Reflection on Iraq War Teach-In and Student Apathy Towards the Anti-War Movement

“Abominations,” “false prophecy,” “genocide,” and “Armageddon” were only a few of the denunciations of the Iraq War made by panelists earlier this month at a teach-in linking the current war with the what the panelists called the ‘disastrous’ Vietnam War 40 years ago. Panelist and UC Berkeley student Roberto Hernandez said, “We knew the truths in Vietnam so we mobilized and now we know the truths in Iraq, but I do not see the same mobilization. Isn’t truth enough to cause outrage?”
The panel connected the anti-Vietnam War movement to the current war in Iraq. But they bemoaned that there is not the same anti-war mobilization and outrage from the youth towards the United State’s occupation in Iraq as was present in the 1960’s. The current youth of America “turn a blind eye on the war” and are too preoccupied with “consumerism and luxury,” said Panelist Keiko Schnelle, 20, a UC Santa Cruz student and member of Code Pink.
Civil Rights Attorney Anne Weills declared torture is a “signature behavior of the government policy of the United States,” and “The Cheney-Bush-Rumsfeld team led the descent into Hell and gave way to every abomination possible.”
Vietnam veteran Carlos Muñoz said, “We are in the most repressive era of this nation and it makes McCarthyism not look that bad,” and “Trillions of dollars and hard-earned tax-payers money is going down the tube.” Tom Hayden, founder of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS, followed by saying, “I cannot believe the shear f--king scale of this upcoming election. I haven’t seen anything like this since the 1960’s.”
Considering the opinions of the panelists is there a youth mobilization against the Iraq War and, if not, why is there no such mobilization?
The student revolts at Columbia University in 1968 demonstrated the youth were the leaders of change and the anti-war movement, according to Schnelle. Those behind the peace movement of the Vietnam War are those who are the current leaders of the Iraq War peace movement, she said.
USF International Studies junior Sophia Kleinsasser said she believes youth and students are not involved in the anti-war movement because there is no political radicalism of the youth and that the anti-war movement is “not urgent.” USF Marketing junior Patrick Mahoney agreed and said students have “more important priorities than an anti-war movement,” and that it is hard not to become desensitized to the war if one is not directly affected.
USF Nursing junior Nicole Ward said “young people are too consumed and distracted” and “tune things out.” “People think ‘me me me me’ if they are not directly affected. We live in a society of idiots. Young people are selfish and that it is ok not to know what’s going on, but there is too much sh-t going on to not know or care.”
USF Art History senior Tamara Golan said it is difficult to understand the nature of the Iraq War. “We are fighting terrorism but who exactly are the terrorists? There is no clear objective and we are setting up for World War 3 and World War 4.” Agreeing with Kleinsasser, Ward and Mahoney, Golan said there would be more youth involvement if a draft were to be in effect.
It is striking how the University of San Francisco is in a city regarded to be more liberal than most other cities in the United States, yet most USF students do not participate in any form of the anti-war movement such as attending teach-ins, going to hear speakers, or peacefully protesting. According to the list of clubs and organizations found on the USF website, there are only a few organizations concerning US politics and the occupation in the Middle East: Amnesty International, Democracy Matters, Politics Society, STAND and the College Republicans Club. The students interviewed all said they believe the youth, especially the students of USF, are passive and apathetic towards participating in a peace movement.

Are we doomed?

So, our generation is basically screwed in terms of financing our college education, obtaining a good-paying job- let alone any job- after graduation, and purchasing a home, according to not only my law professor but a panel of four USF economics and business professors at a panel discussion yesterday on the current tumultuous state of the US economy. My environmental law professor practically told our class to rethink our goals of becoming environmental lawyers because protecting the environment… I mean, who has the money to protect the environment when the federal government is in over $900 billion dollars ($700 billion bailout and an annual debt of $300 to $400 billion)?

These quotes from the panel disturbed me for the rest of the day:
*“We will be in a recession that will be bad and prolonged. If the bill does not
pass on Thursday, we will be in a very bad recession and it will be very
prolonged.”
*“Our economy depends on the extension of credit. If the credit markets freeze up,
we can be in a depression by Christmas.”
*“International lending and trading is affected because of the lack of trust lenders
have in the US… it needs to be unclogged.”
*“The unemployment rate will increase and the economy will worsen.”
*“We put more money in the housing market (in the past 6 years) than we should have
and there is no more new money available. There was a lack of regulation and
more liberalization towards the buying of houses people could not afford.”

To be honest, it is difficult to fully grasp the complexity and severity of this $700billion dollar catastrophe because it does not directly affect me. I do not have any student loans; I do not use any credit cards; I do not currently have a retirement plan; I do not have any real estate; and I do not have any securities like stocks. However, having my professor tell me he is glad he is nearing retirement and feels sympathy for our generation for the next few decades, puts things in perspective for me.

