David Maxham's column titled "Friends don't let friends walk out," written in response to the campuswide Walk Out, is riddled with ill-informed and misguided statements. The walk out is planned for March 20, on the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, in conjunction with similar actions that will occur at 49 other universities around the country, and a demonstration and march will follow. The columnist's comments are clearly steered by the unmistakable agenda of the right-wing publication for which he writes, "The Centurion," and should be read with a firm understanding of their context.
Thus far, the war has claimed the lives of over 3,168 American soldiers and left over 23,400 wounded. An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, while most continue to suffer daily amid economic devastation and chaos. Violence against Americans has risen dramatically. Things are only getting worse. Yet most Americans and Iraqis oppose this war. (Seventy-one percent of Americans oppose President George W. Bush's handling of the war, while 72 percent of U.S. troops serving in Iraq think we should have withdrawn by 2007. Seventy-one percent of Iraqis want all U.S. troops out of Iraq, and 90 percent of Iraqis think Iraq was better off before the U.S. invasion.) Yet the war continues, its cost approaching half a trillion dollars. With less and less money available for education, healthcare, Social Security and other programs, we are continually living lives of worse quality.
The columnist's first faulty argument is that the walk out will be ineffective because it will not end the war, and he calls for other strategies such as contacting legislators. His comments reflect a narrow understanding of social and political activism. First, no sole action will singularly end the war and occupation. Rather, it will likely be due to a combination of the efforts of many Americans through a variety of techniques. The student groups organizing the walk out combine their anti-war efforts with contacting elected officials, film screenings, panels, protests and more.
Second, the walk out serves a number of important functions of which pressuring the government to end the war is but one. In participating in the event, students, faculty, staff and alumni will communicate a clear message that we are against this devastating war. The press coverage will help deliver this message to elected officials and ordinary Americans alike. We will also communicate our solidarity with conscientious objectors, war resisters, Iraq War veterans, military families and Iraqis who struggle daily due to this war, among others. The walk out will also allow us to come together to create a sense of empowerment and unity among ourselves, while inspiring others to take a strong stance. It will allow us to learn from the prominent individuals scheduled to speak, which include U.S. Army Captain Chad Hetman - a Rutgers alumnus and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War - and Sue Niederer, the mother of Rutgers alumnus U.S. Army Second Lt. Seth Jeremy Dvorin who was killed in action in Iraq. Lastly, the walk out will allow us to connect with one another to build our numbers and ideas for future anti-war actions.
The columnist's second misguided argument is his claim the walk out is an excuse to miss class. Contrarily, many of us would refuse to organize or participate in the event if this were so. To walk out is not to say, "I do not care about education." Rather, it is to say, "I care enough about the devastating domestic and global effects of this war to interrupt my daily routine." A walk out delivers a stronger message than other forms of protest. It shows we are willing to go beyond rhetoric and actually disrupt our lives to end this war, if but for one day. Every day we do nothing is another day we have given them our consent to continue this war.
Lastly, the columnist mentions only one group of a large coalition involved in organizing this event. It was initiated by Rutgers Against the War and now includes the Graduate Student Association and Latino Student Council, among others. Professors are also part of this effort: Some will be speaking at the demonstration, others will be attending, and others have signed petitions in support of students' right to walk out against the war.
Sumia Ibrahim is a Rutgers College junior majoring in political science and an Iraqi-American.
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