I was finishing up my last course in BU Law School’s Graduate Tax Program in the Spring of 1970 when student protests over the war in Vietnam closed down the BU Commonwealth Avenue campus. Exams were cancelled. Students throughout the U.S. were greatly impacted as there was a military draft for a war that was becoming more and more unpopular. Today, there is no draft, so student protests of the current Iraqi conflict have not been that vigorous. The military is having problems filling quotas to replace personnel who are retiring, less re-ups and less new recruits, despite the financial offerings that might otherwise attact college students looking for tuition aid. High school students have become less interested as casualties mount. If a draft were reinstituted, which seems not to be realistic with the current Congress and Administration, then perhaps there would be more student unrest. Deficits continue to pile up, which will become the burden of the youth of today tomorrow. Washington politics is in disarray what with scandals, lies, cover-ups and dirty tactics. There is no Eugene McCarthy to lead the youth; they must provide their own leadership, as the future is theirs.
Arshag A. Mazmanian 12 Worthington Road Brookline, MA 02446 617-566-3572 BU Law (GTP) 1970 Currently, auditing via BU’s Evergreen Program
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