Saturday, June 1, 2013

Bob Jensen thought my war resistance wasn't good enough to be made public.

The following is a conversation with Bob Jensen via email after asking him for his support as an antiwar media activist to help promote my public refusal to obey military orders to fight in Iraq:

Re: need Bob Jensen support

From rjensen@uts.cc.utexas
.edu

To carlwebb1965@yahoo.com

Joining the military when you were a committed antiwar activist. I understand you had financial motivations. My point is that it undermines the case you can make in public.

bob

Quoting Carl Webb :

Thanks for the feedback and support. But what do you mean when you say "the circumstances of your joining the Guard?"

Carl

Carl: It's not a question of what sits well with me in some personal sense. As I told someone who asked for my opinion, I think the the circumstances of your joining the Guard make it easy for pro-war people to undermine your position. That's a strategic judgment. I don't know anything about the specifics of your broader politics. And, since I have left politics myself, it's not likely that would be a factor.

I support you in your personal struggle to get out. But I don't think your 
case is the best to take to the public.

bob jensen

At 12:22 AM 3/19/2005, you wrote:

Someone just suggested that perhaps the fact that I willingly signed up for the reserves while opposing the war didn't sit too well with you and therefore you might not be willing to help promote my story in the media. I was thinking it might be something else like my far left politics. Just asking out of curiosity.

Carl Webb

-------------------------
Robert Jensen
School of Journalism
1 University Station A1000
University of Texas
Austin, TX 78712-0113
rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu
office: (512) 471-1990
fax: (512) 471-7979
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/home.htm