Form an opinion of the war in Iraq. Anybody can do it. It is our right as citizens of this country. The contentious opinion of the war is sure to draw opposition, regardless of the stance someone takes on it. Last week, organizers from the Campus Progressive Alliance held a “Peace Rally Against the War in Iraq” in the Library Quad. Their intentions were commendable in their First Amendment exercise, but the event was hindered by two problems, as reported by State Hornet columnist Jordan Guinn.

First, how credible can a “die-in” be when its “dead” lay on the ground text messaging and listening to iPods?

We get it. We’re the Y generation, and we love our information. But come on. Do we honor the dead or represent the realities of war properly this way?

With regard to information though, addressing the realities of war is easier than ever. With the Internet, instant messaging and blogs, news and opinions are easier to access than ever. The reality of the war is people die everyday in Iraq. What’s worse is the apathetic attitude we have about it. If you want to rally against something, rally against apathy. That means getting off your iPods and quit text messaging your friends about how socially conscious you are. Be a patriot, don’t just talk about it.

The second problem? Make sure to know what speakers are going to speak about. The CPA was very excited to have Berkeley attorney Stephen Pearcy speak to the crowd. Pearcy blasted U.S. soldiers saying, “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.” He also referred to Hamas as “commendable” and said the U.S. military and President Bush are the biggest terrorists in the world. We’ve come a long way from the protests of Vietnam. It took a while, but America has learned not to blame the soldiers for a war they didn’t start. After a few minutes of his speech, it was clear by the confused reactions of the participants that he had alienated a large portion of the audience.

Even negative attention is attention. The message was definitely heard. It may have been muddled in poor execution and the lackadaisical mood the texters had, but protestors have the right to say it, and they should. They just should have said it better. If the protestors can’t take the activism seriously, you can’t expect change, or at the very least, an effective demonstration.

The State Hornet Staff can be reached at [email protected].