Why we are walking out
Commentary
Sumia Ibrahim
Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: Opinions
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David Maxham's column titled "Friends don't let friends walk out," written in response to the campuswide Walk Out, is riddled with ill-informed and misguided statements. The walk out is planned for March 20, on the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, in conjunction with similar actions that will occur at 49 other universities around the country, and a demonstration and march will follow. The columnist's comments are clearly steered by the unmistakable agenda of the right-wing publication for which he writes, "The Centurion," and should be read with a firm understanding of their context.
Thus far, the war has claimed the lives of over 3,168 American soldiers and left over 23,400 wounded. An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, while most continue to suffer daily amid economic devastation and chaos. Violence against Americans has risen dramatically. Things are only getting worse. Yet most Americans and Iraqis oppose this war. (Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose President George W. Bush's handling of the war, while 72 percent of U.S. troops serving in Iraq think we should have withdrawn by 2007. Seventy-one percent of Iraqis want all U.S. troops out of Iraq, and 90 percent of Iraqis think Iraq was better off before the U.S. invasion.) Yet the war continues, its cost approaching half a trillion dollars. With less and less money available for education, healthcare, Social Security and other programs, we are continually living lives of worse quality.
The columnist's first faulty argument is that the walk out will be ineffective because it will not end the war, and he calls for other strategies such as contacting legislators. His comments reflect a narrow understanding of social and political activism. First, no sole action will singularly end the war and occupation. Rather, it will likely be due to a combination of the efforts of many Americans through a variety of techniques. The student groups organizing the walk out combine their anti-war efforts with contacting elected officials, film screenings, panels, protests and more.
Thus far, the war has claimed the lives of over 3,168 American soldiers and left over 23,400 wounded. An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, while most continue to suffer daily amid economic devastation and chaos. Violence against Americans has risen dramatically. Things are only getting worse. Yet most Americans and Iraqis oppose this war. (Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose President George W. Bush's handling of the war, while 72 percent of U.S. troops serving in Iraq think we should have withdrawn by 2007. Seventy-one percent of Iraqis want all U.S. troops out of Iraq, and 90 percent of Iraqis think Iraq was better off before the U.S. invasion.) Yet the war continues, its cost approaching half a trillion dollars. With less and less money available for education, healthcare, Social Security and other programs, we are continually living lives of worse quality.
The columnist's first faulty argument is that the walk out will be ineffective because it will not end the war, and he calls for other strategies such as contacting legislators. His comments reflect a narrow understanding of social and political activism. First, no sole action will singularly end the war and occupation. Rather, it will likely be due to a combination of the efforts of many Americans through a variety of techniques. The student groups organizing the walk out combine their anti-war efforts with contacting elected officials, film screenings, panels, protests and more.