FEELING CONFLICTED VALLEY RESIDENTS SPLIT IN THEIR POSITION ON WAR AGAINST SADDAM.Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer Ken Weiss - Vietnam veteran This article is about veterans of the Vietnam War. For the French psychedelic musical group, see Vietnam Veterans. Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. , '60s war protester, rock music producer - sat in Bobby's Coffee Shop in Woodland Hills eating eggs and hash browns hash browns pl.n. Chopped cooked potatoes, fried until brown. Also called hash brown potatoes. and talking about his support for war with Iraq. ``I don't think anybody likes war,'' said Weiss, 54, whose son, Jason, is an Air Force medic medic: see alfalfa. stationed in Germany. ``But I think 9-11 changed people's thinking about the dangers in the world.'' Even as Weiss said Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. must be forced from power, he said he remained troubled by the Bush administration's ``ham-fisted'' foreign policy. ``We have to behave more like a gentle giant than a bull in a china closet,'' said Weiss. Across the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , support for the war and for Bush was surging as bombs fell on Baghdad and coalition forces rolled across the desert. National polls reflected the same trend in public opinion. Most of the three dozen people interviewed by the Daily News said they either had always supported military action against Hussein, or had been convinced since the shelling began that the military strike was necessary. But in many cases, people expressed deep reservations about the lack of broad international support and worried that many civilians might be killed. Those opposed to the war generally said they felt evidence was insufficient to justify the attack. They also were more reluctant to speak openly, or to be identified, in some cases saying they worked for public agencies or businesses that would not approve. ``To wait could be suicide,'' said Frank Braggiotti, 60, of Granada Hills, who had joined his daughter, Elizabeth Jacobs Elizabeth Derr Jacobs (1903 - May 21, 1983) was an anthropologist specializing in the native cultures of the Pacific Northwest. She is known particularly for her work on the Nehalem Tillamook, the northernmost subgroup of the Tillamook, whom she studied in the 1930s. , 18, of Hidden Hills for breakfast at Bobby's. ``I'm really proud to be an American; I'm more proud than I've ever been,'' Braggiotti said. Jacobs, who is Jewish and a student at the University of Nevada University of Nevada could refer to either of the universities in the Nevada System of Higher Education:
``I don't agree with war,'' Jacobs said. ``But at this time, I believe it's the only answer to peace.'' Waitress Andrea Farhadi said hardly anyone at the signature Valley coffee shop had spoken out against the war. ``We're doing what we should have done 12 years ago,'' said Greg Harrison, 40, a Woodland Hills resident and IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) executive. ``We have a responsibility as the largest superpower to show we can't be walked on.'' In Pacoima, several young people said they were trying to cope with the war, while concerned about the United States' future role in the world. ``I try not to think about it; the more you think about it, the more it messes up life,'' said Maria Lopez Maria Lopez is a Cuban-American former judge and is currently a television jurist on the syndicated television show Judge Maria Lopez. Judge Lopez made legal history as the first Latina appointed to the bench in Massachusetts when she was selected as a District , 20, a receptionist at Mary Immaculate Church. Parishioners are praying for loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl , and soldiers are mentioned during Mass, she said. Candy Navarro, 17, a student at Monroe High School For other uses, see James Monroe High School. Monroe High School may refer to:
``I think we're making a lot of people mad, and I'm not sure that's in our best future interests ... just because of the stubbornness of a president,'' she said. At Monroe, a law and government magnet school magnet school n. A public school offering a specialized curriculum, often with high academic standards, to a student body representing a cross section of the community. , most students Navarro knows are against the war. she said. ``There's not enough evidence.'' Outside, Marisol Gonzalez, 16, had come from her East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. neighborhood to sell boxes of strawberries. Gonzalez said she watches the war news in both Spanish and English every day, and - despite her father's insistence the world must be rid of Hussein - can't reconcile herself to the loss of innocent lives. ``I feel sad.'' At the other end of the Valley, David Williams David Williams is the name of: Musicians
