File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1998/marxism-international.9802, message 311


From: paris-AT-rsm1.physics.uiuc.edu (Mark Paris)
Subject: Re: M-I: Any Anti-War Actions?
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 17:35:38 -0600 (CST)


 
 Oh yeah!

 We've had two actions here at the Univ of Illinois. Last Wed we had
 a rally which was attended by about 250 people and today we gathered
 for a "debate" with the editorial staff our school "news"paper who
 published an absurd editorial (see below) in response to the rally.
 We slayed 'em in the debate. They were totally unresearched and
 relied more on posturing and parroting Sandy Berger,CNN et al than
 responding to the numerous points we brought up.

 We'll have more actions coming up.

 Here's the edit piece they wrote:

 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? That's 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 doesn't have the time to commit crimes against humanity,
 we're 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 didn't
 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 there's 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. That's one of
 many issues in which students could make a difference, while taking
 a break from howling at the wind.
----------------------------------
 
> 
> Are there any anti-war actions going on around you? We in Columbus, Ohio,
> USA, where the bombing of Iraq is being test-marketed like a new brand of
> breakfast cereal through a mediatized "townhall meeting," held an anti-war
> rally of about 300 people today. People's spirits were high at the rally,
> but, alas, probably not (yet?) high enough to mount massive resistance to
> make this country ungovernable. Next Friday, there will be another rally in
> front of the Federal Building (at 200 N. High) at 12: 00 noon in Columbus,
> in case there are any lurkers from Ohio here.
> 
> My personal thanks go to Justin for showing up at the rally despite being ill.
> 
> Yoshie
> 
> 
> 
> 
>      --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> 



     --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005