UWI awarding honorary degree to Observer columnist John Maxw

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Re: UWI awarding honorary degree to Observer columnist John

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: johnnycakes</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Littleman,
While there are often protests and considerable activism in the student bodies at U.S. colleges there are far too many academics who are apologists and defenders of U.S. foreign policy. They often talk about the tactics and other side issues of various U.S. atrocities such as the Vietnam Invasion rather than come out, as they should as academics, with the facts. There were very few academics back in the 60's and 70's who told the truth that the U.S. was trying to impose the government (dictatorship) and the economy (capitalist) that THEY wanted and contrary to the wishes of the Vietnamese people.

Academicians and universities in general are more liberal than radical and in general toe the official government line when it comes to controversial (that is outright immoral ) U..S. foreign policy issues.

They are far less independent than one would think they'd be. </div></div>

<span style="color: #000099"><span style="font-weight: bold">True, true. It has always amazed me that no one ever wondered why the Vietnamese fought so hard, for so long, against over-whelming odds.

IMHO, there must have been nationalist sentiments among Vietnamese, of both the North and the South, who wanted to be free of France's colonialist ambitions, and those of other countries that would seek to impose their will on a sovereign people.

That fact has never really risen to the surface in a lot of the accounts of this most tragic war.</span></span>

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Re: UWI awarding honorary degree to Observer columnist John

<span style="color: #000099"><span style="font-weight: bold">As I travel briefly down memory lane...I remember experiences on Mona Campus, when some student's decided to have a peaceful protest of government policy.

There was the time when I stood among some students who were manning a gate that had obstacles blocking it, trying to get information from them about a boycott of classes (as I was not too happy about having my education put on hold). A soldier lorry raced up Mona Road, and swung through the entrance to the University at high speed, stopping only inches from the barricades. One of the students shouted, as the truck throttled up Mona Road, to stand our ground, and that he was ready to, &quot;take his licks....&quot; Of course I was ready to <span style="font-style: italic">bolt</span> should it come to licks, but I stood my ground. It turned out that the government may have been only testing the resolve of the students, I don't think they could have invaded the Campus without permission from the contributing territories.

At a later date, I was awakened by another student, to view tear gas trails in the sky, as police had decided to break up a group of students at the then CAST (now University of Technology) gate. Reluctantly, I followed the other student to the CAST gate, and saw police there warning students not to block the road. The police had no number tags on, which would allow identification for police abuse cases. One policeman draped himself on top of a Land Rover vehicle, and pointed his pistol in my direction. Through the corner of my eyes I looked around to see if he could have been aiming at someone else, but no, he was only aiming at me. I tried not to move suddenly, while keeping an eye on this man, from my peripheral vision, thinking all the while that this was it, my number was up, I wouldn't get beyond twenty-something. Finally, he gave up on me, and I quickly moved as far to the rear of the crowd as I could get, determined not to <span style="font-style: italic">end-it-all</span> on the CAST campus that day.

Other students weren't so fortunate, as some were beaten with truncheons, and suffered broken ribs. One guy was hit in the chest by a tear gas canister, fired from a gun, and fell to the ground convulsing in epileptic seizure, all the time being beaten senseless by the police. Some were arrested, and taken to jail, where they were held for a few days, finally being released after getting assistance from the Law Faculty at Mona. They also received food from other sympathetic students. Ironically, one of these students became Minister of State in the previous government of the Rt. Hon. P.J.P., and he later ordered a similar assault on students, marching towards Jamaica House, many years later.</span></span>