One question I have concerning this, as it being my beat, is how this current state of the economy will affect the financing of sending more troops to Afghanistan, continuing rebuilding and restructuring in Iraq, and a possible surge in Pakistan. If taken out of context, I agree with Iranian president Ahmadinejad when he denounced the United States last week saying the US is “an empire reaching the end of the road.”

'Let's impeach the President for lying and misleading our country into war'- Neil Young

On Wednesday I saw Neil Young’s film, “CSNY/Déjà Vu,” a documentary that goes along with his “Living with War” CD. “Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young” is a folk rock band that originated in 1969. The band expressed their protest against the Vietnam War and “the establishment” through their songs. According to wiki, Neil Young’s “release of ‘Ohio’ following the Kent State shootings in 1970 marked the boldest musical statement made to that date regarding the Vietnam war, calling out Richard Nixon by name and voicing the counterculture's rage and despair at the events.

CSNY/Déjà Vu took the viewer on the road with the band (of now over-the-hill, graying and overweight men) as they toured America in 2006 and incorporated their political and anti-war beliefs with their songs. It was most shocking for me to see how in the 1970’s when CSNY’s songs “Ohio,” “Soldiers of Peace” and “Long Time Gone” were played, the crowd would erupt together and praise the band for not only their amazing music, but their anti-war and counterculture stance. Almost 40 years later when the band played Young’s “Let’s Impeach the President” off his “Living with War” album at a concert venue, literally half the crowd stood and sang along and waved their fists, and half the crowd stood and walked out cursing CSNY for speaking out against the Iraq War and turning the concert into a political rally.

So, I left the film wondering who else, if not musicians or even artists in general, can so passionately and powerfully speak out and use their music to reach a mass of people and express a message? CSNY has been a band who spoke out against violence and war since the beginning so why should an audience member expect any different? The same is with other musicians: Buffalo Springfield, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Country Joe McDonald and Chicago. Should not these artists be able to practice the freedom of speech? However, where is the line drawn between freedom of speech and manipulation?

1968 to 2008- Where's the Movement Towards Peace Today?

I attended the 1968 Great Rehearsal teach-in on the Iraq War in Berkeley on September 19th. I caught the second half of Daniel Ellsberg's speech by the time I caught BART out of San Francisco in the morning. Ellsberg found the infamous Pentagon Papers in 1969 that 'revealed the government had knowledge, early on, that the (Vietnam) war would not likely be won and that continuing the war would lead to many times more casualties than was ever admitted publicly (Wiki)." Ellsberg said, ‘Presidents make threats secretly and everyone who works with the president keeps them secret.’

The second session was Torture, Aggressive War and Presidential Power. I thoroughly enjoyed this session because of how passionate the speakers were against human rights violations. Civil rights attorney, Anne Weills began her speech by saying torture was a ‘signature behavior of the government policy of the United States. ‘The Cheney-Bush-Rumsfeld team led the descent into Hell and gave way to every abomination possible.’ She finished her twelve minutes by discussing UCB's ‘torture professor’, John Yoo. Yoo is a law professor at Berkeley who also wrote the ‘torture memos’ justifying the legality of torture under the Bush Administration. Many anti-war activists are attempting to sue him for human rights violations and have him fired from the university. Ironically, Yoo was giving a lecture at the same time across campus.

Film director Paul Cronin provided the teach-in with clips of his work-in-progress film ‘A Time to Stir’ that documents the Columbia University student revolts of 1968. The white and African American students came together for six days to protest the building of a new gym in Morningside Park. The student's occupation of several campus buildings was against the school's complicity of the Vietnam War, racism as being demonstrated by the building of the gym, and for better and more responsible relations with the surrounding communities. The film shown, although not complete, was very intriguing and the footage was incredible.

Activist Tom Hayden began the fifth and most interesting session From the Vietnam War to the Iraq War with a statement that definitely woke people up after listening to speakers for already five hours. ‘I cannot believe the shear fucking scale of the upcoming election. I haven’t seen anything like this since the 1960’s! I think there is a huge social movement... It’s the Obama movement...but it is not a movement unless blood is running down the face.’

Vietnam veteran, Carlos Muñoz, said that now is an "Era of Bush-ism and US imperialism and we are indeed now a global empire with 137 military bases and I think that is tragic. Trillions of dollars and hard-earned tax-payers money is going down the tube. We must continue to speak out and keep marching. We are in the most repressive era of this nation and it makes McCarthyism not look that bad.’ While describing his time serving in the military Muñoz said he learned several languages including Japanese while in Korea because he knew there was a relationship between the two countries. I find it very disturbing how most of the American troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq do not even know how to speak Arabic (the language of the countries we're occupying!).

