Protests do achieve goals

In Eric Miller’s column on Friday, he said the Peace…

Protests do achieve goals

In Eric Miller’s column on Friday, he said the Peace Movement had crossed a line in its attempt to disrupt the “business as usual” mindset of American culture with tactics used to stop the current war in Iraq. By staging a “die-in” in an attempt to bring New York City to a halt, protesters had managed to make civil disobedience uncivil, and were wrong for doing so. Miller compared protesters to children with a temper tantrum, unable to get their own way and out to make everyone else suffer for it. In a way, he was right. However, he was wrong when he assumed such tactics would not work.

During the Civil Rights movement, sit-ins managed to disrupt the status quo of the time period enough to force the subject of desegregation into political debate. Yes, black people and ambitious young college kids managed to throw a “temper tantrum” in that period. It annoyed many. Initially it faced little support. But it managed to disrupt business and hit America where it always hurts … the pocketbook.

Already, after only a week, local governments in New York and San Francisco have become frustrated with the financial burden associated with policing such events. Marches and rallies in cities all across the country have managed to shutdown business sections. The protesters are achieving an important victory; they are taking the financial incentive out of war. While major industrial companies such as Halliburton are able to benefit from lucrative post-war reconstruction projects, sales within the country won’t be so profitable for the rest of the business world.

While some may be quick to call “foul” for such actions, let it be remembered: All is fair in love and war.

Benjamin O’Dell

CAS freshman

Protesters achieve nothing

Insulting protesters would be as ignorant as vandalizing cars, blocking traffic and throwing newspaper vending machines throughout the streets of Pittsburgh.

Coincidentally, that is all the protests in Downtown Pittsburgh accomplished last week. Perhaps the people doing the protesting wouldn’t mind taking a short trip to Iraq to ask Saddam Hussein nicely if he wouldn’t be so kind as to give up his chemical weapons. These would be the same chemical weapons that don’t exist according to U.N. inspections and consequently also the ones awaiting our troops when they come within 10 miles of Baghdad. I don’t know who you protesters think you’re kidding but I certainly cannot believe that a person such as Saddam Hussein who kills thousands of his own people and terrorizes the rest is amassing a store of chemical weapons because he lost a bet.

It is my humble opinion that our government tries to do the best it can at all times. Our government does such a great job, in fact, that a vast majority of the people in this country don’t even know what’s going on the world until they get the chance to paint a sign and maybe even burn a flag. Well then go ahead, burn your flag and scream about all the horrible things our government does for the rest of the world, like freeing Kuwait from Iraq, or warning the people of the world about Hussein’s chemical weapons, or even trying to save an entire country from the clutches of a psychopath. One of the reasons this country is great is because it can tolerate ignorant people like these. God Bless America.

It ain’t propaganda if it’s true.

Todd Gretton

CAS senior