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Protests integral part of democracy
By Gordie Loewen
Published:
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Gordie Loewen -- Staff Column
The United States is once again on the march towards war. This time, like most of the others, peace activists have been able to speak out about their opposition before full engagements actually begin. Unfortunately, the ruling elites of the world's superpowers seem hard of hearing.
Hundreds of people marched through campus last week in opposition to war. Many students at SCSU have decided that they cannot support a war with Iraq at this time. I am one of those people.
In my work and while expressing my opinions, I have noticed very hostile opposition to my anti-war viewpoints. Most of the time people take issue with my views because they presume that because I oppose war, I don't support American troops.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Many people are protesting war because they don't want anyone to die--American or Iraqi, civilian or soldier. When governments declare war, their citizens die. Many of these citizens are soldiers.
Many other people have suggested to me that there is no point to protesting. These people think that if I protest war in Iraq it will have no effect and only serve to prove me a bad American. To them, I submit that nothing makes me a better American than going out of my way to tell the whole world what I think.
There may be some merit to the argument that protests aren't working. George W. has repeatedly stated that he will, "not let the security of our nation be dictated by protestors." To this I would ask, why not? Aren't we citizens in a country that espouses representative democracy?
Protests are a vital portion of the democratic process. They are designed to tell our elected officials what we think. For many people, protests are the only way to feel like they are contributing to their society and government.
If Bush isn't going to listen to the cries of protestors, the international community will. For many protestors, speaking out at various rallies is the only way to show the international community that not all Americans support their government's war efforts. Many of us do not want to be categorized as simply Americans because that term includes George W. Bush and others that are beating the drums of war.
At this point, it looks like protestors may do well to focus their efforts of UN resolution 377. Essentially, invoking action under the resolution would require the UN's general assembly to vote on whether the United State's aggression in Iraq is in violation of international law.
But the best argument in favor of demonstrating or protesting anything is that it is our right in this country. We must always remember that our rights, like everything else, atrophy if not exercised.
Gordie Loewen can be reached at
gloewen@universitychronicle.com
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