The most moving speaker of the day was an Iraq veteran of the medical unit and current UCB student, Cleavon Gilman. This man must not have been much older than 25, very muscular and daunting, and sat in a comfortable position with his legs spread and hunched over. It was Gilman's first time speaking out against the war and when he opened his mouth to begin his speech, nothing came out for a good seven seconds. He said he had a speech impediment and was obviously very nervous speaking. He said he dreamed of killing people in Iraq and that he was excited to see some action. He described a typical day of being in the medical unit, becoming somber when he spoke of a troop dying. 'Something that’s not on TV is that when a soldier died we had to check for personal belongings which are usually in the helmet and was a picture of a child, mom, brother, dad or ultrasound. We would take out body bags and put the bodies in and zip them up and bring them to the freezer. Then we'd have to clean the blood on the stretcher and blood on the floor he spilled for his country and he can’t even go home.' With this he shook his head and became silent as if holding back tears. And with this tears filled up my eyes and I felt a pain in my heart for this man. Although looking tough and masculine, this war broke him. He ended his speech saying the 'terrorists' he met 'seemed pretty peaceful' and that 'troops have cameras and will hurt this country.' Such 'trophy pictures' as he called them were of burned children and hands blown off.

Afghanistan veteran, Forrest, said ‘I know for a fact we are looking to the world like the next Hitler as I travel. We are violating every Geneva Convention.’ The fact he compared the ‘democratic’ United States with Hitler was particularly disturbing. Is this country really the poster child and face for ethnocentrism and mass killings?

Immanuel Wallerstein, a Yale University senior research scholar, began the final session of the day, Stopping US Wars of Aggression. Wallerstein began his presentation by saying if McCain wins the election it will be an ‘Armageddon.’ If Obama wins, the least Americans can ask for is an ‘internal split.’ ‘If Obama wins we have a chance of a civil war, if not literally, at the very least. The whole capital system is collapsing and will something much worse replace it?’

The second speaker was Iraqi-American, Dunya Alwan, who has family in Iraq and said America’s ‘illegal war’ and ‘illegal occupation’ there is a ‘humanity crisis of the first level.’ She claimed the US violated the two justifications to go to war: self-defense and what the Security Council says. Although I understood her family’s sorrow and pain living in a country without even adequate drinking water, I became troubled as Alwan bitterly said ‘Ending the war in Iraq will not be ended by US hands but in spite and at the hands of Iraqis. The saying, ‘Bring the troops home’ is an insult to me.’’ Like I said, I felt shameful and deep regret for her family but I became insulted by her ‘bring the troops home’ remark, having several friends serving there now.

20-year-old Keiko Schnelle spoke next about how America’s youth “turns a blind eye on the war” and is more concerned with “consumerism and luxury.” “The fascists, neo-liberalists and capitalists are making all the calls. Even if the Iraqis attacked, US violence is not the answer. We have a completely failed democracy… the youth needs to make clear to the government their arguments (for the war) are wrong.” Schnelle made it very clear how important it is for young adults to speak out against the war and not feel that their efforts are hopeless. The final speaker, Roberto Hernandez, even said, ‘We knew the truths in Vietnam so we mobilized and now we know the truths in Iraq but I do not see the same mobilization. Isn’t truth enough to cause outrage?’

So, I took from that day a sense of fear and disturbance. Those who led the anti-war movement for Vietnam are leading the anti-war movement for the Iraq war. Where is the youth leadership? This is our future we’re talking about! Preparing for my second beat story I asked USF students this question and they all replied that there is no such ‘fire’ or ‘urgency’ to protest this war because America’s current youth is apathetic and passive and have bigger priorities to deal with day to day. I was appalled. I believe working towards stopping a war that will determine the success (and failure) of my generation is more important than making sure my dishes are clean and that I don’t miss the next episode of The Hills. It doesn’t take much to get involved in politics- attend a screening of a documentary, go to a teach-in, die-in, or rally in San Francisco, even if you don’t participate. 35,000 people attended the 1968 teach-in at Berkeley and this past Friday I was one of no more than 100 attendees, most of whom were Vietnam veterans! And although the panels kept saying not to compare the present anti-war movement with that of the 1960’s (like the Columbia student revolt) it is hard not to be ashamed my generation is not as driven to mobilize a movement towards peace.

www.commonwealthclub.org
www.indybay.org
www.icasualties.org

CAUGHT: Pentagon pundits on TV news

“The usual division line between government and journalism has been obliterated.” It is a sad day when, as a media consumer, I realize I have been fed pro-war propaganda by retired military analysts working not only for news stations such as FOX, CNN, and CBS, but the Defense Department! I feel like I am running out of places to receive non-biased, objective news, especially news pertaining to critical national and international relations. It was one of SecDef Rumsfeld's military analysts on FOX News who said Iraq was just a battleground in the bigger 50 year war, and Iraq will eventually lead us to Iran. If it was not for the NYTimes recently suing the Defense Department to gain access to 8,000 pages of emails, transcripts, and records, including those documenting Pentagon-sponsored trips to Iraq and Guantanamo, this "symbiotic relationship" between retired military analysts who serve as puppets to the D. Dept., and Rumsfeld and the Department, itself, would never have been revealed.

