Daniel Reader once worked for U.S. Military Intelligence. He believes that President George W. Bush’s goals and motives are a lot like those that Hitler strived for in his time.

Reader, a senior from Los Angeles, was a guest speaker at the “Workshop for Peace” sponsored by the Anti-war Coalition of Bowling Green.

About 40 people gathered in Downing University Center Thursday to hear a panel of speakers comprised of a Western faculty member, two Western students and a senior from Warren East High School.

The workshop was organized to educate people about Bush’s plan to declare war on Iraq and to serve as a springboard so the coalition can become a stronger part of the anti-war movement, said Louisville freshman Cheyenne Hohman.

Reader took the floor wearing a black button with the words “Bush Kills” on it and showed a slide show that outlined his speech.

“The possible reasons that we might go to war with Iraq are that Bush is trying to get back at Saddam for threatening his daddy, we want their oil, and this is one of the first steps of our global domination,” Reader said.

Reader, a philosophy major, served in Germany during his time of military service and was trained in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Associate professor of history Patricia Minter said she feels that Bush supports a personal vendetta and that he is simply trying to frighten the American people into supporting a war that isn’t necessary.

“Bush was telling us Hussein was going to nuke the mall. Doesn’t (Hussein) have something better to do?” Minter asked.

The audience awarded each speaker with a warm round of applause.

Occasionally an audience member would shout “Peace.”

Panelist Emily Webb wrote her first letter to the editor at age 10 and has been voicing her opinions ever since. The Warren East High School senior said that because of her activism she is a minority at her high school.

She has been nicknamed “tree-hugger” because of her views on environmental issues. She said that the coalition should become more organized and inform others about the anti-war movement.

“Speak out and be heard. If you’re afraid then perhaps terror has already won,” Webb said.

Many people at the workshop were supporters of the anti-war coalition.

Hohman and others encouraged the audience to make plans to attend an anti-war protest in Lexington.

Young people aren’t in the streets protesting the war on Iraq because they don’t believe that they will be drafted, Minter said.

Reach Adriane Hardin at [email protected].