In response to the College Republicans fabricated crisis on adopting snipers, please allow a Catholic theologian and a disabled American veteran (Captain of Artillery) to offer a few observations.

1. Killing is easy, living is hard. Snipers have a high rate of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and will need our support when they come home. Currently, funding for disabled veterans is not a budget priority and again remains underfunded by the present administration.

2. If one wishes to help snipers and other troops receive necessary body armor, then direct that request to the Bush administration, which chose to sent our troops into combat without adequate equipment. The administration continues to fail to provide adequate equipment.

3. If one wishes to directly and personally help our troops, I recommend www.booksforsoldiers.com. Service members have requested specific reading material and we can send it to them at our own expense.

4. If those College Republicans who are healthy young men support this war, then I recommend they enlist today. To do otherwise is to let others do your fighting and dying for you, which would indicate cowardice and/or hypocrisy on your part. I suggest they check out www.Marines.com for ample opportunities to serve my country.

5. Our College Republicans seem to feel that sniper duty is somehow glamorous. It is not. It involves killing human beings and watching their heads explode. It is not a video game, it is real. 1 John 5.21 states, "Little Children, beware of idols." Beware the alleged glamour of killing, it is addictive and idolatrous.

John D. Zemler is a disabled American veteran and visiting assistant professor in the Department of Theology.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 8 2005.,”John D. Zelmer”

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