Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 18:20:53 -0600 (CST) From: Dennis Grammenos <dgrammen-AT-prairienet.org> Hi all:-) I have something sad, yet entertaining (in a twisted way) to share with you in this message. The following is a taste of the sort of attitudes prevalent among the student editors of the student newspaper "The Daily Illini" on the campus of the U. of iilinois at Urbana-Champaign. On Wednesday, a coalition of student groups rallied in the middle of the Quad to protest any U.S. attack on the people of Iraq. The event attracted over 100 students, faculty and community members, which by the standards of the conservative environs of Champaign-Urbana is not all that bad. I am sure that some of the older U.S. members of this list will have a flash-back to the days 25-30 years ago. I can't help but expect that anti-war protests then were greeted with similar disdain by campus editorialists. Am I correct? Enjoy... Solidarity, Dennis ---------------------- http://www.illinimedia.com/di/feb_98/feb12/opinions/edit1.html ______________________________________________________________ Thursday, 12 February 1998 The Daily Illini <--- student newspaper at the U. of Illinois EDITORIAL Ridiculous protest clouds truth ------------------------------- Students held a midday rally on the Quad to protest U.S. military intervention in Iraq in honor of National Day of Action for Peace on Wednesday. Seven campus student organizations sponsored the event. To advertise, organizers sent out an email message proclaiming that military action would cause "the unjust deaths of innocent Iraqi citizens." Saddam Hussein practically invented unjust killing of innocent Iraqi citizens when he gassed his own people to death. The message also encouraged readers to "protest the U.S. intentions to commit crimes against humanity." So America plans to commit crimes against humanity? ThatMs a pretty serious charge against the U.S. military leaders who have sent thousands of soldiers to the Persian Gulf to risk their lives defending the world. America doesnMt have the time to commit crimes against humanity, weMre too busy trying to make the world safe for humanity. At the protest, one student waved a banner that said "NO BLOOD for OIL." Just seven and a half years ago Hussein invaded a small, defenseless country to get his hands on some oil. If he possesses nuclear weapons, there are about five billion people who should be begging the United States and Great Britain to protect them. France also raised objections to U.S. intervention in Iraq. They didnMt seem to mind when we saved them from a sadistic tyrant. Just what do the protestors want? Do they want the U.S. and Britain to pull out all their troops and recall the weapons inspectors, essentially giving Hussein the green light for starting a nuclear war? Now thereMs something to protest. And they probably would. If there are University students concerned with human rights who are looking for something to protest, there are Vietnamese immigrants living in poverty in northern Urbana. ThatMs one of many issues in which students could make a difference, while taking a break from howling at the wind. Copyright (c) 1998 Illini Media Company, all rights reserved _______________________________________________________ --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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