Education is only meaningful if it translates into action. These are our peers that are dying in this war. Just recently, 91 Rutgers Newark students were recalled to active duty from reservist status in the National Guard. They will be in our thoughts on March 27th. ----Hoda Mitwally, Rutgers U.
How will you remember the sad milestone of 4ooo American souls lost in Iraq? Or the conflict's recent 5 year anniversary?
The Rutgers University community has an event planned this Thursday:
Timed to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and the announcement of the 4,000th soldier killed in Iraq, the Rutgers Anti-War Walkout will begin at 1:23pm on March 27th with a rally at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial on Voorhees Mall, on the College Avenue Campus.
According to Walkout Coalition organizer Sumia Ibrahim, last year's walkout was a far cry from years past when most Americans still took a dim view of anti-war activism:
"Last year hundreds of students marched into the heart of New Brunswick and received enthusiastic support from members of the community. As we walked along George Street, people were cheering, waving, flashing peace signs, and joining in."
According to one Rutgers University student, it's easy to understand the transformation of an American public whose support for Iraq has waned since the war's first anniversary.
Student organizer Timothy Horras tells Blue Jersey, "American people were lied to. And we expect one of the largest actions in the country on Thursday."
Either milestone -- 5 years, 4ooo lost souls -- would be sad enough in its own right. But to have them coincide like this makes it especially painful. And thanks to the Student organizers at Rutgers, folks in Central Jersey have a powerful way to register their discontent. (Details below the fold)
So what's going on in your community to mark the occasion?
WHAT: Campus-wide walkout and demonstration against the War in Iraq, on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University, in honor of the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.
WHO: Rutgers Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, and Community Members.
WHERE: Rally and speakers on Voorhees Mall at the Vietnam Memorial behind Scott Hall-43 on College Avenue in New Brunswick (The College Avenue Campus). Then a march in New Brunswick.
