Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war. In response, on Thursday, a coalition representing hundreds of MSU students and community members led a large, vibrant demonstration to call for an end to the occupation, which accumulates in cost and creates more destruction every day.
In addition to the devastating repercussions to the Iraqi people, we addressed a wide array of social and economic concerns connected to the war. These included environmental sustainability, war profiteering, military recruitment targeted toward low-income minorities, consumer culture promoting militarism and infringement of civil liberties through the pending legislation H.R. 1955.
The march and rally, which started on campus and flooded the streets of downtown East Lansing, served as a reminder that this war does not only have an adverse impact on the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians, but also is a moral and economic issue for MSU students.
Since we currently are not facing the threat of being drafted, many young people do not feel pressured to publicly denounce the war. But last year, our tuition was raised 9.6 percent, while the U.S. government continued to spend an average of $720 million per day to continue the war.
Although we live in the wealthiest country in the world, it is extremely expensive to go to college and the gap between who can and can’t make the investment continues to stretch. As residents of Michigan, a state afflicted with some of the highest unemployment and home foreclosure rates in the nation, we are all too familiar with the pressing need for responsible government spending that addresses domestic problems instead of creating international crises.
As members of the global community, we have a responsibility to take action on a local level. The State News is MSU’s primary media outlet, and we expected it to publicize the message of an on-campus event that drew in hundreds of people. But The State News refused to write a substantial article on the action because, in their editorial opinion, another march and rally against the war was not newsworthy — a decision that was made long before a press release was even sent out. In response to a vehement critique of this decision, students returned hundreds of copies of last Thursday’s paper to the office, demanding The State News be held accountable for such unprofessional behavior. As a partially student-funded newspaper and our “independent voice,” it is The State News’ obligation and responsibility to represent the powerful message of this broad coalition.
Thursday’s event brought together a multitude of students and organizations concerned with the many economic and social costs of the war, which is simultaneously spilling innocent blood and draining limited funds. The $720 million of taxpayers’ money spent every day could otherwise be allocated to combating rising tuition costs, promoting environmental responsibility or fulfilling the government’s obligation to provide veteran benefits. These are a few issues that the war raises, but in reality there are unlimited concerns that deserve to be explored within the media. But in the end, if we truly support the troops, and all citizens of the U.S. and Iraq, we must end the war.
In solidarity:
Chicanos y Latinos Unidos
Muslim Students’ Association
W.E.B. DuBois Society
NorthStar Center
Students for Economic Justice
Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice
Movimiento Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan
Ignite: Students for a Democratic Society
Young Democratic Socialists
MSU Slam Poetry Team
Eco
Ecological Food and Farm Stewardship
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