Rev. Peter J. Gomes, the Plummer professor of Christian morals, refuses to perform or permit same-sex blessing ceremonies within Memorial Church. Earlier this year, the council passed a resolution asking the University to reverse the position. "Here is the Undergraduate Council, most of them don't even go to church, trying to dictate policy on marriages. What happens too often is that people try to address issues they don't know anything about. They should focus on small, practical issues. Instead they're just floating in the clouds," says Appelbaum, whose government thesis, titled "The Imperial Judiciary," takes issue with the Supreme Court's increasingly activist bent. "Government is a faithful servant and a fearful master." Some have criticized Appelbaum's occasionally harsh rhetoric (he angered some council members by refusing to refer to a transgendered individual as "he" rather than "she" and once vowed to "tear apart with my bare hands" those seeking to remove ROTC graduation ceremonies from campus). "That type of debate," Rawlins says, "goes to show how insensitive he and those on the right can be to those they disagree with." One memorable moment was in 1996, when former secretary of defense Robert S. McNamara spoke at the Institute of Politics, saying he felt as early as 1965 that the Vietnam War was an unwinnable effort. Appelbaum borrowed a hammer from his roommate, bought some plywood and constructed a sign reading: "Vietnam: Our Cause Was Just." He carried the sign and the flag--at half-mast--with him as he marched outside the speech. "It was the patriotic thing to do," he recalls. "Everyone was pitying McNamara for his personal agony. People forgot about the soldiers who fought and died. You gotta stand up for what's right." Those types of actions, many feel, are what set Appelbaum apart from other budding politicians. "John has principles, and he isn't a phony like some people here," says council member Tally Zingher '98. "He has some fun. He takes his beliefs seriously, but he comes off in a way nobody else can." Appelbaum says he can live with the council's attempts to change the attitudes of students on various social issues. After all, he says, thats what the legislative process is all about. Reciting passages from The Federalist Papers, Appelbaum notes that rigorous discussions among opposing parties help refine debate and enhance the deliberative capacities of all citizens. What the National Rifle Association member can't stand are attempts to repeal his right to bear arms. During his junior year, Appelbaum made two 90-minute trips to suburban Burlington. After riding the subway and a bus--and walking several miles in each direction to a hunting club--he received 20 hours of training in handgun safety and maintenance. He fired some 30 rounds with a shotgun en route to receiving NRA certification. Appelbaum offers a spirited defense of the Second Amendment; invoking speeches by great American statespeople to buttress his position. He points to Madison, Washington, Edmund Burke, John C. Calhoun and Ronald Reagan as political figures he admires. "I think every self-respecting man should have a basic understanding of how to protect himself or protect his home," says Appelbaum, who keeps a .22-caliber rifle in his Florida home. "It's a basic skill, like learning to play golf or tennis. "But around here, if you mention the Second Amendment, you're a radical nut. Well, then George Washington was a radical nut. He's on record saying guns are the bulwark of liberty." To Appelbaum, owning a gun is part of being an American. Perhaps he feels a firearm demonstrates the most powerful exercise of the freedom: it symbolizes a means of protecting oneself against a tyrannical government. Guns, he points out, were outlawed in the former Soviet Union. Although conservatives are in the minority at Harvard, they hold a majority of seats in both houses of Congress, state legislatures and governorships. The Republican Revolution swept scores of conservatives into office two years ago. Though President Clinton won re-election last November, so did many of the conservatives. The people have spoken, and they will speak again. Appelbaum will be there, trying to keep them on the right side of the issues. "I'm going to be there as a conservative. I'm going to be there as a patriot," he says. "If I get beat, I get beat. If anything, Harvard sharpened my convictions. I'm right."
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