As part of a nationwide tour of college campuses, speakers from an organization opposing the Bush administration spoke on campus Wednesday about the harm they believe the administration is causing in Iraq and in the United States.
Speakers included Sunsara Taylor, co-founder of the organization “The World Can’t Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!” and Matt Howard, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq.
Taylor said the purpose of the tour, titled “Mission of a Generation,” is to urge students to demand a stop to the war and get rid of the Bush administration.
“Students have been on the forefront of every political movement so we’re trying to reach out to the students,” Taylor said.
Taylor added that she believes people should speak out because the war affects everyone.
“Everybody in this country has the responsibility to stop this war that is being waged in our names,” she said.
Taylor said that in addition to issues related to the war, the World Can’t Wait organization addresses Bush’s domestic policy as well.
She said she disagrees with the administration’s handling and perspective on domestic affairs such as stem cell research and gay marriage.
But not all students agree with the stance the organization takes on the way the administration deals with domestic and international issues.
Gregory Moeck, chairman of the Bruin Republicans, said he believes calling the Bush administration a regime is deplorable, referring to the name of the organization.
“The Bush administration is the elected representative of the American people and regime has a negative connotation in English such that it refers to dictators,” Moeck said.
Moeck said he believes the war in Iraq is legally justified.
“The reason that we entered into the war with (Iraq) has been completely legal and has been upheld in the world court.”
Howard, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq and is a member of Iraq Veterans against the War, spoke about his experiences in Iraq.
Howard said he initially decided to serve in the Marines because he believed he would get money for college and gain a sense of adventure from the experience.
“We were told that we were going to help these people and I saw nothing to that effect, but in fact, the exact opposite,” Howard said.
“You don’t bring democracy through the barrel of a gun,” he added.
Jennifer Propper, a spokeswoman for the Bruin Republicans, said though she respects that the speakers demonstrated their freedom of speech and took an active part in politics, they should keep in mind that, at times, war is necessary to bring about democracy and social freedoms.
Howard said he believes American troops in Iraq are causing the insurgency there because their presence is escalating tensions in the country.
“This theory we have that we’ll stand down when the Iraqis stand up is just nonsensical,” he said. “As long as we’re there, we’ll always be seen as the occupiers and anyone that stands up with us will be the collaborators and will be internally hated by the general population.”
But Propper said for Republicans, not responding to the situation in Iraq would be a mistake.
“The countries we are fighting against are the ones who are treating women horribly,” she said.
“We went in there to respond to our attack, but, at the same time, we still stayed and helped rebuild it.”
Beth Lee, a second-year comparative literature student, said that while she thinks the speakers brought up valid points, she believes what they have been saying has been repeatedly said before with no outcome.
“I liked the fact that (Taylor) said we should do something now instead of bickering but I still haven’t seen anything happen,” she said.
“I want to see if this organization can help people see the broader picture.”
The event was sponsored by various organizations, including Code Pink: Women for Peace, the Rainforest Action Network at UCLA and “Out Against War: LGBT & Friends Coalition for Peace & Justice.”
Taylor said the World Can’t Wait organization was started in 2005 and the tour, which has been ongoing since mid-January, has visited about 45 university, community colleges and high school campuses nationwide.