I really appreciate Izaak Orlansky’s Wespeak, “An uncomfortable silence on unrecognized Veterans Day.” When I walked across the country on a march for peace this summer, I had more experiences with veterans similar to Izaak’s in Olin than I can begin to count. But I can hear one voice echoing in my head right now, as we leaned up against a cement gas station convenience store wall, talking, in the middle of rural Iowa; he showed me his battle scars and he said, “This fucking Iraq is just another fucking Vietnam.”
It’s true, what Izaak says: though many believe the present war in Iraq is just as illegal, immoral and unnecessary as the war in Vietnam and though many of us want the war to end, our generation is overcome by a silence about it. I think sometimes we just don’t know what to do.
I have a short list to start:
1) Join the peace demonstration on Tuesday, November 27th to end the war and the militarization of youth. At 4 p.m., a march leaves from the Usdan Courtyard and ends at the Army National Guard Recruitment Office on Main Street; then there will be an action inside the office for those who wish to participate in civil disobedience. For more details, e-mail wespeace@gmail.com.
2) Spend spring break in Washington, D.C. protesting the war in Iraq with fellow students and other activists! We will be organizing rallies, marches, demonstrations, sit-ins, going into Congress, civil disobedience, banner drops, and endless creative, nonviolent direct actions to end the war. For more details, e-mail ourspringbreak@gmail.com or join the Yahoo group to help organize our spring break.
In peace & solidarity,
Ashley Casale ’10
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