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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

the same kind of case for a deserter than you can for a draft resister -- indeed, maybe a better one because the draft resisters in the main were middle class college students who knew what they were doing and who either did it because of philosophical reasons concerning the war or they just didn't want to expose themselves to danger. The philosophical reasons helped them come to the same conclusion and they left. And it was all pretty much thought out. The deserter on the other hand, in many of these cases, was some black kid who really didn't know anything about the cause of nonviolence or why we shouldn't be in Vietnam and goes to Vietnam and suddenly is aware of it -- or hasn't yet gone and is aware of it. I'm not for a moment suggesting that there aren't cases of cowardice, which are to be condemned, but understandably so. But the draft resister may not deserve as much credit as the deserter who comes to the philosophical aspect somewhat later, because I've met some of them. I know that some of the deserters really had a change of mind and heart based on what they saw and what they were doing and deserted. Okay. But at that time I wasn't as sophisticated with respect to the issue as I am today. And today I support legislation which would have total amnesty for desertion, draft resistance, the whole business. We're past the point where we can give amnesty to Nixon, to put it in a rather sophomoric but easily understood frame of reference, and not give it to these draft resisters and deserters as well.





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