State leaders urged people to support the military and denounced anti-war sentiment at UNM and other college campuses during a "Rally for America" on Lower Johnson Field Sunday.
The event, which drew less than 100 people, was organized by College Republicans and coincided with similar rallies being held on college campuses and in communities nationwide.
State Rep. William Fuller, an Albuquerque Republican and retired Army colonel, delivered the event's most animated speech, saluting the military and condemning those who opposed military retaliation following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"The best way to negotiate with an enemy is with your knee in their chest and a knife to their throat, but that is not an image that many in our society are comfortable with," he said. "There are many here who want nothing to do with it, yet those who oppose the war think nothing of exercising the freedom that we are fighting so hard to secure."
Fuller said he was disturbed by anti-war protesters at UNM and college campuses nationwide. As he delivered his speech, two protesters lay on the grass nearby and posed as though they were dead next to a sign that read, "How many more innocent people must die."
"If I were the regents at the University of New Mexico or any other college where the protests are taking place, I would be embarrassed to be producing students of such ignorance," he said. "They are mindless sheep. All they want is to do is be seen on the news."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Evil will be successful, Fuller said, if the anti-war sentiment prevails.
"These young empty minds are being filled with thoughts that are anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-military and are rewriting history," he said. "They are being led by tenured leftist professors with no fear for losing their jobs."
He added that American losses during the Vietnam War could be attributed to the anti-war sentiments and that the reason the Vietnamese did not lose is because they didn't lose their resolve.
"The heroes of this war should be greeted with cheers and hugs, not the blood and spit that was showered on Vietnam veterans," he said.
Fuller stopped short of advocating censoring the protesters.
"I support their right to speak their mind so that its easier for us to avoid them and know who we cannot depend on," he said.
Fuller urged the crowd to support veterans, those currently in the military and the war.
"We are all aware of the price our forefathers paid," he said. "It has never been easy and if it were, everyone would be doing it, but no one else has and we stand alone. That's why the bin Ladens and the Sadam Husseins of the world hate us - because people under their rule haven't been strong enough to stand up and fight for the most important virtue this country was built on - freedom."
U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, also a Republican who served in the Air Force, reiterated Fuller's support of veterans. She spoke of previous United States military engagements and the price paid by those who fought to defend America.
"We are now fighting a war on two fronts - seeking out terrorists, seeking out their networks and destroying them while protecting freedom at home," she said. "The enemy is unlike any we've ever fought before. It hides in caves, has no government and thinks nothing of attacking innocent civilians."
All Americans are now on the frontlines, Wilson said, and reiterated President Bush's comments that the war against terrorism would not be quick or easy. She urged those questioning the duration of the United States' Afghanistan bombing campaign to consider the length of World War II.
"We have to be patient, which is hard for 21st century Americans who are used to ATMs, fast food and if dinner takes more than 15 minutes to prepare, it's time to eat out," she said. "This is going to be a lengthy engagement that will take greater resolve than we have ever displayed before."
State Reps. Rob Burpo and John Sanchez, who are both Republicans, spoke of their relatives who were military veterans. Sanchez's grandfather survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Burpo's father fought in World War II.
Sanchez and Wilson said that the positive aspect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was the way it unified the country.
"I've just never been more proud to be an American," Sanchez said.
