| << Front page | Commentary | September 28, 2007 |
More Letters to the Editors: Student Senator Wages Peace on War
To the Editors:
I want to applaud the Review for its presence and coverage of the peace rally in Tappan Square on September 15th. It was a fantastic event, in which many students came together with local activists to voice our outrage against the war and militarism as a whole. I was proud to be a part of it.
My contention is only with the headline, “Oberlin Declares War on War.” I had to do a double-take when I saw it. It is not just a bad headline. It is one that takes away from the spirit and purpose of the event it is trying to convey to our community. I expect the news editors to be trained to avoid this type of mistake.
Members of the Oberlin Peace Activist League and many other similar groups stand in opposition to the implementation, effects and the general philosophical framework of the war on terror. We are not declaring war on anything. We are part of a movement in this country to escape an endless and spiraling cycle of violence that has been described well by Gandhi, Martin Luther King and many others.
It is clear at this point, after countless atrocities and civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, that the actions taken under the banner of the war on terror increased violence and instability in the world. In both of these cases, the U.S army is acting under the premise that we can bomb our way to national security. If the “bad guys” are located, and we deliver a half-ton bomb to the area, we will be more secure and will build democracy in the Muslim world.
That premise has proven to be utterly false. Our bombings, raids and torture have only intensified levels of violence. We have created a new generation of people that hate our country. U.S taxpayers are in effect paying for the largest insurgent training camps in the world, sowing the seeds for future conflicts.
serious nature. They will continue to shape the future of our country and the wider world. Though a headline in this paper is perhaps not of great importance, it is critical to avoid mistakes. If these things are not caught by the editors the purpose and mission of the Review is also impeded.
I want to applaud the Review for its presence and coverage of the peace rally in Tappan Square on September 15th. It was a fantastic event, in which many students came together with local activists to voice our outrage against the war and militarism as a whole. I was proud to be a part of it.
My contention is only with the headline, “Oberlin Declares War on War.” I had to do a double-take when I saw it. It is not just a bad headline. It is one that takes away from the spirit and purpose of the event it is trying to convey to our community. I expect the news editors to be trained to avoid this type of mistake.
Members of the Oberlin Peace Activist League and many other similar groups stand in opposition to the implementation, effects and the general philosophical framework of the war on terror. We are not declaring war on anything. We are part of a movement in this country to escape an endless and spiraling cycle of violence that has been described well by Gandhi, Martin Luther King and many others.
It is clear at this point, after countless atrocities and civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, that the actions taken under the banner of the war on terror increased violence and instability in the world. In both of these cases, the U.S army is acting under the premise that we can bomb our way to national security. If the “bad guys” are located, and we deliver a half-ton bomb to the area, we will be more secure and will build democracy in the Muslim world.
That premise has proven to be utterly false. Our bombings, raids and torture have only intensified levels of violence. We have created a new generation of people that hate our country. U.S taxpayers are in effect paying for the largest insurgent training camps in the world, sowing the seeds for future conflicts.
serious nature. They will continue to shape the future of our country and the wider world. Though a headline in this paper is perhaps not of great importance, it is critical to avoid mistakes. If these things are not caught by the editors the purpose and mission of the Review is also impeded.
–Colin Jones
College Senior
College Senior
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