But, he said, this war is different. ``Everyone forgot what they did on Sept. 11. It was a tragedy. I would go to war today for it.'' On Topanga Canyon Boulevard south of Ventura, Mitch Rubin, 40, was walking his Belgian shepherd, Rex, and had stopped for a cup of coffee at Blinkie's Donut Emporium. ``I'm not convinced it's justified,'' said Rubin, a Woodland Hills independent music producer. ``There's a part of me that believes the whole Iraq thing is a diversion, because we haven't addressed the war on terrorism Terrorist acts and the threat of Terrorism have occupied the various law enforcement agencies in the U.S. government for many years. The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, as amended by the usa patriot act adequately.'' But, he quickly added, ``I'm not in the inner circle.'' ``I'd be for the war if I'd seen hard evidence,'' he said. ``If I got a traffic ticket and went to court with that kind of circumstantial evidence circumstantial evidence In law, evidence that is drawn not from direct observation of a fact at issue but from events or circumstances that surround it. If a witness arrives at a crime scene seconds after hearing a gunshot to find someone standing over a corpse and holding a , I don't think I'd win my traffic ticket.'' Lisa Lee, 46, owner of Blinkie's, said her family fled the killing fields of Cambodia in 1979, and saw firsthand the horrors of military action. ``No war better,'' Lee said, adding the war has been bad for her business. A few doors down, at a shop selling rugs from the Middle East, Mark Abedin, an American citizen originally from Iran, also reported business was slow since troops were deployed. ``I wish there wasn't any war, because people get killed, houses are destroyed - the obvious reasons,'' said Abedin. At the Van Nuys Army-Navy store, gas masks - especially the Israeli military and civilian models, which respectively go for $79.99 and $59.99 - have sold by the dozens in the last week, along with survival kits, emergency food and, until they were somewhat debunked, rolls of duct tape. ``People are concerned and want to protect themselves,'' said Marc Buehre, 47, of Northridge, the store's night manager. ``I'm all for supporting the troops,'' Buehre said. ``I just hope they do it as quickly as possible, get rid of Saddam and come home as quickly as possible.'' David Bischoff, 56, of Los Angeles had stopped by the store after driving to the Valley to visit a friend. A veteran who was shot in Vietnam, Bischoff said he has ``hated war ever since.'' But he said he visited ground zero in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and was deeply affected by the devastation. ``We were attacked, right?'' said Bischoff, wearing a blue and white City of New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Fire Department T-shirt. ``I'm not proud we have to do this, but it's a necessary thing. Sometimes you have to fight evil with evil.'' Across the street at the Van Nuys Civic Center, there have been no large protests at the federal building. ``I haven't seen a thing,'' said Dennis Davis, owner of the nearby Europa Bicycle Center, as a television on the counter broadcast the latest war developments. Sitting on a bench in front of the federal building, Robert McDaniels, 52, who is homeless, said he supported the president's decision to send troops to Iraq, calling Hussein ``an evil person.'' ``He had it coming,'' McDaniels said. At Pierce College, students said they talk a lot in class about the war, but that there have been no major protests - unlike at California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , where there have been several big rallies against the war. Ahmed Soliman, 21, of Tarzana said Saddam and his sons have treated the Iraqi people ``horribly.'' ``They deserve what they get,'' said Soliman, a Muslim of Egyptian descent who is studying history. While he worries about Iraqi civilians, he added ``the Middle East needs democracy.'' Sabrin Rahman, 20, of Tarzana is studying business. Also a Muslim, she supports the war and said most of her friends do as well. ``They're trying to get rid of a bad guy,'' Rahman said. ``The U.S. is trying to do the democratic thing.'' Brian Keyvani, 19, a biology student who lives in West Hills, said Hussein is ``just bad for the world.'' ``I think Saddam's dangerous; he's crazy. ... He used chemical bombs in his own city,'' said Keyvani, who is Jewish and moved from Iran a couple of years ago. Other students said they initially were opposed to the war but have changed their minds since the conflict began. ``At first I did not agree, but now, after I've watched the news, I understand,'' said 19-year-old Shuntal Prince of Granada Hills, who is studying sign language. Wearing a black T-shirt, with ``New York,'' her hometown, emblazoned on it, Prince said Iraq was part of the worldwide terrorist network. ``This is like payback for the people who passed away'' during 9-11, she said. Other students said they strongly disagreed with the war. ``There are better ways to get Saddam than to kill innocent people around Baghdad,'' said Matt Nordstrom, 19, an education major who lives in Winnetka. Nordstrom said ideally Hussein would be assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. , but acknowledged the near impossibility considering the protections around him. ``I'm scared for my fellow brothers going out there.'' CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1) - Ken Weiss, Vietnam veteran (2) - Shuntal Prince, student (3) - Greg Harrison, IBM executive (4) - Sabrin Rahman, student (5) - Marc Buehre, store owner (6) - David Williams, professional guitar player (7) - Robert McDaniels, homeless on Saddam Hussein |
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