University of Wisconsin Oshkosh - Quiver Yearbook (Oshkosh, WI)

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Dave Crucius is a student, and also Oshkosh Common Councilman Many claim that he is the most powerful student on Surprisingly enough, in his conversation comes across as a cautious, thoughtful, and shy man. His emotions always seem close to the surface, and his manner 1s quiet and de-Sometimes he’ll make a shocking and the significance of the statement is lost because of the muted tone of his nature.

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Mark Mitchell, OSA president for this year, is beginning to look like one of the most controversial student presidents in Oshkosh history. He is outspoken, honest, and fluent, and he does-n’t seem to fear man or beast. One note on the interview is that he has told the New Quiver office several times since the interview was recorded on tape that he meant to deal more firmly with Dr. Ramsden and less harshly with Dr. White. He believes that Dr. White is the most cooperative administrator in Dempsey.

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Dave Crusius, Councilman War, Peace, and Crusius My Interest In politics came about because of my experience in Viet Nam. A lot of veterans and myself went over there putting a lot of trust in the government. I enlisted in the Marine Corps because I thought those “slanteyed bastards” ( I use the phrase in quotes. That was where I was at a couple of years back, sorrowfully enough) ought to be taught a lesson for playing games with the United States. I got over there and served with the third division up on the DMZ, and saw a lot of things that didn’t agree with me. I saw the indiscriminate bombing, the little Mai Lais, and it opened up my eyes. A civil war is going on over in Viet Nam, nothing more and nothing less. It ought to be determined by the Vietnamese. I felt that I was used by the country. Then I came back and saw a lot of things that I didn’t see before: the many inequities of our system. The ghettos, police brutality, and starvation; and I decided a lot of these things have to be changed. The way to change them is through either education, the slower method, or law and politics. Politics is the quickest way to facilitate change. Internationally I see the United States running around as a big, spoiled giant. It tries to protect its interests by following a lot of outmoded theories including the domino, the trip-wire, and containment theory. These all originated with the red scare back in the early fifties with Joe McCarthy. I can’t see Communism as the number one enemy. I wouldn’t want to see Communism in the U.S., but if it works in other countries, I think those countries ought to decide which way they are going. I don’t buy the idea that the two major powers have been following: a form of detante, a show -down competition with one another. I’d like to see countries live together, and throw out everything that has to do with war. I don’t think war is necessary. You cannot bring about change through war. There are things wrong with the Communistic system. The most obvious is its limitations on individual freedoms. Everything is for the whole. Everything is for the nation. That is a completely screwed up idea. Dike the idea of complete freedom of expression as guaranteed in the Constitution. Sometimes in the U.S. limitations are too drastic. There are a lot of limitations that are fascist in nature. Among them is the recent Supreme Court decision which allows radicals or the people in organized crime to be convicted with a simple majority of jurors instead of the full Iy twelve. That is a breakdown in our system The way the U.S. approaches many of its internal problems is completely wrong. The general attitude around the U.S. where people do not accept opinions that are contrary to the status quo is something that people ought to be concerned about. The U.S. is not an out and out fascist country in the sense that Germany or Italy was. Its fascism is more subtle. This society by its very nature represses anything, be it ideas or people, that is outside or not acceptable to the group norm— Middle America. It doesn’t have to use military and government. We don’t have to limit a person’s freedom. I should have the right to do what I want to do when I want to do it so long as I am not imposing on you. If I want to walk around the house in the nude, I should have the right to walk in the nude. I have the right to swing my hand at you as long as I stop right before your face. I have not really harmed you. This is where the only limitation ought to be: if I harmed you. There is a higher truth that has to be followed by the President, Senators, and Congressmen. The truth may be relative, but I feel there are universal truths. Among them is the love of mankind and the truth of justice--not just law and order, but justice. We should respect another person whether he is black or yellow or red or white. We’re all brothers and sisters. We’re human beings first, men or women second, and citizens of the United States or Russia third. We have to remember that we’re all the same. We’re really just one. In the Presidential race, the way it stands now, I think McGovern will be better than Nixon. At least he has a sense of humanity. I just hope he doesn’t do a lot of word-eating. I hope he remembers who got him the nomination, and doesn’t all of a sudden start playing politics. Deciding that we’ve got to have labor, industry, and party boss support is insane. McGovern can’t realistically discount these people, but I don’t think he has to draw them with compromises. Making concessions in order to get this group or that is something that ought to be gotten away from. If McGovern appeals to people on an individual basis, a small group basis, fine, but I can’t see anybody selling his soul. Politics on the whole is one hell of a struggle. There are so many groups that want to be represented that it is impossible to represent them all. What it comes down to on key issues is following your own conscience. In the final analysis you have to define what is right and wrong, which stands to take, and which ones not to. One thing that pretty much irritates me is that I see a lot of people sit on the fence, continued on page 58