2008 Woodie Awards
Macalester College Peace & Justice Committe and Students for a Democratic Society
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Opinion
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For the past five years, we have watched our government kill more than a million Iraqis and thousands of Americans, waging war against a civilian population with total disregard for the Geneva Conventions, covertly torturing thousands who have been abducted without judicial review and the positioning of mercenaries outside the reach of both U.S. and international law. The American people, too, have become the target of unethical governmental policies, as unwarranted domestic surveillance tactics proliferate to an unprecedented degree and legislation like the Patriot Act continues to pass, denying us our basic civil liberties.
Despite our widespread knowledge of, and opposition to the current U.S. military occupation of Iraq, we have carried on with life as usual because, for many of us, stopping the war represents an overwhelming task. Some have registered their opposition through voting, letter-writing, book-writing, lobbying and even marching in the streets, yet there is still no end in sight.
We have called on the student body, faculty and staff at Macalester to leave our classes and workplaces today, Nov. 16, to come together for a day of education and protest. As a part of this general strike, we are also calling for an official withdrawal from the U.S. economy by not purchasing goods or services today. While it is clear that one action alone will not stop the war, we believe that strike is an effective form of protest. Effectual protest should open dialogue as a means of building an inclusive community of resistance to this illegal and unethical war. Effectual protest should also make a collective stance that disrupts the flow of everyday life, making the statement that until the government stops the war, we will stop business as usual.
In coming together as a community to participate in workshops and discussions, we can create a space to educate ourselves about the war and organize to end it-we see this strike as only the beginning. In refusing to maintain the illusion of political normalcy, we will acknowledge our complicity in the violent tactics employed by our government, offer hope to those who unwillingly risk their lives in this conflict that the people of the United States will work to stop the war, because our government has not.
Despite our widespread knowledge of, and opposition to the current U.S. military occupation of Iraq, we have carried on with life as usual because, for many of us, stopping the war represents an overwhelming task. Some have registered their opposition through voting, letter-writing, book-writing, lobbying and even marching in the streets, yet there is still no end in sight.
We have called on the student body, faculty and staff at Macalester to leave our classes and workplaces today, Nov. 16, to come together for a day of education and protest. As a part of this general strike, we are also calling for an official withdrawal from the U.S. economy by not purchasing goods or services today. While it is clear that one action alone will not stop the war, we believe that strike is an effective form of protest. Effectual protest should open dialogue as a means of building an inclusive community of resistance to this illegal and unethical war. Effectual protest should also make a collective stance that disrupts the flow of everyday life, making the statement that until the government stops the war, we will stop business as usual.
In coming together as a community to participate in workshops and discussions, we can create a space to educate ourselves about the war and organize to end it-we see this strike as only the beginning. In refusing to maintain the illusion of political normalcy, we will acknowledge our complicity in the violent tactics employed by our government, offer hope to those who unwillingly risk their lives in this conflict that the people of the United States will work to stop the war, because our government has not.
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