"Body of War"... only one?

...how about 4,037 bodies of soldiers selflessly given to the 'efforts' towards a more democratic and free Iraq, since the Iraq war began on March 19, 2003 (antiwar.com). Last night I had the privilege of seeing the new award-winning documentary, 'Body of War' in the Embarcadero Center theater in San Francisco. This film documents the physical and emotional effects of war, following 26-year old Tomas Young who is a wounded Iraq veteran. Days after the attacks of 9/11/01 Tomas enlisted in the army, gun-ho about protecting his country and revenging the 'evil-doers,' as President Bush so patriotically nicknamed the terrorists.

This young Kansas City resident was deployed to Iraq and within only five days was shot directly below the collarbone into his spine while riding in an unarmed humvee. He became paralyzed instantaneously from the chest down. He is not a candidate for stem cell research and suffers from many medical conditions. One of my favorite quotes from the film came from the scene when Tomas was lecturing to a church and told the audience upfront he becomes faint and light-headed very often: 'I tend to say uhh and stutter often, too. I tend to sound presidential.'

This incredible and moving film follows Tomas around the country speaking out against the war and talking to veterans and those families who have lost loved ones to the Iraq War. He is also followed around on a day-to-day basis capturing the struggles he faces, from trying to get into a car with his wheelchair to using a catheter so his urine does not crystallize in his bladder, or from not being able to have an erection to not being able to regulate his body temperature or even cough.

'Body of War' is almost a revolutionary means of illustrating what this war actually entails, considering most of the war coverage is ridiculously sanitized. Seeing this film definitely reinforced my desire to become a journalist and report what actually happens, not what the Bush Administration and Republicans would want the American people to see. Phil Donahue, former talk-show host, directed the film and made it a point to say in the Q&A which followed the premier, 'Body of War' must be seen by every student in school. As American citizens we owe it to the active soldiers to view this film and understand what they struggle with post-duty.

Tomas Young is a young, innocent man who was manipulated by President Bush, and because of Bush's quick and naive thinking, his life has been altered in ways no mid-western boy should have experienced. His younger brother is also currently stop-lossed in Iraq.
'Body of War' opens Friday, April 18, 2008 at Clay Theater in San Francisco and the Shattuck theater in Berkeley. Please make it a point to view this beautifully-made and heartaching film, and check out the sites listed below. Stay informed and stay active.


http://www.bodyofwar.com/
http://www.ivaw.org/
http://icasualties.org/oif/


The photograph below was featured in the film. Katherine Cathey refused to leave her husband's casket, 2nd Lt. James J Cathey, and asked if she could sleep just one more night next to her husband. The Marines made a bed for her and stood watch while she played songs that reminded her of 'Cat' and slept one last time next to him.

"Gereing" Up for the Olympics

I attended the Tibet rally and vigil last Tuesday, and the protest the following day, which was an ironic welcome extended to China from San Francisco residents and supporters of a free Tibet. What an experience! Tibet has been occupied by the Chinese government for 50 years and all the speakers of the rally agreed, it is one thing to bring the torch through a democratic nation, especially a city like San Francisco which is so 'open' and 'liberal', but it is incredibly wrong to bring the torch through Tibet who has no say, and is practically in lock-down. We must speak out for the protetection, freedom, and future of Tibet simply because we can without fear of strict consequences and punishment from the United States government. Is the torch relay really the 'Journey of Harmony?' I think not; the torch is the 'Torch of Freedom' which will forever be lit for the Tibetans.

SF Supervisor Chris Daly spoke out against China by asking, "What is more humanist than human rights?" China's 50 year occupation in Tibet is increasingly becoming a genocide; 150 Tibetans have been murdered since mid-March. Daly's partner called him the "Daly Lama."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave a very moving and emotional speech which addressed how important it is President George Bush not attend the Olympic games on August 8 regardless of him only attending as a "sports fan." Tutu led a chant meant for the heads of state to hear- "For goodness sake, don’t go to the Beijing Games, for the sake of our children, for the beautiful people of Tibet. Don’t go!" He also thanked the audience, "It is people like you who freed South Africa [by using democracy to raise voices and opinions]."

Actor Richard Gere gave the closing speech to the rally as the sun set and audience members lit their candles. Gere read from a three page letter the Dalai Lama sent to citizens of Tibet which called for nonviolent actions. He feels the the world stage is now being set for the Dalai Lama and hopes China will one day wake up, realize what they have done, and go to the Dalai Lama because "he will know what to do." Let's hope, Mr. Gere.