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Church leaders Howard Schomer, Elsie Schomer and Rabbi Jacob Weinstein talk about their experiences with the Vietnamese people they encountered. The group determined no matter who they came in contact with, two things were true, they were never told that they should leave Vietnam and that all the Vietnamese people longed for peace.
Whether in the United States or Vietnam, Dr. Schomer asks what are our personal responsibilities for the atrocities? Father John McKenzie talks about a lowering of people's moral tone. People have put their morality in their pockets, so as to get cleared of something and not get involved, added Father McKenzie.
The interview continues with Father John McKenzie and Dr. Howard Schomer talking about fear and dissent. Schomer says Christians have the duty to dissent when they believe their beliefs are being contradicted by policy. He also talks about not understanding a dampening down of the human mind when it comes to human issues. Father McKenzie adds that society is made up of the best educated ignoramuses that ever existed.
A theologian and civil rights activist, Schomer refused ministerial exemption from the draft during World War II and, instead chose to register as a conscientious objector.