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NEWS
| March 04, 2004
Campus Life
Students to protest war on terror
Books not Bombs peace rally, oganized
by students, will be on the Central Library mall today.
By Amber
Tafoya and Candace Sweat
The Shorthorn Staff
Students will rally tonight against the U.S. occupation in Iraq
and the Bush administration’s foreign policies and use of
the military.
The peace rally, Books not Bombs, is organized by the university’s
chapter of Students for Just Peace and will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
on the Central Library mall. There will be music, including reggae
and rap, as well as satirical skits.
“It is a national day of action calling for reduction of the
resistance movement for George Bush,” John Dickson, a member
of the Student Peace Action Network, said.
Dickson, a history senior, said the Bush administration is neglecting
domestic problems as resources are funneled into the war against
terrorism and America had an opportunity to stop the pattern of
bloodshed. He said that the country had the world’s compassion
but ruined it with the war on terrorism.
The group also wants to address what they consider the administration’s
misuse of the military for soldier recruitment, he added.
Students are recruited as early as middle school through ROTC programs,
Dickson said. “It becomes that the only way out is to join
the military. We want to end the fighting that we propagate every
day,” he said.
One of the skits will be about military recruitment in public schools.
Dickson said he became involved with the organization when he thought
of his children fighting in the war.
“The thought of not having grandkids is frightening to me,”
he said.
About 100 students left their classrooms in spring 2003 to participate
in the anti-war demonstration and drew people on both sides of the
issue of the war with Iraq. University police broke up arguments
between students during the protest.
Dickson said he hopes this year’s rally will end peacefully
and organizers will have a chance to be heard without interruptions.
“We are a peaceful group,” he said. “We are nonviolent
because we speak of the end of violence.”
CORRECTION
In this story, history senior John Dickson was
misquoted. He said the “Books Not Bombs” demonstration
was a move for the need of resistance to President W. George Bush.
Also the story should have said the rally was organized by the Student
Peace Action Network.
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