I would like to take this occasion to thank the Veishea Task Force on for its hard work and careful consideration of last spring’s disturbances.

However, it should be pointed out to the task force that if the people of the United States elect Bush and Cheney this fall, we will have new Veishea riots in the future.

As Vice President Cheney admitted in Des Moines yesterday: “It is absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice — because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we’ll get hit again, and we’ll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States.”

However, it will also be devastating from the standpoint of ISU students.

Rioters will note that if we go back to the pre-Veishea riot mind-set demonstrated by the White House, it will convince Iowa State students that this rioting is okay and will not affect their futures.

The idea that one could spend much of one’s college years abusing alcohol and still become president of the United States will continue to inspire another generation toward that abuse.

The idea that one does not need academic success — a gentleman’s C average for Bush — will convince students that they can hit the bars and the streets instead of hitting the books and still become president of the United States.

The lies and distortions that Bush, Cheney and their friends regularly utter about a distinguished veteran and senator, will inspire the kind of verbal assaults that the rioters hurled at the police during the Veishea riots.

But the election of Bush and Cheney will not only affect Veishea; it will affect the academic environment.

International courses will fail to gain enrollments since Bush and Cheney have demonstrated that you don’t have to know anything about a troubled region of the world before you decide to go to war. Diversity courses will lose enrollments, since diversity for Bush was meeting someone who went to a public school. Religious studies courses will lose enrollments, since we do not teach about who God chose to be president of the United States.

Philosophy courses at Iowa State will suffer a steady decline since they emphasize the use of reason. Courses at Iowa State, such as environmental studies, ethnic studies and women’s studies will be abolished as “un-American” activities.

Finally, ROTC will lose its regular attendance, since its commander-in-chief was absent without any record for months at a time when he served in the National Guard.

Robert M. Baum

Associate Professor

Religious Studies