Libertarian Librarian

It is wasted on the young, as they say. Received the following email earlier today, and though it might amuse and edify y'all. Now, bear in mind, this was a broadcast email-- it went to the university governance list, which basically means all administrators, faculty, staff and miscellaneous other folks who signed up for the list. Oddly enough, the request was not sent out to the Student list-- just to the governance list. It was written by the Nicholas Ravnikar, Executive Editor of UW-Parkside's school newspaper, The Ranger News.

After the long absence of my posts to the governance list-serv, I bring word of another protest--and not one that I organized.

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 2 p.m., there will be a non-partisan anti-war gathering at the Lincoln Statue in the southeast corner of Library Park, Kenosha. The Statue is located at the corner of 7th avenue and 59th Street.

A non-traditional student named Greg McAndrews, along with the Racine Coalition for Peace and MoveOn.org, has organized the presentation of a petition, signed by over 3,000 Wisconsin residents, to bring the troops home from Iraq.

The gathering will begin at the statue and walk two and a half blocks nort the Rep. Paul Ryan's constituent office (5712 7th Ave.) and present him (or his office aides, rather) with the petition. Refreshments will be provided at a place to be announced after the presentation.

Yes, it will be cold and windy. Yes, it is late in the semester, and finals are beginning soon. But please, make it to this if you can, and let your students know about it. We have the opportunity to join in solidarity against the deceit and death that have accompanied this war since the
beginning, and perhaps we can build enough awareness to fight the totalitarian tactics of the current White House administration/regime.

Greg McAndrews can be reached at 262.694.3849 or by email at mcandrew@execpc.com, if you would like to volunteer or speak at the event. You can still sign the petition at www.moveon.org.

Well, good to know it's a non-partisan way of raising awareness against the totalitarian tactics of the current White House. That's a relief. Wouldn't want this to be seen as partisan, after all. And I'm sure the fact that you can sign the petition at moveon.org is non-partisan as well. It's a .org, after all, so it couldn't be partisan or biased in anyway. And they support the troops! Can't believe that got left out. Of course they do-- not the troops fault that they answer to a totalitarian regime, after all, nor that they weren't smart enough to get into college, like Nicholas Ravnikar. Poor saps.

I'm sure the fact that the irony of them meeting at the Lincoln statue probably escapes them. You know, the Abraham Lincoln who presided over the bloodiest war to ever take place on U.S. soil because he believed it was right and necessary to sacrifice brave men and women to liberate many thousands of other men and women who were suffering greatly with no recourse to the rule of law and whom were subject to the whims of despotic and greedy owners. Good thing we're in Iraq for oil-- otherwise the liberating of all those Iraqis from the tender mercies of Saddam would be kinda awkward.

I also don't get why it was important to mention that the petition was started by a "non-traditional student." What does that even mean? Is he gay? Is he a returning student, and thus much older than most of Parkside's students? Is he a kangaroo? That'd be pretty non-traditional. Regardless, what was the reasoning behind emphasizing his non-traditional status? Does that offer some additional validation to the petition and protest?

Does it shock anyone that the person posting the request to join the anti-war protest is the Executive Editor of the school newspaper? Didn't think so.

Finally, what exactly are the intending to build an awareness of? The war? Anybody out there not aware that we have troops in Iraq? Seems unlikely. That there are people that oppose our being there? Pretty sure most folks know that already, too. That there's a totalitarian regime running things in D.C.? Yeah, that's probably it.

Silly me, I thought he was our duly elected President and worthy of respect, if not admiration, even if we disagree with him.

But then, I'm probably too traditional to get it.

Labels: Politics, War on Terror