said that the United States should disarm itself.
Another man said that we would never defeat terrorism. Another even called the United States a bully.
Vincent Whitright, who also wore patriotic apparel by wearing a sweatshirt with an American flag and the word “America” on it, spoke in favor of the war, too. “If it was black and white, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.
However, views from former military men Peters and Whitright were outnumbered by the anti-war sentiment that many others at the forum felt.
Dr. Bill Stone, advisor for Campus Greens, spoke of cooperation between the United States and other countries of the world.
“We’re not viewed as playing well with others,” he said.
Tempers flared throughout the discussion.
“The discussion was like two art critics having a heated debate on the Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ while the only problem was one was talking about ‘Sunflowers’ while the other was talking about ‘Haystacks,’ said Nathan Hartgrove.
Gambrel said that the main point of the open forum was to give students a chance to be heard.
“It’s good that there were so many people here as there were,” Stone said. “It’s encouraging.”
During the pro-peace rally Campus Greens sponsored a few weeks ago, Peters was unable to speak his point of view because the rally was held to emphasize peace. So, the open forum and debate was organized.
This is Campus Greens first semester at ETSU. It was founded primarily because of the pending war in Iraq and named after the Green party.
Gambrel said its membership grew from five members to 30 within a month.
Campus Greens will be sponsoring a second debate at 7 p.m. Thursday night in the Forum on the third floor of the Culp Center. It will be more structured and formal than the first one at the Cave.
“This is probably a better setting for students,” Gambrel said.
He encourages students to become involved in society through voicing their opinions, voting, writing letters to the editors and other ways.
“It’s not only their right as members of democracy, but it’s the obligation to make their opinions heard,” he said.

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