Peace Action to take a stand
No bipartisan agreement on patriotism and protesting

March 19, 2004
by Beth Walton
Staff Reporter

Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the U.S./U.K. invasion of Iraq. Albion College’s Peace Action organization will join hundreds of thousands of people around the world to demand that the U.S. end its occupation of Iraq and that U.S. troops be brought home immediately.

”There are a lot of problems still with the U.S. occupying Iraq,” said Ross O’Hara, Canton sophomore and co-president of Peace Action. “It is important to let our government officials know that this is an important issue that people are paying attention to.

“We hope to show our Michigan representatives that they have a lot of constituents that oppose the U.S. involvement in Iraq, opposed the war, and oppose future wars, so that they will act responsibly in the government to maintain peace,” O’Hara said. Samantha Hill, Port Huron sophomore, will be attending the March 20 protest. Hill believes that although the government does not always take the voice of opposition seriously, if given the correct media attention dissenters will be able to raise political consciousness.

“If we hope to achieve real social change in American foreign policy then it is necessary to get the right information out there and raise awareness,” Hill said.

O’Hara said he opposes the United States involvement in Iraq for three reasons.

“U.S. soldiers are being preyed on by angry Arabs who do not want to see them in their lands,” he said. “The U.S. government has used Iraq as an economic bonanza for corporate America, and that is no reason to invade a nation, and the Iraqi people have a right to dictate their own fate.”

O’Hara said that Iraq needs financial assistance during post -war reconstruction but he feels that the Iraqi people should be making their own decisions concerning the future of their nation.

”Though not as ruthless, the United States controlling Iraq is the same principle as Hussein controlling Iraq,” he said. Not everyone opposes the war in Iraq, and many Americans continue to support U.S. involvement in Iraq.

“It is important to regulate until Iraq becomes a stable country,” said Becky Smith, Vicksburg senior. “It will show our foreign policy in a more positive aspect because we are supporting the Iraqis until their government is stable.”

Smith supports President Bush’s actions, saying it is important to have pride in your country and support the military and administration. “I support George W. specifically because he took a stance, and he stuck with his opinion despite resistance acts,” Smith said. “A weak president would have backed down, whereas George W. remained consistent with his beliefs. I respect that.”

Despite their differing political stances, Smith and O’Hara agree that it is important for students to be politically conscious. Smith believes that students should be knowledgeable about politics so that they can make informed decisions about elected officials.

“If we are going to have a government that represents the people then it should be representative of everyone not just of the select few who are involved in politics,” Smith said.

Russell Croteau, Bay City sophomore, agrees that political consciousness is invaluable, but does not necessarily agree that protesting is the right thing to do at this point.

“While I have always supported the war, I respected those who protested against it prior to its beginning,” Croteau said. “Those who protest now, however, are spiting the graves of those who gave their lives for this country. Whether you agree or disagree with the war the fact is it happened, and now that we are there we have to finish the job. By continuing to protest, the demonstrators are saying that the five-hundred-plus brave men and women who gave up their lives died for nothing. I don’t believe that, and neither do the vast majority of Americans. Those who protest now are nothing more than bitter, self-serving people who only care about their political agenda.”

Wesley Arden Dick, professor of history, adamantly believes that protesting against war is never in vain.

“In a democracy, such protest is vital and patriotic,“ Dick said. “When the nation’s honor is at stake, it is essential to speak truth to power. As I told Albion Peace Action demonstrators a year ago, quoting Norman Thomas: ‘We are not champions of lost causes, but champions of causes not yet won.’”

Last February, Peace Action went to its first anti-war demonstration, in New York City.

“There were almost one-half million people crowding the streets of southern Manhattan, and it was amazing,” O’Hara said.

According to Eric Mackres, Manchester sophomore, protests provide people with the ability to share their political ideas, and reaffirm that they are not alone in their beliefs.

Mackres said that there is an understanding that there are other people out there who are willing to work on issues of peace and conflict.

The protest is being held at the State Capitol Building in Lansing and begins at 12 p.m. It is co-sponsored by the Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice. Other Michigan protests will be held at 12 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Traverse City, and St. Joseph.

The March 20 Global Day of Action is mainly organized by International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), a group that calls itself the new anti-war coalition, led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark. The organization’s slogan “End the Occupation of Iraq?Bring the troops home NOW” has been responsible for several other anti-war protests, including the nation’s largest anti-war demonstration since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Oct. 25, 2003 march in Washington D.C.

There are currently seven students attending the protest. The group will be departing at 9:30 a.m. from outside Baldwin. There may still be van space available, and interested students should contact O’Hara today via e-mail at reo10@albion.edu.

“The more the merrier,” O’Hara said. “Adding to the crowd makes people take notice more, so we are going to add our own bodies and voices to make the protest a success.”