Editor’s note: A previous version of this article had an incorrect attribution, in which a quote should have been attributed to Mallory Savisaar. The State Hornet apologizes for the error.

What a great country we live in. I love being part of a society where people of different backgrounds and ideologies have the right to say whatever they want, no matter how illogical, misguided or blatantly incorrect they may be.

Case in point, the Campus Progressive Alliance and M.E.Ch.A. hosted a peace rally today to protest the war in Iraq.

The day started with a die-in, which is like a sit-in but with students lying down pretending to be dead. The idea of the die-in is to promote awareness about the people who have died as a result of the Iraq war.

Seriously, are there people not aware of the war?

The die-in was quite a spectacle; students had signs that claimed, “Bush lied-I died” and “Impeach Bush.” In an act of remembrance and honor for the fallen, participants were texting on their cell phones while others listened to their iPods during the die-in.

Others were talking, despite the incredible handicap of being dead.

Candy, a self-proclaimed “underground activist” held a sign denouncing torture and calling for Bush and Cheney’s impeachment. Candy said that the United States government, along with Halliburton, has built interment camps in the Midwest. She did not say where in the Midwest, who is kept there or where she got her information. She did not give a last name and said that, “It’s just Candy-like Cher.”

For the life of me, I can’t understand why these anti-war activists aren’t taken more seriously. Insert rolling eyes here.

As part of the die-in, sacks of fake money with President Bush’s face on the bills, complete with Pinocchio nose, littered the library quad with facts and figures about the war. On the bills were the words, “Lying States of America”.

There was also a miniature coffin with an American flag draped over it. However, the stars on the flag were replaced with corporate logos. Camel cigarettes, Pepsi, IBM, Adidas, Nike, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut were just a few of the logos on the flag. Evidently, these corporations are the ones responsible for the war, news to me. Mallory Savisaar of the CPA said, “It’s the only American flag we have.” There’s a shocker.

The die-in lasted a half hour with the majority of the day’s festivities taking place outside the University Union.

Several speakers and performers spoke to the crowd. Joe Palermo, an assistant professor at Sacramento State, opened by saying, “This is the most important thing that students can be doing on this campus today.” Great, forget about going to class because there is a peace rally going on.

I remember going to Faculty Senate meetings last semester and hearing Palermo passionately speak about how students’ right to a quality education was the driving force behind the tensions between faculty and administration.

Jenn Rogar performed two songs for the crowd and said, “Everyone needs to get out here, stop what you are doing and bring attention to people dying.” Again, the crowd at a metropolitan university was basically told that going to class should be put on the back burner.

But the most inflammatory, outrageous and misguided half-wit of the day award goes to Stephen Pearcy. Pearcy spoke to the crowd and said things that could be considered treasonous, or at the very least, extremely offensive. “The United States military and the Bush administration are the biggest terrorist organization in the world,” Pearcy said.

But he wasn’t close to being finished. Pearcy also said soldiers need to apologize for fighting an illegal war and promoting Bush. “Soldiers that fought in the Iraq war need to say I’m sorry for being so stupid as to join the military when George W. Bush was president.” That’s gratitude for the people who give you the right to spew arrogance and self-importance if I’ve ever seen it.

Pearcy has the right to his opinion, and I would never dream of taking it from him, but now it is time for him and all the Stephen Pearcys of the world to be told to calm down.

You embarrassed yourself and everyone at that rally today. You should be ashamed. The fact that you could make slanderous statements about the very people you are trying to bring home is shameful, despicable and two-faced.

You can be against the war all you want, but you do not slam the soldiers. Please prostitute your propaganda elsewhere in the future, it nauseates me to know that I breathe the same air as you and people like you.

To the CPA and M.E.Ch.A., I hope you are proud of the day’s events, I’m sure Jane Fonda is somewhere beaming right now.

Jordan Guinn can be reached at [email protected]