Kudos to Anti-War Organizing League for organizing a successful protest earlier this November. Seeing all those people, including many of high school students, coming together in opposition to an unjust war gave me hope for the future of America, something that I rarely have.
However, while listening to the various speakers go on about a number of different issues, I began to question the potential of this movement. If you are uniting in opposition, stick to issues relating to it. When speakers began talking about everything from Israel and Palestine to the clerical workers issues I lost interest. I question the motivation of the high-schoolers who came out. Are they simply impressionable trend followers or do they genuinely care about this war and the state of the nation? Regardless, I feel it is positive that they all came out. Whether protesting is “cool”‘ or these kids care, the next generation is looking like a more socially conscious one. That brings me hope.
Contrary to what Darren Bernard wrote in his Nov. 3 Daily column, “The anti-war left, spiraling into parody,” this is a serious movement composed of people of all walks of life. The media’s poster girl, Cindy Sheehan, does not fairly represent it. These are Americans using their rights to speak out against what they see is wrong. They aren’t political scientists and I’m sure most of them haven’t read the 9/11 Commission Report. It is true that this movement doesn’t have much of a constructive, realistic strategy for bringing our troops home, but this is not their job nor are they qualified to do it. Bernard, these are average Americans. This movement consists of a variety of citizens, not necessarily “feminist-Marxist,” which see the Bush administration’s war in Iraq as morally wrong and wish to see the troops brought home before more lives are lost ” American or Iraqi ” in the name of America.
The bottom line is that America should not be in Iraq and people all over the country are realizing it. The movement, which existed before anyone knew of Cindy Sheehan, is being reinvigorated and reaches far beyond high-schoolers skipping a day of school. Not only does this show that Americans are realizing the mess we are in, but it is influencing youths to care about more that just “The OC.”
Jim Forrey is a University student. Please send comments to [email protected].
