Popular protest is one of many ways people can raise the consciousness of a slumbering and apathetic public. There are events happening all around us that should be sparking outrage among Sacramento State students; fee increases, budget deficits, gross administrative mishandling of our education, the de-funding of education by our state legislature, etc.

Somehow, these are not enough to really get people riled up. There a thousand issues one could advocate for and it is difficult to figure out which is the most important.

There are many issues facing this campus, this nation and this world that are of paramount concern. My question is what would Sac State students be willing to stand up and fight for? Global Warming? Nah, that’s a myth. Immigration reform? Nope, only to keep those scary illegals out. Fee increases? That’s just apart of life, if we want an education, we should be willing to pay for it. Affirmative Action? What is that, I thought we were all equal? Exploitation of the Global South by the Global North? Uhh, what? I feel strongly about all these issues, but I have a hard time focusing on just one.

A person can think and feel about hundreds of issues, but few have the time to act on even one.

There is one thing I feel that the vast majority of Americans (and hopefully Sac State students) can agree on. That is, how badly the war in Iraq is going and how bad our government has handled it.

According to a January 2007 CBS poll, not only do a majority of Americans want to see the U.S. pull out of Iraq, but also think the recent troop surge will not help, removing Saddam Hussein was not worth it and an overwhelming majority think the war is going “badly.”

Furthermore, we now know that the intelligence about Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Saddam-Al Qaida links were at best bogus and at worst an intentional and illegal distortion responsible for the deaths of thousands of human beings.

Okay, so none of this is news to me, or many of you, but it shows that the public sentiment in the U.S. is that we want this war over. Am I beating a dead horse? Damn right, and I am going to beat this dead horse over and over again until its legs and head come off and its insides are out. If you think that is gross, you should think even worse of what our brothers and sisters from America, Iraq and all over the world have to face in Iraq.

If the majority of Americans deplore the invasion and occupation of Iraq and think Bush would be better off cutting mesquite somewhere in Texas than trying to manage an endless war, why are we still there?

Well my friends, we need massive rallies by Americans across the country to help bring our troops home. The college campus is the perfect place to get the ball rolling.

UC Davis recently held a walkout to protest the war in Iraq, support immigrant rights, workers and the protection of the environment. So why couldn’t Sac State students do something similar? I say we friggin’ do it.

It may be too late this semester to muster enough people. The fall may be more realistic. Faculty, students, anyone who wants to join should do so. Why couldn’t we? We have five months before the fall semester begins.

In that time ASI, inc. various student clubs and organizations and individuals could start spreading the word to the community, to other CSUs, to the UCs and anyone else who wants to say that they despise this war. As long as American citizens think and don’t act, our government won’t respond to our concerns.

Even the Vietnam War was ended in part due to the protests here in America. If you think Iraq is as bad, or worse than Vietnam, then what the hell are we waiting for?

This should be a rally, not just of Americans protesting the loss of fellow Americans, but a rally for humanity because every time a human dies needlessly, we all suffer. If you hate this war and you know other people who do, then we should get together next semester and get up, stand up, stand up for our rights!

Scott Allen can be reached at [email protected]