Peace rally raises student voices about war
“No more war!”
“Free Iraq!”
The screaming voices of about 150 Utah State University students echoed across campus as a plea for freedom, whether for war or against it, Wednesday on the Taggart Student Center patio.
The peace rally, organized by the College Democrats of USU and other organizations, set a standard for the rest of the university in wanting their voices to be heard.
“This is the most important thing that we could be doing … having a conversation, exchanging the ideas and deciding which piece of it we really want to believe and support,” said Ted Pease, head of the journalism and communication department at USU.
As those against war with Iraq waved their signs reading “books not bombs,” and “war never works,” a group of students sporting “Bomb Saddam” T-shirts flooded the patio. Other students supporting the war listened to the speakers and shouted their opinions.
Whether or not either group impacted the likelihood of war, the rally proved to awaken student passion, something that has possibly been silenced since the ’70s.
“I think this is fantastic. This is the first time I’ve seen any political engagement like this on campus,” Pease said.
The USU campus police intervened near the conclusion of the peace rally as several “Bomb Saddam” protesters stepped up to the microphone but were prohibited from speaking. Although they screamed profanities and harsh statements throughout the rally, they did not engage in any physical force.
Lt. Steve Milne of the USU Campus Police, said, “I thought it was great that the students voiced their opinions. I’m pleased that both groups maintained themselves.”
As the keynote speaker at the rally, Pease urged the students, whether for war or against it, “to find the names of your elected officials in Washington and in Utah and write them a note and tell them what you want to say.
“Beyond being a journalist, I also am a citizen and a patriot and a member of these United States, and there comes a time when we all have to stand up and talk about what we believe,” he said.
Among the speakers, Medlir Mema, a senior majoring in political science, stirred the crowd by yelling into the microphone, “No more war! No more war! No more war!”
“Iraq is not a national interest. There is no dissent. Democracy promotes dissension. We need to tell President Bush that he cannot fight in our name. He can fight in a–holes’ name,” he said, pointing to the “Bomb Saddam” group, “but he cannot fight in our name.”
Even though the pro-war protesters were not allowed to speak, they made their voices clear.
“These people really need to look at the facts and know that we don’t want to kill people. We don’t want to kill anybody. We want to liberate Iraq and give their people the same freedom that we enjoy here in America,” said Jared Westbroek, a junior majoring in law and constitutional studies.
Nic Izatt, a member of “Bomb Saddam,” said even though he feels strongly about his group’s opinion, they may have offended some of the rally participants. He apologized to police and speakers for any profanity or disrespect.
Students like Bryan Marshall, a graduate student majoring in business information systems, attended the peace rally because they felt no one else was going to say anything against the anti-war sentiment.
“This is wrong. We’re supposed to be supporting our troops. I don’t think they understand what they’re talking about. Most of them just get on this bandwagon just because they think it’s so cool to be against something. I’d say the majority of the people don’t even know what’s going on,” he said.
Amid the yelling from both sides, other anti-war students tried to speak their minds.
Jill Henderson, a sophomore majoring in social work, said, “I’m really trying to stay educated on this issue and the social impact that it will have.”
Cleveland Karren, a member of the College Democrats who is being deployed this week, tried to give the perspective of the reality of war.
“I think we’re kind of just pro-peace. We understand that there are consequences for U.S. foreign policy actions and that those consequences, I mean, they are very real for American service members. I wish we could get a little more knowledge out there,” he said.
Aaron Law, a senior majoring in political science and American studies, explained to the audience that patriotism never was nationalism.
“Just as a parent who loves a child, we may not always agree with something we love. If we are patriots, we have a right and even an obligation to speak out when we see things that aren’t right,” he said.
Pease said war is going to kill hundreds of people in order to find one man.
“These are people who are in our classrooms, these are people who live next door to us. It’s your brother, it’s your sister, it’s your mom, it’s your uncle. We don’t know how many people are going to die,” he said.
Ann Wilde, who organized and conducted the peace rally, went through the proper channels to hold it. Milne said any group that wants to form a rally needs to go through the vice president of Student Services.
–mmackay@cc.usu.edu
Utah State University students take part in the peace rally Wednesday on the Taggart Student Center patio. (Photos by K’Leena Murphy)