Zinn later discussed the danger the war effort has posed for civil liberties on the home front.

He called the war a “decoy that utilizes tremendous fear to get away with all kinds of things that would otherwise be unacceptable during a different time.”

In addition to the extended detainment of resident and illegal aliens by immigration officials, Zinn said the war has effectively limited Americans’ freedom of speech.

“The Bill of Rights becomes meaningless in a time of war,” Zinn said.

“Dissent is stifled as people become afraid to speak up,” he said.

He ended the speech by encouraging societies to focus on problems like hunger, poverty and illness rather than militarism.

“We must think about priorities,” Zinn said. “What are willing to spend more of our resources on, things or human beings?”

In the question and answer session following the speech, one student asked what alternative Zinn would propose to protect Americans from terrorism.

“We first have to recognize that what we’re doing is wrong,” Zinn responded.

Zinn’s speech was co-sponsored by the Progressive Student Labor Movement and the recently established Harvard Initiative for Peace and Justice, which formed to oppose American military action after Sept. 11.